University Environmental Science Report: Human Impact on Carbon Cycle

This report provides an overview of the human impact on the carbon cycle and its relationship to global warming. It explains the carbon cycle, including the processes of cellular respiration and photosynthesis, and how carbon moves between the atmosphere and the earth. The report details how human activities, such as burning fossil fuels and deforestation, have increased carbon dioxide levels, leading to global warming and climate change. It also discusses the greenhouse effect, the role of carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas, and the impact of increased carbon levels on the oceans and marine life. The report highlights the importance of controlling carbon dioxide emissions to minimize the greenhouse effect and mitigate climate change, referencing sources like NASA and the American Chemical Society.

Running head: HUMAN IMPACT ON CARBON CYCLE
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Human Impact on Carbon Cycle
Name
Institution

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HUMAN IMPACT OF CARBON CYCLE
Human impact on the carbon cycle
This report is about the human impact on the carbon cycle and global warming.
The Carbon cycle
The carbon cycle is the procedure through which carbon is transferred from the atmosphere to
the earth and then back to the atmosphere. It is a process that maintains life on earth by
recycling carbon in the atmosphere. Carbon gets into the atmosphere through cellular respiration
and burning of fossil fuels and is absorbed by the primary producers (plants) to make their own
food through photosynthesis with the release of oxygen. Cellular respiration and photosynthesis
are the main processes in the carbon cycle. Cellular respiration is the process through which
animals break down glucose to energy in the form of Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) while
photosynthesis is a process through which plants transform light energy from the sun to energy
in the form of sugars in the presence of carbon (IV) oxide. Cellular respiration and
photosynthesis have some similarity in that they both involve the production of energy, exchange
of gases and both take place in cell organelles. They are however different in that photosynthesis
takes place at the chloroplast in plants while cellular respiration takes place in the mitochondria
in animals. Also, in photosynthesis, carbon (IV) oxide is used to produce energy with the release
of oxygen while in respiration oxygen is used to produce energy with the release of carbon iv
oxide. These processes cannot exist in absence of the other because they provide each other with
the necessary raw materials: photosynthesis uses carbon (IV) oxide which is a by-product of
cellular respiration and respiration uses glucose (sugars) and oxygen which are the product of
photosynthesis.
Global Warming

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HUMAN IMPACT OF CARBON CYCLE
Global warming is the increase in the earth’s temperature over a period of time. It is mainly
caused by human beings through the excess release of carbon (IV) oxide into the atmosphere
through the combustion of fossil fuels. Carbon (IV) oxide is one of the greenhouse gases (a gas
that absorbs heat and releases it later on) and therefore the increased release of the gas leads to a
greenhouse effect known as global warming. According to a journal by chemistry for life, the
levels of Carbon (IV) oxide in the atmosphere are measured using satellites and comparing them
with the carbon levels found in atmospheric bubbles trapped in ice cores bored from Antarctic
ice sheets and recorded in parts per million (ppm). The Carbon (IV) Oxide content in the
atmosphere since the industrial revolution has increased by 40% from 280 ppm to an all-time
highest level of 407.4 ppm in 2016 ( UNEP, 2016). One of the primary factors that have caused
this is the rapid increase in the number of industries emitting Carbon (IV) Oxide. The other
factor is deforestation because in the absence of the plants, Carbon (IV) Oxide is not absorbed
and therefore it remains in the atmosphere.
Carbon cycle and global warming
The carbon cycle describes how carbon (IV) oxide is recycled in the atmosphere while global
warming refers to the long term increase in temperature due to an increase of greenhouse gases
levels in the atmosphere. According to NASA, 55% of the excess carbon in the atmosphere is
absorbed by the land, plants, and oceans while 45% stays in the atmosphere. In the end, the land
and ocean will absorb more carbon but 20% will be left in the atmosphere. The excess carbon in
the atmosphere will warm the earth through background radiation which causes global warming
and climate change. The high levels of Carbon (IV) Oxide absorbed by the oceans will make the
water acidic putting marine life in danger. Increased temperatures are also going to cause the
rapid growth of plants.

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HUMAN IMPACT OF CARBON CYCLE
Conclusion
From the start of industrial revolution the amount of carbon in the atmosphere has increased due
to the rapid growth of industries and deforestation. The release of carbon (IV) oxide should be
controlled in order to minimise the greenhouse effect and climate change.

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HUMAN IMPACT OF CARBON CYCLE
References
Chemistry for Life: Greenhouse Changes Since Industrial Revolution. Retrieved on December 7,
2019 from, https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/climatescience/greenhousegases/
industrialrevolution.html
Earth Observatory (2016): Effects of Changing the Carbon Cycle. Retrieved On December 7,
2019 from, https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/features/CarbonCycle/page5.php