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| Carbon Dioxide | |||||||||||||||||
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| from www.freewebs.com/frostbottlingco/technology.htm | |||||||||||||||||
| Basic Information: Carbon dioxide is composed of one atom of carbon and two atoms of oxygen. (Formula CO2.) It is colorless, odorless and nonflammable gas at room temperature. Carbon dioxide is soluble in water, so it is usually only found as a liquid when dissolved in water. | |||||||||||||||||
| Emissions: The primary source of carbon dioxide is the combustion of fossil fuels. Many modern conveniences rely on the burning of fossil fuels, such as cars, trucks, heating systems and power factories. According to the EPA, these activities are responsible for �about 98% of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions.� Deforestation is another large contributor to carbon dioxide emissions. Each year about 34 million acres of trees are cut down and burned, producing �25% of all carbon emissions entering the atmosphere.� (EcoBridge.org) In addition to adding more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, deforestation also takes away a valuable source of carbon dioxide intake � the temperate forests being lost to deforestation �account for an absorption rate of 2 billion tons of carbon annually.� (EcoBridge.org) |
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| Role in Global Warming: Carbon dioxide makes up 80% of the total greenhouse gas emissions. Also, it has an estimated atmospheric lifetime of 50 to 200 years. This means that even if the whole world stopped emitting carbon dioxide tomorrow, we would still feel its effects of global warming for many years to come. | |||||||||||||||||
| Greenhouse Gases | |||||||||||||||||
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