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Chapter 22: Problem 10

Carbon dioxide enters the atmosphere by natural processes and from human activity. Why is the latter a cause of concern?

Short Answer

Expert verified
Human activity increases CO₂ levels, enhancing the greenhouse effect and causing climate change, which poses serious environmental and societal risks.

Step by step solution

01

- Understand Natural Processes

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) enters the atmosphere through natural processes such as respiration, decomposition of organic matter, and volcanic eruptions. These processes are part of the Earth's carbon cycle.
02

- Human Activity and CO₂ Emissions

Human activities, including the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas), deforestation, and industrial processes, have significantly increased the amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere.
03

- Compare Natural and Human Contributions

Although CO₂ is naturally occurring, the additional CO₂ from human activities has upset the balance of the natural carbon cycle, leading to increased atmospheric concentrations.
04

- Impact on Climate

Increased levels of atmospheric CO₂ from human activities enhance the greenhouse effect, trapping more heat in the atmosphere and leading to global warming and climate change.
05

- Environmental and Societal Concerns

Climate change driven by human-induced CO₂ emissions results in more extreme weather events, rising sea levels, and disruptions to ecosystems and agriculture, posing risks to the environment and human societies.

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Key Concepts

These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.

carbon cycle
The carbon cycle is the natural process by which carbon is exchanged between the Earth's atmosphere, oceans, and land. It involves several key steps that ensure the balance of carbon in nature. Plants use carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere for photosynthesis, converting it into organic matter.
When plants and animals respire, CO₂ is released back into the atmosphere.
Decomposition of organic matter by microorganisms also releases CO₂.
Additionally, volcanic eruptions can emit CO₂ into the atmosphere.
This cycle maintains a balance, ensuring that carbon levels in the atmosphere remain relatively stable over time.
greenhouse effect
The greenhouse effect is a natural phenomenon that warms the Earth's surface. It happens because certain gases in the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide (CO₂), water vapor, methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O), trap heat from the Sun. These gases allow sunlight to enter the atmosphere, warming the Earth's surface.
However, they also prevent some of the heat from escaping back into space, trapping it like a blanket over the planet.
This trapped heat warms the atmosphere, making Earth habitable by maintaining temperatures within a range suitable for life. Without the greenhouse effect, the planet would be too cold for most forms of life.
global warming
Global warming refers to the long-term increase in Earth's average surface temperature. This rise in temperature is mainly due to an increase in greenhouse gases like CO₂ in the atmosphere, caused by human activities such as burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and industrial processes. These activities add more CO₂ to the atmosphere than natural processes alone.
The excess CO₂ enhances the greenhouse effect, trapping more heat and leading to higher global temperatures.
As a result, we observe more frequent and severe heatwaves, melting polar ice, rising sea levels, and changes in precipitation patterns.
climate change
Climate change encompasses not only global warming but also a wide range of changes in weather patterns over extended periods. It is driven primarily by human-induced CO₂ emissions and other greenhouse gases.
The consequences of climate change include:
  • More extreme weather events like hurricanes, droughts, and heavy rainfall
  • Rising sea levels due to melting ice caps and glaciers
  • Disruption of ecosystems and loss of biodiversity
  • Changes in agricultural productivity, affecting food security
  • Impacts on human health, including heat-related illnesses and the spread of diseases

These changes pose significant risks to both the environment and human societies, demanding urgent actions to reduce emissions and mitigate impacts.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

