CO2 is very often in the center of our daily news. We often hear that CO2 is somehow contributing to the increase of the average temperature on our beautiful planet. But is it really true?
Although, the question is very easy, the answer is a bit more complicated. As for many questions, also in this case the answer is: it depends. Surely, CO2 is the main factor, which contributes in rising the temperature, because it prevents the solar radiontions from escaping our system and since they remain, they warm our little planet up.
It is important though, to distinguish the kind of CO2, or better to understand where the CO2 comes from. CO2 is produced by burning something, that can be oil or wood and this is a key factor. When oil and wood are burnt, massive quantity of CO2 is released in the atmosphere. The difference is that when oil is burnt, we are releasing CO2 that had been removed from the atmosphere millions of years ago. This means that we are reproducing the kind of atmosphere that was present when the dinosaurs were living on Earth. Surely, at that time the atmosphere was not confortable to us.
Whereas when wood is burnt, recent CO2 is being released. CO2 that was captured by plants few decades ago, and it means that we are recreating an enviroment similar to the one that our ancestors were used to. It is important to understand where the CO2 that we are producing is coming from, in order to better deal with it.
Although, people can think that there are not alternativies but stopping our production to restore our planet, it is not true. We simply have to understand what can been done and at what proportion. We have both the possibilities and the technology to keep enjoing our dailylife without ruining our environment.
And let's remeber that CO2 is important for our environment, it is the food of our plants :)