Wildfires

Introduction

While carbon dioxide (CO2) is essential for plant and animal survival, too much concentration in the atmosphere can have devastating consequences. CO2 has proven to be a significant contributor to air pollution, taking a substantial role in the greenhouse effect. That’s because carbon dioxide traps radiation at the ground level, resulting in ground-level ozone. That prevents the earth from cooling during the night and warms ocean waters.

What Is Carbon Dioxide?

Co2 is a standard greenhouse gas naturally existing in the atmosphere, accounting for about 75% of emissions in the air we breathe. However, it can live in the atmosphere for thousands of years. Research also shows that the level of carbon dioxide concentration has risen to 355 parts per million (PPM), compared to 270 PPM recorded in the 1700s.

According to the UN Global Forest Goals Report of 2021, forests currently cover close to 31% of the global land area. However, only 1.11 billion hectares are covered by native or primary forests that are largely undistributed. Even worse, the world is continually losing its forests at a fierce rate, with about 420 million hectares lost to deforestation since 1990.