Carbon Emissions Essay

Carbon Emissions Essay
CARBON EMISSIONS OVER A YEAR AND PRATICAL REDUCTION METHODS Michael Pratt, Brandon Brown 1School of Electrical and
Computer Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta, GA 30332 ABSTRACT The average American citizen consumes energy over the
course of a year which contributes to mankind's total carbon emissions. Given current studies on the effects of Global Warming and carbon emissions,
it is beneficial to analyze ways to reduce energy usage, and thus carbon emissions. The experimenters are assumed to be average American citizens
aged 18 – 25 in terms of yearly carbon emissions. Their yearly energy usage was approximated, and local power plant emission data was used, when
necessary, to calculate the total carbon...show more content...
Dividing among 5 people, this yields 14,537 lbs of CO2 per year. Since the examined student lives at home 17 out of 52 weeks of the year and 35 at
home, the total output may be approximated by [pic] The second major contributory factor to carbon emissions is exhaust from vehicles. The
vehicular carbon footprint of a college student who lives on campus is most likely less than the national average, so a more specific "average citizen"
who is a student going to college out–of–state will be considered here. In the following graph the "miles per year" column will already have factored in
the number of people sharing the mileage of the activity and the number of times the activity is performed per year. The lbs. of CO2 per year column
is calculated assuming an average of 21 mpg for vehicles and 19.59 lbs per gallon of gasoline [7]. |Activity |Miles / year |Lbs. CO2 per year | |Driving
to college |1280 |1194.05 | |Road trips |100 |93.28 | |Driving to Work |600 |559.71 | |Errands |70 |65.3 | |Misc. |80 |74.62 | |Total
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Essay On Carbon Emissions
A new report of a higher global average concentration of carbon dioxide emissions triggered calls for more drastic emission cuts at the upcoming
climate negotiations in Germany. The Greenhouse Gas Bulletin of the UN weather agency reported that CO2 emissions hit a global average
concentration of 403.3 parts per million.
It is up from 400 ppm in 2016 due to human activities and a strong El Nino event, according to The Guardian. The 3.3 ppm hike is higher than the
2.3 ppm increase in the last 12 months and the average yearly increase over the last 10 years of 2.08 ppm. It is also higher compared to the 2.7 ppm
jump during the El Nino year in 1998.
100 times faster increase
The report noted that the increase in the concentration of CO2 in the...show more content...
However, the failure of national governments to keep their promises is causing the momentum of the Paris accord in 2015 to wane.
Weakened international efforts
A UN Environment report, slated for release on Tuesday, will provide an idea on the gap between domestic commitments and international targets over
the 2 Celsius goal and likely beyond 3 Celsius. The decision of US President Donald Trump to quit the Paris accord weakened international efforts.
There is still time to reduce the emissions and keep some control, Dave Reay, a professor of carbon management at the University of Edinburg, said.
He added that the rise in the global average concentration of ppm should set alarm bells in the corridors of power.
Erik Solheim, the head of UN Environment, emphasized that the world is still emitting far too much CO2 which must be reversed. "What we need
now is global political will and a new sense of urgency," he said.
The yearly bulletin of WMO is based on observations from planes, monitoring vessels, and land stations to track the CO2 emissions since 1750. The
concentration levels it reports represent what remains in the atmosphere after the complex system of interactions among the atmosphere, cryosphere,
the oceans, and the biosphere.
The oceans take up about one–fourth of the total emissions. The biosphere takes another quarter which cuts the amount of carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere. Taalas stressed that CO2 stays in the

