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Main Sources of Carbon Dioxide
The largest source of global carbon dioxide emissions is from the combustion of fossil fuels: coal, oil and natural gas, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). These fossil fuels are burned in industries and automobiles around the world. Another human activity that leads to increased carbon dioxide emissions is deforestation. Forests help to regulate global carbon dioxide emissions, as plants absorb carbon dioxide for use in photosynthesis. However, huge areas of tropical forest are cleared each day. Moreover, a significant amount of carbon is stored in forests, which is released as these forests are cut down, as indicated by the U.S. Global Change Research Information Office. Additional, natural sources of carbon dioxide, are released during volcanic eruptions and through the decomposition of organic material. However, these form parts of natural cycles, whereas the human-induced emissions are altering the atmospheric balance of carbon dioxide.
The Greenhouse Effect
Carbon dioxide emissions contribute to global warming through the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect is a natural process by which the Earth's atmosphere traps incoming radiation, ensuring that the Earth remains warm enough to support life. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas, and helps trap heat in our atmosphere. Since the advent of the industrial revolution, however, carbon dioxide emissions have increased due to anthropogenic activity. This rise in greenhouse gas emissions, and thus concentrations in the atmosphere, is artificially increasing the greenhouse effect and exacerbating global warming as more heat from the sun is trapped in the Earth's atmosphere.
Consequences
The consequences of global warming, exacerbated by an intensification of the greenhouse effect, brought on by anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions, will be severe. Global Climate Models (GCMs) are used to assess the potential impacts of rising temperatures as detailed in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 2007 report. Global sea levels are expected to rise in response to melting of the ice caps, which will place coastal communities and ecosystems under threat. Furthermore, warmer temperatures are predicted to heat the oceans, providing more energy throughout the climate system and fuelling more intense hurricanes.
Other Greenhouse Gases
In addition to carbon dioxide, other greenhouse gases such as methane and nitrous oxide, also play a role in the greenhouse effect. Methane, in particular, is a potent greenhouse gas, 20 times more effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, according to the U.S. EPA. Although, the quantity of methane emissions is much lower than carbon dioxide.