Overview

• The human race is heavily reliant on the burning of fossil fuels to sustain society
• When burned, these fossil fuels release carbon dioxide
• Along with several other gases, CO collect in the Earth’s atmosphere and contribute to a natural occurrence known as the greenhouse effect
• The greenhouse effect warms the Earth with the help of greenhouse gases, which absorb and radiate heat back to Earth
• With additional man-released greenhouse gases, the Earth is heated more
• This causes changes in climate, such as the average temperature and precipitation
• Higher temperatures can also cause habitat loss or gain
• Loss: Melting of the polar ice caps
• Gain: Warmer temperatures allow species to live in more areas
• This can lead to species extinction

• In addition to this, industry releases chemicals that are harmful to the ozone layer, such as chlorofluorocarbons, which deplete the ozone layer and allow more ultraviolet radiation to reach Earth
• This allows the UV to damage animals and plants, disrupting the ecosystem and destroying potential carbon sinks  
• Carbon sinks remove CO from the atmosphere and convert it into oxygen