Climate Change and Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Essay
Since the industrial revolution, scientists have documented a trend of increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), the main greenhouse gas. This
observation has been an issue of major environmental concern in the view of the potentially devastating effects of climate change on ecosystems and
human survival. Recent studies by scientists led by Wei–Jun Cai have served to underscore this fact by showing that the Arctic region and the globe
are faced with a major climate challenge due to the continued melting of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean. This research has indicated that the major
concern is the increasing heat absorption as deeper ocean water layers get exposed to sunlight as well as the possible loss of white ice reflectivity or the
...show more content...
At the same time, these earlier documentations point to an increased biological productivity following the high sequestration of CO2. However, Cai, et
al. notes that these predictions cannot be generalized since they were made prior to the recent major ice retreat that has had major implications on both
CO2 sequestration and primary productivity (2010). The recent survey on the concentration of sea–surface CO2 across the Canada Basin, cautions that
the CO2 uptake capacity of Arctic Ocean Basin will continue decreasing as the ice melts away (Cai, et al. 2010).
It is worth noting that some climate researchers had earlier viewed the phenomenon of ice melting in the Arctic from an optimistic point of view. This
is because of the fact that during summertime, the less ice cover promotes greater absorption of CO2, given the larger area of the ocean that is
exposed to the atmosphere. This consideration is relieving given that the major issue with regard to global warming is the potential danger posed by
accumulation of atmospheric CO2. However, this view has been challenged following the high–resolution survey by a team of international climate
scientists led by Wei–Jun Cai. The survey has focused on the Canada basin. The research provides ample evidence to prove that contrary to earlier
propositions, the Arctic Ocean basin do not have an indefinite ability to continue acting as a CO2

What Is Carbon?
Carbon's first known use was by the Egyptians and Sumerians in 3750 B.C. It was not until near the end of the eighteenth century was carbon an
official element. It was "discovered" by A.L. Lavoisier in France. Carbon can be found in coal deposits, some stars, atmospheres of many planets,
meteorites, fossilized remains, and in all living things. Carbon's name originated from the Greek word, "carbo", which means "charcoal" or "coal".
The atomic number of carbon is six and the atomic mass is 12.0115. The number of electrons, protons, and neutrons are all six. One can figure this out
because the atomic number, the number of protons, and the number of electrons are all the same number. The number of neutrons can be found by
subtracting the...show more content...
Neon can be used in neon lighting, the manufacture of lasers, which can be used in industry and medicine, cryogenic refrigerant, and in television
tubes. Neon is important because it is used for lightning, signs, lasers and refrigeration. It is 40 times more efficient than helium and three times more
efficient than hydrogen. While it is more expensive to isolate than hydrogen or helium, this efficiency makes it a cost–effective refrigerant. Because it's
rare on Earth, it plays no known role in natural systems or biology. Without neon, there would not be neon signs which would harm both the public and
businesses. Since the majority of neon usage is for neon signs which produces profit for businesses and save time and money for the consumer. Neon's
nonexistence would be hurtful for both the public and businesses. Indeed, there are many other invaluable uses of neon that are not usually recognized
by society. Neon's contribution in wave meter tubes, television tubes, and helium–neon lasers would be lost. It's use in specific refrigeration
applications in place of the more pricey liquid helium also would be

Into the Future
This issue of making sure life paths don't negatively affect the environment is prevalent in everyone 's life. The problem is in front of our eyes, but we
aren 't making changes to solve it. Carbon emissions is destroying our environment every single day. Most individuals wouldn't think twice about their
actions because the negative effects don 't interfere with their present life. Our world is slowly deteriorating because of all the non–environmentally
friendly actions we do, such as driving inefficient cars, buy goods produced from unregulated factories, and so on. Carbon emissions negatively impact
the environment and the health of humans. It causes the global temperature to rise which creates severe weather events, like heat waves or forest fires.
Increase in temperature affects many wildlife species, putting them in great amounts of stress potentially causing extinction. There will be a potential
increase of respiratory and cardiovascular problems in humans as well. I want to do my part to prevent this problem from further happening. There are
necessary steps for me to take before I can make sure that my idea be possible. I would like to become an architect in the future, and there are
numerous issues that I will encounter trying to limit the amount of environmental damage caused by my actions. I have certain choices that I can make
to ensure that this doesn't happen.
As an architect. I will bring ideas to capture peoples ' attention. Houses and

