Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas
Numerous things generate carbon dioxide naturally including respiration, volcanic eruptions, and fires. In a natural cycle, much of this carbon dioxide is taken up by trees, who use it for energy, producing oxygen as a byproduct. Carbon dioxide is actually a very important greenhouse gas, and an important part of the process which makes Earth so pleasant to live on. However, the amount of carbon dioxide being generated started to outstrip the Earth’s abilities to handle it in the twentieth century. As a result, a steady climb in atmospheric carbon dioxide was observed, and scientists also began to link it with a slow creep in global temperatures. The difference of only a few degrees in annual average temperatures has the potential to be devastating, and many nations are beginning to be concerned about carbon dioxide.
Rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere appear to be indisputably linked with the rise in global temperature. The international dispute over global warming is not centered on whether or not it is happening, but whether or not it is part of a natural cycle. People who do not believe in global warming suggest that global weather runs in cyclical patterns, and the global warming trend is a natural spike in global temperatures, despite the clearly unprecedented rise in carbon dioxide levels. However, scientists who have studied ancient climate models argue that global warming is accelerating very rapidly, and far more dramatically, than past climate change. These scientists believe that global warming is being caused by humans, and that our growing carbon dioxide emissions need to be checked before it is too late.