How much does human breathing contribute to climate change
In one day , the average person breathes out around 500 litres(132 gallons) of the greenhouse gas CO2 - which amounts to around 1 kg ( 2.2 lb) in mass . This doesn't sound much until you take into account the fact that the world's population is 6.8 billion , collectively breathing out around 2500 million tonnes of the stuff each year . This is around 7% of the annual CO2 tonnage churned out by burning of fossil fuels around the world .
So , on the face of it , we humans are significant contributor to global warming . But , in reality , the CO2 we're breathing out is part of natural cycle , by which our bodies convert carbohydrates from CO2 - absorbing plants into energy , plus water and CO2 . As such , we're not adding any extra CO2 . In contrast , burning fossil fuels like coal releases CO2 that has been locked up for millions of years , producing a net contribution to global warming .
source : Knowledge Magazine . Vol 2 , Issue 6 .
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