Why is it only 0.04% of the atmosphere, but CO2 is still the main cause of global warming?

Environmental science often tells us that one of the main culprits of global warming is the increasing amount of CO ₂ (carbon dioxide) caused by human activities. CO ₂ creates a greenhouse effect, preventing heat from the Sun from escaping into space, turning the Earth into a true furnace.

But you know what, this is a paradox. CO ₂ makes up only a very small part of the atmosphere - about 0.041%. Note, not 4%, not 0.4%, but 0.04%. In which, up to 32% is created by humans.

So why is it that only 0.04% of CO2 has such a big impact on the Earth's climate?

The main culprit for global warming is the increasing amount of CO ₂ (carbon dioxide).

Preliminary greenhouse effect

In fact, scientists who first discovered the role of CO ₂ in the climate in 1850 were also surprised by its influence. John Tyndall from the United Kingdom and Eunice Foote from the United States, two scientists with two independent studies have found that in the atmosphere only CO2, water vapor and methane (CH ₄ ) are capable of absorbing heat. Power . Most other gases do not have this function.

In the study, experts found that the Earth is hotter than its recommended temperature to 33 ^° C , based on the planet's heat from the Sun. This means that there must be something that can hold that heat, and make the whole planet heat up.

The Earth is hotter than its recommended temperature to 33 ^o C.

Tyndall and Foote's research shows that in Earth's atmosphere, nitrogen (nitrogen) and oxygen account for a total of 99%, and there is no sign that they affect the planet's temperature. Instead, it is a gas with a much lower concentration, which produces the greenhouse effect, making the Earth a warm enough place to sustain life for the creatures.

And that's CO ₂ - the "blanket" that covers the planet's atmosphere

The Earth - like many other planets in the universe, receives energy from its host star (the Sun) and reflects them back into space. If nothing works, then the heat received and reflected will be balanced.

The sun is hot, very hot, so the energy generated will be shortwave radiation waves. The earth is cooler, so when reflected, energy takes the form of long wavelengths . And this is where CO ₂ enters the story.

CO ₂ absorbs infrared waves reflected from the Earth.

CO2 and heat-absorbing gases like methane possess a molecular structure that allows absorption of infrared radiation . The bond between their atoms can vibrate at a certain frequency, and when exposed to the energy from light photons with the corresponding frequency, the energy will be absorbed and transferred into the gas molecule.

More importantly, these gases are made up of more than three atoms, so absorb the infrared emitted from the Earth. Oxygen, nitrogen, both have only two atoms, so this can't be done.

In a nutshell our story is: the short-wavelength energy from the Sun through the atmosphere reaches the ground, reflecting the opposite but being absorbed by CO2. Part of that heat is returned to the surface of the Earth, and makes our planet warm.

Increasing role of CO ₂ - Everything changed millions of years ago

During the Cold War, the possibility of carbon dioxide was increasingly clarified. More research is being done, allowing science to understand the climate and atmosphere of other planets in the solar system. Venus, for example, has the hottest surface temperature in the solar system - up to 470 degrees Celsius even though it is not closest to the Sun, because the atmosphere has 96.5 percent of CO2.

It is a fact that steam can hold heat more strongly than CO2, but the effect is not much. This is because the Earth's upper atmosphere, which controls the amount of radiation released into space, possesses a thin layer of gas and less water vapor. Here, only CO ₂ has a voice, not any other gas.

Forest fires make more and more CO2 in the atmosphere.

CO ₂ is important, and its importance is shown by past data. Evidence from the eternal ice core shows that millions of years ago, when the Earth warmed, CO ₂ concentration was about 0.028%. During the ice ages, the concentration is only 0.018%.

Small but martial, extremely terrible effect

CO ₂ only accounts for more than 0.04% of the atmosphere, but it has a huge impact. The thing is, is this really worth the surprise? Don't we often take a tiny pill and expect it to cause changes in our body?

At the present time, the concentration of CO ₂ in the Earth's atmosphere is higher than any other period in history, and the main responsibility lies with people . It is estimated that atmospheric CO2 levels could reach 0.1% by 2100, which is three times the amount of emissions before the Industrial Revolution. Obviously, the consequences will be great.

• The concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere has been a record increase for 800,000 years
• High CO2 concentration reduces the ability to study and work