My Carbon Footprint
My Carbon Footprint This essay reviews my personal carbon footprint and discusses ways to manage it and reduce some of the biggest areas of
my resource consumption. The footprint calculator that I used required that I answer a series of questions about my consumption habits, and
based on the answers I provided, showed the impact of my lifestyle on the planet. The footprint calculator uses data for selected countries, based on
National Footprint Accounts. The online calculator asked questions to determine how to distribute the ecological footprint into different
categories based on the country's average consumption profile. In addition to calculating the amount of carbon a person is responsible for through
their daily activities, the calculator also estimated a total ecological footprint to represent the amount of land and sea area required to provide the
resources a person needs and to absorb their carbon emissions. According to the calculator, if everyone lived like me, we would need 5.1 Planet
Earths to provide enough resources to sustain us all. More specifically, I produce 23.4 tons of carbon dioxide per year and my lifestyle requires
22.7 global acres of the earth's productive area. My footprint breaks down as follows: services that I consume account for 39%, food accounts for
27%, goods for 17%, shelter for 11%, and mobility for 6%. The footprint calculator also made suggestions regarding ways to reduce my impact on the
planet. For example, I could reduce the

Carbon Pollution
As of mid–2017 it has been recorded that a concentration 407 parts per million of Carbon Dioxide are present in the atmosphere. The current Carbon
Dioxide concentration in our atmosphere is the highest recorded in the past 20 million years and it is due to human activities; mainly fossil fuel
consumption and deforestation. This tremendous increase in malicious greenhouse gases in our atmosphere has started to have a noticeable impact on
our earth. These being increases, and decreases in temperature throughout the planet and more constant and powerful natural disasters. These effects
have mobilized the efforts of governments throughout different continents to start making significant change in the policies regarding climate change.
carbon offsets, carbon trading and cap and trade are concepts being implemented throughout countries with the intention of limiting the amount of CO2
major industries are permitted of releasing. Although, these concepts were created with upright intent, the industries that such concepts were created
for have found ways of corrupting these programs. This is because all three of the previous concepts have loopholes in which a company can purchase
the right to release as much carbon dioxide as they are willing to spend for it. It is imperative to acknowledge that there are many defects with these
concepts, therefore people need to understand and require for improved guidelines against major companies and their carbon dioxide footprints.
Furthermore,

Essay On Carbon Tax
The commentary examines the imposition of carbon taxes in Singapore. A carbon tax is a specific tax placed on fossil fuels per unit of carbon
emissions. This tax acts as an incentive for producers encouraging polluting firms to reduce their carbon emissions and switch to less carbon emitting
energy resources and/or technologies from 2019 onwards. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are a negative production externality; an externality that
is created by the producer. This is a form of market failure as the market is unable to allocate factors of production efficiently. The over production of
carbon emissions has dire effects on the environment as well as all of those within the global market.
Figure 1 demonstrates the emission of carbon tax...show more content...
The imposition of this carbon tax would affect all stakeholders within this economy. Producers reap the largest burden, calculated by Pm– Pp x Qt
shown (pink region) as this tax in Singapore is implemented on emitting firms. Consumers also are affected by the imposition, calculated by Popt – Pm
x Qt (blue region). This is a result of producers translating production costs to consumers. Government as well see the imposition of the carbon pricing
as a benefit. The total shaded area represents the government revenue received by the tax that is paid by producers and consumers within the
Singaporean market. In the diagram, S=MPC shifts leftwards due to increased production costs towards MSC. Equilibrium after the imposition of the
tax is at Qopt, Popt lying at the social optimum at which the market assumes the principle that the larger the amount of Co2 emissions emitted, the
larger the proportion of carbon tax the emitting firm has to pay.
The foremost important benefit of the implementation is to decrease the occurrence of climate change. The Singaporean carbon tax will overall limit
the output of carbon emissions with the added benefit of being imposed quickly. Further, it encourages industries to use renewable energy sources in
production or restrict the use of oil consequently, placing increasing importance on renewable energy alternatives, acting as an incentive.
On the other hand, the imposition of this tax

