Why CO2 matters for climate change - BBC News

CO2 - or carbon dioxide - is at the heart of the world's changing climate. Reality Check's Chris Morris explains why.

[abboed.]

For starters, I'm very pessimistic about the earth's environment in general. And a lot of measures should be taken, which I absolutely agree with. However, the one thing I've been having doubts about for a long time would be Co2. More specifically, Co2 levels with respect to importantly regulating earth's temperature. I.e. Co2 as sort of earth's thermostat could truly be a misconception, in my opinion. Co2 is known as a minor greenhouse gas. Yes, it's been the highest since millions of years, by far. But it seems to be mostly following earth's temperature, not the other way around. Although one should mention there's a lot of debate about that. On the other hand, for almost the entire existence of (complex) life, there's never been a clear correlation between the two. At some point Co2 levels even reached a stunning 7000 ppm or higher, with temperatures barely responding. Or temperatures even showing a huge downfall, whereby Co2 levels didn't show a clear change either.
I could be wrong though, i.e. not being embarrassed if proven wrong, though as of now I can't help being somewhat skeptical. (The models have been seriously improved over the past twenty or 30 years. No doubt about that. The problem, in my opinion, would be different disciplines coming together, causing irregularities with respect to for example analysing data, due to limited expertise on each other's research areas.)

[Vickielindstrander]

It is strange that if atmospheric carbon dioxide increases from 0.03% to 0.04%, the temperature will rise or not, or no one will experiment in a closed laboratory.
By the way, does this man knows that carbon dioxide is heavier than nitrogen and oxygen?
Why can heavy carbon dioxide cover the atmosphere?

[randykubick]

so if plants convert co2 into carbon and oxygen why not heat the earth up a couple degrees and have more warm weather to grow more plants to reduce atmospheric co2. earth's current average temp is only 56F. during dinosaurs it was 70-80F. vegetation was far more prolific than today. more farmland also means more food. i just don't buy a warmer earth will be a bad thing. especially when it was far warmer for hundreds of million years in the past.

[theaquarian]

What matters more is an accurate model.

[rednova_]

People don't want climate change because it makes it a bit hotter for us and some of our coastal cities will get destroyed by rising sea levels. But more CO2 in the atmosphere is excellent for plants, which in turn produce oxygen. In fact, people use carbon dioxide in green houses to help plants grow better at levels between 600 and 1000ppm compared to our current atmosphere's 400ppm. So CO2 is bad for us in ways, but overall, good for the planet.

[ChrisInToon]

plant food, professional growers use it.

[Red-Feather]

No! We need to green the planet. That will absorb the CO2 as it had in our remote past.

[Subninja]

Based on glacial ice sample CO2 increases AFTER global temps rise.

[jeanmichaels]

Let's not worry about the climate as the world is going to hell in a hand basket anyway. Shame on us.

[jevasamy]

What about methane and other gases ?
Pollution ?

To Solve pollution :-
1. Plant more trees
2. Use of cng and solar power
3. Use of windmills and water mills
4. Use of less vechiles

[alexanderthornton]

The climate change denial is so worrying

[maxhgs]

If the CO2 levels were this high before humans even existed, how are we supposed to believe we can significantly influence it now?
The climate always has been changing and it always will change.

[glennmartin]

If you could get more CO2 without the temperature rising it would be great. We saw increased greening with higher CO2 forty years ago but it's been followed by slowing and browning starting twenty years ago as the temperature rose.

[anssi]

Why does co2 reflect back the heat radiation leaving the earth into space, but does not do the same for the heat radiation coming from space?

[fantastichuge]

Why than it's much colder during the winter months and much hotter during the summer months?

[idrisb]

For now our best bet is to keep putting the excess into the ground

[yytyyy]

Fun fact: 90% say carbon dioxide is bad, and I, m ashamed to be a human *drives car 2 minutes later*

[auro]

bbc learns about carbon dioxide after 200 years

[elmartillo]

hey I got a fun question. If CO2 is a "horrible Greenhouse Gas that traps heat in the atmosphere" how do you explain Mars? It's atmosphere is 96% CO2, but Earth's atmosphere is 0.04% CO2 ;)

[motorizedbicyclenationcu]

Honestly cars don’t produce that much co2 it’s co1 monoxide they produce