Thursday, October 28, 2010

The Negative Effects of C02 and a Simple Solution

The world has constantly been under numerous threats, natural disasters, war, or simple prejudices. One of the most ignored and important issues today is the continuous problem of the excessive amount of C02 in our ecosystem. Although our ecosystem needs this molecule for numerous reasons, we must remember that anything in excess will destroy the world. In other words, moderation is key in all interactions. For example, if a man were to consume 1 oz. of water in one sitting then his body would accept this beverage, however if this same man were to consume his own body weight or even half of his body weight of water then the man would most likely pass away. The same can be said of our ecosystem, for although we need C02 an excessive of amount of it will only hurt us.

Due to human activities in the past 150 years we have been experiencing a large amount of C02 released into the air. In the 1850’s the concentration of C02 in our air was approximately 280 ppm and in 1998 is currently 364 ppm. The increase in carbon dioxide is largely due to the increase in the number of environmentally irresponsible factories, dirty power plants, and cars on the road. As humans, the larger our population becomes, the larger the demand for products becomes; and as a result of this, the amount of fossil fuels being used must increase to meet this demand. Currently 22% of the world’s C02 is from man and only increasing day by day.

Although carbon dioxide may consist of a large portion of the percentage of air in our atmosphere it still can affect us negatively in numerous ways. The world must realize that even though C02 assists with photosynthesis of plants to make sugars and other aspects of life; there is also a point where carbon dioxide can be in excess. Studies have shown how plants will fail to photosynthesize properly, when CO2 is in excess, which is likely to happen with our large emission of CO2. Mankind still has to achieve a moderate level of C02 emissions, or the world will eventually suffer from an excess amount of CO2 in our ecosystem.

Some of the negative effects of C02 are those of global warming. It is largely due to the fact that many scientists say that climate change is merely part of a universal cycle that is caused by miscellaneous things such as solar cycles and revolutionary patterns of the earth around the sun. Many people from various backgrounds try to keep discrediting the theory and automatically omitting it as a possible outcome. The greenhouse effect is a theory which in fact actually helps mankind in a sense because it warms the Earth by trapping sunlight (heat) in the greenhouse gasses (C02, hydrogen) and preventing an ice age from occurring. However, since there is no moderation in the way humankind releases these emissions, all of humanity must suffer through a disaster bound to be heading our way, for although hydrogen is one of the greenhouse gasses, C02 contributes 50% — 60% of global warming. In turn, global warming is suspected of causing an increase in storm activity, melting of the ice caps, and other environmental problems.

As mankind advances, the entire world must realize that unless moderation of the C02 in the atmosphere is achieved, there will be countless disasters to come. Although they are not currently manifested, there can be no denying that an excess of C02 will eventually harm our current ways of life. Although the effects of CO2 may not seem apparent currently, once an extreme concentration of C02 exists in the atmosphere, it will harm us all. Therefore, let's put away the notion that there is no alternative to fossil fuels. Instead, let's act moderately not only in our amount of C02 being emitted, but also in the way we act and think. By living life in moderation, it is creating not only a healthy world but also a peaceful humanity.

No comments:

Post a Comment