Climate Change and Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Essay
Climate change or colloquially known as global warming, now pose a new threat to civilization as the levels of greenhouse gases (GHG) are
soaring to new levels. The most significant contributor to greenhouse gasses would be Carbon Dioxide (Co2). The levels of Carbon Dioxide (Co2)
gas have risen to levels civilization has not seen before. As such, the effects of these levels are not known to civilization as data gathered from the ice
cores drilled in the Antarctica only shows data up to 650,000 years ago. However we can conclude that present CO2 concentrations are higher
compared to any time in the last 650,000 years (IPCC 2007). Current carbon dioxide concentrations are hovering around 389 parts per million (ppm) as
of September 2011,...show more content...
Therefore based on the worrying statistics above, we have to take precautionary measure to ensure the greenhouse gases, more specifically carbon
dioxide levels do not increase further.
In Australia, there is an emerging consensus that the government should take further actions to help mitigate and combat climate change. The
current most accepted policy by government is the introduction of a carbon tax followed by an ETS in 2015. However we are focusing on the
carbon tax in this essay and not the ETS. Here is a brief explanation of the dynamics of a carbon tax. A carbon tax is a tax on energy sources, which
emit carbon dioxide (Co2). Therefore, carbon taxes address the problem of negative externality. Externalities are the subsequent effects when
individual production or consumption of a particular good or service imposes costs or benefits on others. Therefore negative externalities are effects,
which pose harm to others without their direct interaction (Basic Economics 2011). However, usual market practices and transactions do not reflect
these cost and benefits in the prices involved in the transaction, or take into account in their transaction decision. Therefore this is a form of market
failure. By imposing a cost on these negative externalities, the hidden cost can be addressed. Ultimately the purpose of a carbon tax is to reduce
emissions of carbon dioxide and therefore reduce

Carbon Compounds Carbon Chemical Compounds
Carbon is the basis of life , one of the most common elements and one of the most studied. It comprises the whole discipline of organic chemistry.
Carbon is unique in that it is able to form millions of different stable compounds. When carbon forms compounds, it generally has eight shared
electrons. Living or once–living organisms are the source of many carbon compounds, which is why the name 'organic' is traditionally applied to this
branch of Chemistry
Organic compounds usually contain carbon bonded to hydrogen. They can also contain oxygen, nitrogen and other non–metallic elements. The
compounds carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO2) are considered to be inorganic compounds. Carbon is able to form single, double and
triple bonds with itself, using its four valence electrons. Carbon needs to gain four more electrons in order to achieve a stable octet in its valence shell.
It does this by forming four covalent bonds. Each carbon atom could therefore form:
four single bonds
two double bonds
a single and a triple bond
one double bond and two single bonds
The simplest organic compounds are hydrocarbons. These are compounds that consist only of carbon and hydrogen. Hydrocarbon compounds play a
part in our everyday lives. Cars, for example, run on hydrocarbon fuels and their engines are lubricated by other hydrocarbon compounds. Many
plastics are also derived from hydrocarbons.
Diesel is not made up of one single molecule, but rather a mixture of several

