Human Impact on the Carbon Cycle
Many studies have recently been done on both the short and long-term impact that humans have made on the carbon cycle. Disturbing evidence has been found that suggests our activities have disrupted the natural flow of the process. From the start of the Industrial Revolution until now, activities such as the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation have added to the amount of carbon-dioxide in the atmosphere. The fossil fuels, such as oil and coal, release carbon into the atmosphere at a higher rate than it is naturally removed through the cycle. In addition, deforestation reduces the rate of photosynthesis world-wide, which also adds to the buildup of carbon within the atmosphere. Because of this buildup, atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide are higher than they have been for at least half a million years. These increases levels have also been linked to the possibility of a warming of the atmosphere known as the “green house effect”. The results could disrupt global food production and wildlife habitats, alter temperature and precipitation patterns, and raise the average seat level in various parts of the world.