Carbon is a unique chemical element common to all known life, with an ability to form a huge variety of strong chains of various lengths.(1) Combined with oxygen in carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon is present in the atmosphere and in the oceans. Carbon combined with hydrogen atoms forms hydrocarbons, whose fossilized deposits such as remains of plants and other organisms generate fossil fuels including coal, petroleum and natural gas. All living things require carbon for survival. Green plants and photosynthetic plankton obtain it through the process of photosynthesis, while humans and animals consume other living things such as plants and animals to obtain carbon. Plants, animals and humans alike then release carbon into the atmosphere in the form of CO2 through the process of respiration. Carbon is omnipresent in the environment as it circulates in the carbon cycle through the processes of photosynthesis, respiration and decomposition of living organisms. Together with the water cycle and the nitrogen cycle, the carbon cycle is thus critical for sustaining life on Earth. However, the balance of the carbon cycle has been altered by the burning of fossil fuels, releasing large quantities of CO2 into the atmosphere. The excessive presence of carbon in the atmosphere leads to the greenhouse effect and causes global warming and climate change.
CARBON