Carbon Dioxide Emissions Essay
Ju Young– Arctic Ice Investigation ******************************************************************************************
Research Question:
How do greenhouse gas emissions give an impact to the Arctic sea ice?
Hypothesis:
1. A statement that predicts what will happen. Use the structure: 'If...then...because...'
2. For the 'because' part you need to give scientific reasoning so after you have done your research, state in parentheses ( ) the author of the source that
helped you decide on your hypothesis. [Remember to write the full source at the end in the Works Cited list.]
My prediction is that the Artic Ice will change state into water much more rapidly.
This is because the world's emissions of greenhouse gases are...show more content...
4. Explain the conclusion scientifically. This means you interpret the data by explaining what the patterns mean. Use scientific language, and be
specific. Do research to find explanations. Cite the sources here. [Remember to write the full source at the end in the Works Cited list.]
1. Yes there is a pattern between these two results. As more atmospheric C02, I see that the altitudes of Arctic Ice are decreasing. However, there are
some strong winters that make the melted ice change back to sate in water. But also this effect is starting to get a problem. Strong Winters haven't been
occurring much as the 1980's.
2. I had asked Ms Suzanne why the Arctic Ice's extent changes back to ice. She said it's because of the strong winters that occur. Another source I
found from the Internet is that strong winters aren't tough as it used to be during 1900 to 1980.
3. More greenhouse gas emissions, sea levels will rise.
4. In conclusion, in the fact that if all the Arctic Ice melts the worlds sea level would rise. However, my hypothesis was wrong. Sea levels wouldn't rise
if all the ice in the Arctic would melt. This is because it takes all the world's ice to make sea level's increase. If carbon dioxide emissions get worse the
sea's level would rise up to about 62 meters. Atmospheric carbon dioxide can cause more consequences than just sea level intensities. It can cause

extinction for the animals that live in cold climates and the

The Problem Of Carbon Dioxide Emission Essay
"Per capita carbon–dioxide emissions in the United States are roughly twice the average for the rest of the wealthy world (defined here as the 34
member countries of the Organization for Economic Co–operation and Development, or OECD)" (Paarlberg 7). Contrasting the situation with the
wealthy world is enough to realize that the USA has a serious problem of carbon–dioxide emission. If we compare the emission with a poor developing
nation like Nepal, the problem is much clearer or, precisely, scary. CO2 emission in metric tons per capita for the United States in 2005 was close to
20 (Brooks 27). Moreover, in 2013, the measurement for the USA was still 16.4 while that for Nepal was 0.2 ("CO2 Emissions (Metric Tons per
Capita)"). The figures show that the USA emitted 82 times the carbon emitted by Nepal on a per capita basis. With all the focus towards competing
industrially with other wealthy countries, consequently, the USA has not had enough attention towards the resulting problem from carbon emission.
Instead, this competition has added up to the emission of more amount of carbon. The difference in technological advancements, education system, and
the people's lifestyles in the two countries is the main reason for the higher per capita carbon emission in the USA. Undoubtedly, USA is one of the
leading countries based on technological and industrial advancements in the world. Resource abundance and low population in the USA has habituated
people to overconsumption of

Going carbon neutrality: one solution to climate change
Introduction
Climate change is a major concern of the global community. The Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC
AR4) stated that global surface temperature have increased by about 0.74 в—¦C between 1906 and 2005. Extreme high temperature events have
become more frequent and more intense in recent years in some regions.
Many organization and individuals are highly concerned about climate change and want to make their own actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Purchasing carbon offsets and going carbon neutrality is one way to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.
Carbon offset and carbon neutrality
Carbon offsets are credits that can be purchased by individual, organization or country to cancel out the carbon footprint they produce during their daily
life or production process. Each carbon credit is equal to one tons of carbon dioxide either cut down from the emissions or eliminated from the
atmosphere. When the person or the organization is first purchased carbon credits, they should make sure that they have bought quality offsets. For
example, they must make sure that they can check the project data and verify that the carbon reductions are true and supposable. When the amount of
carbon offsets gained is equal to an individual, organization or country's carbon footprint, that person, organization or country is carbon neutrality.
Carbon

