Question

What are some human activities that is altering the carbon cycle?

Answer 1

oday, the carbon cycle is changing. Humans are moving more carbon into the atmosphere from other parts of the Earth system. More carbon is moving to the atmosphere when fossil fuels, like coal and oil, are burned. More carbon is moving to the atmosphere as humans get rid of forests by burning the trees. Burning wood releases carbon into the atmosphere that had been stored in the tree.

Most of the carbon in the atmosphere is in molecules of carbon dioxide (CO2). Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas; it causes heat to be retained in the atmosphere. By increasing the amount of this greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, Earth is becoming warmer.