Question

Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring gas that is vital to plant and animal life, yet carbon dioxide emissions from burning of fossil fuels are expected to result in significant climate change within 100 years. Should carbon dioxide be considered to be a pollutant? Support your position by providing reasons why or why not.

Answer 1

Answer:

Yes, it should be considered a pollutant

Find the reason below

Explanation:

A pollutant is any substance that poses threat or causes harm to the sustainability of the environment. As rightly stated in this question, carbon dioxide (CO2) is a naturally occuring gaseous constituent of our atmosphere. It is vital to both animal and plant life as it is utilized by plants to synthesize their food (glucose), which is the starting point for the flow of energy.

Although CO2 plays a major role in sustaining life, it is also a major cause of GLOBAL WARMING. Carbon dioxide is considered the most important greenhouse gas as it has the ability to trap and emit heat, contributing to the global rise in atmospheric temperature. This causes a lot of harm and environmental disturbance, hence, CO2 despite its beneficial purpose, should be considered a POLLUTANT.