Carbon Footprint Our carbon footprint is an estimation of the anthropogenic impact that we have on the environment. What it shows is the impact our
every day decisions have in releasing green house gases into the atmosphere. Our individual carbon footprint adds up with the other 7 billion people in
the world, and it becomes crystal clear that we are exploiting our resources. Each and every single person's carbon footprint has an effect on global
warming. It impacts not only humans but also our habitats, animals, and the millions of other organisms that call this earth their home. I have been
working with the Oregon Zoo for the past 3 years teaching kids about their carbon footprint, and conservation so the results were not completely
shocking to me. I was aware that the world, especially the United States has an enormous carbon footprint. However, I was definintly not aware that
my personal carbon footprint is as big as it is. Out of the three calculators that I used, the one on earthday.org was without a doubt my personal
favorite. It was interactive, and was very simple to complete. It also had more specific questions, for example rather than asking how much meat I
consume in general it separated it into groups of different types of meat such as pork, fish, poultry, beef, etc. Something that it did that the other
calculators did not do is dress how much of the household energy comes from renewable energy. I also really liked how it displayed the results. It
showed

Reducing the Carbon Footprint Essay example
Because carbon footprints are such hot topics in the news these days, it's an ideal topic for this particular paper. As concerns about global warming and
potential climate change have continued to evolve the term "carbon footprint" has become ingrained in many people's consciousness. Though the large
Fortune 500 companies focus on reduction of their own carbon footprints, individuals can help in their own small way as well.
But what is a carbon footprint? Basically, carbon footprints are defined as the total amount of greenhouse gasses that are produced when it comes to
supporting human activities (and which are expressed in equivalent tons of carbon dioxide) (What is a carbon footprint?). Driving a car, heating one's
house, even buying...show more content...
This isn't to suggest that industrial farming is healthier; just that it leaves less of an organic footprint than its organic counterpart.
But what can people do to ensure that they're not leaving a larger carbon footprint? One suggestion is to plant a vegetable garden – Prieznitz (2008)
goes so far as to suggest tearing up one's entire backyard and turning the entire acreage into a veggie garden. This is because there would be no lawn
mowing (meaning no gasoline used) and no chemicals used that make green lawns (and that end up contaminating groundwater). While Priesnitz's
suggestion is a little over–the–top – few people have time to cultivate and maintain an entire backyard of vegetables – using part of a backyard to grow
vegetables would reduce a person's carbon footprint (not to mention would help feed that person's family for awhile). Priesnitz suggests that any grass
remaining can be maintained with a push mower.
Other ways to reduce carbon footprints are to energy–proof a home (Reysa, 2008). Gary Reysa points out that home energy improvements not only
save a family on energy bills, but are also easy and inexpensive to implement.
For one thing, simple lifestyle changes can save kilowatts of electricity. One of these involves turning off the lights and electrical appliances when
leaving a room. Shutting off computers can save watts – turning them off at night, and having them hibernate during the day if not in use is a good
way to save energy

Carbon : Carbon And Carbon Essay
Carbon Cycling
AS: 90953
By: Isobel Ryan, 337481
–The Carbon Cycle–
The carbon cycle, according to the Oxford Dictionary is "the series of processes by which carbon compounds are interconverted in the environment,
chiefly involving the incorporation of carbon dioxide into living tissue by photosynthesis and it's return to the atmosphere through respiration, the
decay of dead organisms, and the burning of fossil fuels." However before we understand Carbon Cycling we have to understand the properties of
Carbon.
The element Carbon is the base of all life on earth. It is located in the atmosphere, fossil fuels and oceans. The number of carbon atoms on earth does
not change, in other words no new carbon atoms are made. The atoms move between the atmosphere and earth, otherwise known as Carbon Cycling.
There are three different parts to this cycle; addition, removal and storage.
Addition
Addition is the process in which, carbon is added to the atmosphere in the form of methane and carbon dioxide. There are two different methods of
adding carbon to the atmosphere; natural methods and man–made methods.
Respiration and excretion is a natural method of adding carbon to the atmosphere. Organisms exhale carbon dioxide through respiration and it is also
excreted as a waste product. So that means that every day the 4 million people in New Zealand are exhaling carbon dioxide that was produced through
respiration.
Decay is another natural method of addition of

