The carbon cycle describes how carbon moves through the natural environment.
Plants take CO2 from the air, use the carbon in combination with water to make carbohydrates, and release oxygen to the atmosphere. When the plant dies, that carbon is released again as CO2. That release can be a result of decomposition, fire, or probably other means.
Right now, there is a relatively high concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere. I believe in anthropogenic climate change, so I think that high and increasing concentrations of CO2 are a result of burning of fossil fuels. In effect, we are adding carbon to the current carbon cycle. If it weren’t for humans, the vast majority of carbon in fossil fuels would remain buried and irrelevant.
Okay, I wrote the above without looking anything up, just using what was in my head.
(Looks at Wikipedia)
So I’m grossly over-simplifying and leaving out many aspects, but I’m not wrong. I think understanding the carbon cycle, even on a superficial level, clarifies what we need to do.
Ending and Beginning 