Anthropogenic Carbon Cycle
The anthropogenic carbon cycle is the global network of exchanges between Earth’s biosphere, atmosphere, land and oceans that are caused by human activities. These activities include burning fossil fuels for energy production, deforestation, agricultural practices and other forms of land-use change as well as certain industrial processes such as cement production. As a result of these activities, CO2 emissions from humans have increased significantly over the last century causing an imbalance in Earth’s carbon cycle.
The increasing levels of atmospheric CO2 resulting from human activity has led to rising average surface temperatures across the globe known commonly referred to as ‘global warming’ or ‘climate change’. This increase in temperature affects many aspects of our environment including ocean acidification (decrease in pH), melting glaciers and sea ice cover loss which all lead to changes in weather patterns and ecosystems around the world.
In order to understand how anthropogenic activity influences Earth’s carbon cycle we must first look at how natural processes drive it on large scales. The main sources of natural carbon dioxide into our atmosphere come mainly through respiration (plants releasing oxygen back into the air) and volcanic eruptions; while its removal is attributed mostly to photosynthesis (trees absorbing CO2 for growth). Additionally, some amount of atmospheric CO2 can be absorbed by terrestrial vegetation due to plant uptake during photosynthesis but this process only accounts for about 0.5-1% per year compared with more than 5 billion tonnes emitted annually due to anthropogenic causes..
Humans have greatly affected both sides of the equation since industrialization began approximately 200 years ago with significant increases seen since 1950 when global population had grown considerably along with technological advances which allowed us access to abundant resources such as petroleum oil reserves leading us towards an ever greater dependence on fossil fuel powered industry and transportation systems; thus accelerating rates at which we release harmful gasses like Carbon Dioxide into our atmosphere furthering climate destabilization trends observed today .
In order for us achieve meaningful progress towards mitigating climate change we need look no further then reducing emissions from major contributors like power plants that burn coal & gas combined with improved technologies associated with renewable energy sources such wind & solar farms so that together they can replace much if not all existing options going forward allowing humanity make substantial steps forward protecting planet earth’s future generations from catastrophic consequences wrought by unchecked pollutants released through Anthropogenic Carbon Cycle .