Carbon Footprint Essay
Carbon Foot Print Assignment
Reduce Food and Product Carbon Footprint
It is estimated that 13% of the United States greenhouse gas emissions are a direct result of the production and transportation of food. Transporting
these foods and manufactured products requires petroleum–based fuels, and many fertilizers are fossil fuel–based. Eat less beef and dairy based
products, raising cows require a lot of resources. Finding an alternative to lamb and beef would dramatically reduce the carbon footprint as
factory–farmed animals generate 500 million tons of manures a year, which creates 5.1% of the greenhouse gases.
Less flight hours
Flying less, will decrease the amount of fuel and greenhouse gases produced by flying. Economy class is the...show more content...
Producing energy for homes cause 9.9% of greenhouse gases, this majorly impacts greenhouse gases as this could easily be reduced.
Deforestation
Deforestation releases some of the most carbon emissions. This is because when trees are felled they release the carbon that they are story into the
atmosphere, where it mixes with greenhouse gases from other sources and takes part in global warming. The deforestations industry is the cause for
18.3% of greenhouse gas emissions. Any realistic plan to reduce global warming pollution sufficiently and in time to avoid dangerous consequences
must rely in part on preserving tropical forests.
Have Less Children
Having less children will drastically reduce the greenhouse gasses produced. Statistics from the UK Government show that the average person will
produce 10 tonnes of C02. By reducing the number of children per family, we are removing a lifetime of carbon production. This would dramatically
reduce the amount of carbon produced. Global warming is the direct result of the industrial revolution, the les children families have on average would
reduce the carbon footprint and would slow global warming. Industry
The Industry produces the raw materials and goods we use almost every day. Direct emissions are from produce or burning fuel for power or heat,
through chemical reactions, the most direct emissions are caused by the consumption of fossils fuels for energy. A small amount of C02 emissions
come from leaks from natural

Carbon Essay
CARBON
Carbon, an element discovered before history itself, is one of the most abundant elements in the universe. It can be found in the sun, the stars, comets,
and the atmospheres of most planets. There are close to ten million known carbon compounds, many thousands of which are vital to the basis of life
itself (WWW 1).
Carbon occurs in many forms in nature. One of its purest forms is diamond. Diamond is the hardest substance known on earth. Although diamonds
found in nature are colorless and transparent, when combined with other elements its color can range from pastels to black. Diamond is a poor conductor
of heat and electricity. Until 1955 the only sources of diamond were found in deposits of volcanic origin. Since then...show more content...
Carbon dioxide is a colorless, almost odorless gas that is formed by the combustion of carbon. It is a product that results from respiration in most
living organisms and is used by plants as a source of carbon. Frozen carbon dioxide, known as dry ice, is used as a refrigerant. Fluorocarbons, such as
Freon, are used as refrigerants (Kinoshita 225–226).
Organic compounds are those compounds that occur in nature. The simplest organic compounds consist of only carbon and hydrogen, the
hydrocarbons. The state of matter for organic compounds depends on how many carbons are contained in it. If a compound has up to four carbons
it is a gas, if it has up to 20 carbons it is a liquid, and if it has more than 20 carbons it is a solid (Kinoshita 230–237).
The carbon cycle is the system of biological and chemical processes that make carbon available to living things for use in tissue building and energy
release (Kinoshita 242). All living cells are composed of proteins consisting of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen in various combinations, and
each living organism puts these elements together according to its own genetic code. To do this the organism must have these available in special
compounds built around carbon. Only plants produce these special compounds, by the process of photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is a process in which
chlorophyll traps and uses energy from the sun in the form of light. Six molecules of carbon dioxide combine with six molecules of water to

Carbon Emissions Essay

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