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Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound with the chemical formula CO2. It is made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in the gas state at room temperature, and as the source of available carbon in the carbon cycle, atmospheric CO 2 is the primary carbon source for life on Earth.
It is one of several greenhouse gases in the atmosphere of Earth. The current global average concentration of carbon dioxide (CO 2) in the atmosphere is 421 ppm as of May 2022 (0.04%). [1] This is an increase of 50% since the start of the Industrial Revolution, up from 280 ppm during the 10,000 years prior to the mid-18th century.
As of 2021, measured atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide were almost 50% higher than pre-industrial levels. The main sources of greenhouse gases due to human activity (also called carbon sources) are: Burning fossil fuels: Burning oil, coal and gas is estimated to have emitted 37.4 billion tonnes of CO2eq in 2023.
The five most abundant greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere, listed in decreasing order of average global mole fraction, are: [5] [6] water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone. Other greenhouse gases of concern include chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs and HCFCs ), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons, SF. 3.
Atmospheric carbon cycle. Schematic representation of the overall perturbation of the global carbon cycle caused by anthropogenic activities, averaged from 2010 to 2019. [1] The atmospheric carbon cycle accounts for the exchange of gaseous carbon compounds, primarily carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), between Earth's atmosphere, the oceans, and the ...
The US, China and Russia have cumulatively contributed the greatest amounts of CO 2 since 1850. [3] This is a list of sovereign states and territories by carbon dioxide emissions [n 1] due to certain forms of human activity, based on the EDGAR database created by European Commission and Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency.
The United States produced 5.2 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2020, [5] the second largest in the world after greenhouse gas emissions by China and among the countries with the highest greenhouse gas emissions per person. In 2019 China is estimated to have emitted 27% of world GHG, followed by ...
The carbon cycle is that part of the biogeochemical cycle by which carbon is exchanged among the biosphere, pedosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere of Earth. Other major biogeochemical cycles include the nitrogen cycle and the water cycle. Carbon is the main component of biological compounds as well as a major component of many ...