The use of silica to form slag in the production of phosphorus from phosphate rock was introduced by Robert Boyle more than 300 years ago. When fluorapatite \(\left[\mathrm{Ca}_{3}\left(\mathrm{PO}_{4}\right)_{3} \mathrm{~F}\right]\) is used in phosphorus production, most of the fluorine atoms appear in the slag, but some end up in the toxic and corrosive gas \(\mathrm{SiF}_{4}\) (a) If \(15 \%\) by mass of the fluorine in \(100 . \mathrm{kg}\) of \(\mathrm{Ca}_{5}\left(\mathrm{PO}_{4}\right)_{3} \mathrm{~F}\) forms SiF \(_{4}\) what volume of this gas is collected at 1.00 atm and the industrial furnace temperature of \(1450 .{ }^{\circ} \mathrm{C} ?\) (b) In some facilities, the \(\mathrm{SiF}_{4}\), is used to produce sodium hexafluorosilicate \(\left(\mathrm{Na}_{2} \mathrm{SiF}_{6}\right),\) which is sold for water fluoridation: \(2 \mathrm{SiF}_{4}(g)+\mathrm{Na}_{2} \mathrm{CO}_{3}(s)+\mathrm{H}_{2} \mathrm{O}(l)\) $$ \mathrm{Na}_{2} \mathrm{SiF}_{6}(a q)+\mathrm{SiO}_{2}(s)+\mathrm{CO}_{2}(g)+2 \mathrm{HF}(a q) $$ How many cubic meters of drinking water can be fluoridated to a level of 1.0 ppm of \(F\) using the \(\mathrm{SiF}_{4}\) produced in part (a)?

The final step in the smelting of CuFeS \(_{2}\) is $$ \mathrm{Cu}_{2} \mathrm{~S}(s)+2 \mathrm{Cu}_{2} \mathrm{O}(s) \longrightarrow 6 \mathrm{Cu}(I)+\mathrm{SO}_{2}(g) $$ (a) Give the oxidation states of copper in \(\mathrm{Cu}_{2} \mathrm{~S}, \mathrm{Cu}_{2} \mathrm{O},\) and \(\mathrm{Cu} .\) (b) What are the oxidizing and reducing agents in this reaction?

Phosphorus is one of the impurities present in pig iron that is removed in the basic-oxygen process. Assuming that phosphorus is present as \(\mathrm{P}\) atoms, write equations for its oxidation and subsequent reaction in the basic slag.

The overall cell reaction for aluminum production is $$ 2 \mathrm{Al}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{3}\left(\text { in } \mathrm{Na}_{3} \mathrm{AlF}_{6}\right)+3 \mathrm{C}(\mathrm{graphite}) \longrightarrow 4 \mathrm{Al}(t)+3 \mathrm{CO}_{2}(g) $$ (a) Assuming \(100 \%\) efficiency, how many metric tons (t) of \(\mathrm{Al}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{3}\) are consumed per metric ton of Al produced? (b) Assuming \(100 \%\) efficiency, how many metric tons of the graphite anode are consumed per metric ton of Al produced? (c) Actual conditions in an aluminum plant require \(1.89 \mathrm{t}\) of \(\mathrm{Al}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{3}\) and \(0.45 \mathrm{t}\) of graphite per metric ton of Al. What is the percent yicld of \(\mathrm{Al}\) with respect to \(\mathrm{Al}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{3} ?\) (d) What is the percent yield of Al with respect to graphite? (e) What volume of \(\mathrm{CO}_{2}\) (in \(\mathrm{m}^{3}\) ) is produced per metric ton of Al at operating conditions of \(960 .{ }^{\circ} \mathrm{C}\) and exactly 1 atm?

The key step in the manufacture of sulfuric acid is the oxidation of sulfur dioxide in the presence of a catalyst, such as \(\mathrm{V}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{5}\) At \(727^{\circ} \mathrm{C}, 0.010 \mathrm{~mol}\) of \(\mathrm{SO}_{2}\) is injected into an empty \(2.00-\mathrm{L}\) container \(\left(K_{p}=3.18\right)\) (a) What is the equilibrium pressure of \(\mathrm{O}_{2}\) that is needed to maintain a \(1 / 1\) mole ratio of \(\mathrm{SO}_{3}\) to \(\mathrm{SO}_{2} ?\) (b) What is the equilibrium pressure of \(\mathrm{O}_{2}\) needed to maintain a \(95 / 5\) mole ratio of \(\mathrm{SO}_{3}\) to \(\mathrm{SO}_{2} ?\)
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