Carbon Cycle

- Autotrophs convert atmospheric CO2 into carbon compounds

- The average concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere is 0.039%
- CO2 is soluble in water but can remain as a dissolved gas or combine with water to form
carbonic acid. This is why the pH decrease as CO2 increase

Carbon cycle

How Is CO2 produced?

1. Released from cellular respiration from non-photosynthetic cells in plants (ex. roots)
2. Methanogenesis: Produced from the anaerobic conditions of bacteria. They can be
found in the mud along or in river, swamps, peat bogs, wetlands, rice fields, landfills and
the guts of termites and sheep
3. Fossilized organic material: partially decomposed organic matter from past geological
eras converted to gas and coal
4. Combustion: CO2 is released by the burning of biomass and fossilized organic material.
a. Ex: coal, oil, natural gas used to heat our homes and run our automobiles
b. Forest fires
c. Wood stoves
5. Limestone: Reef building corals and molluscs have hard shells composed of calcium
carbonate (CaCO3). In acidic conditions, CaCO3 dissolves which causes carbon to be
released
The precautionary Principle
- Denotes a duty to prevent harm, when it is within our power to do so, even when all the
evidence is not in
- This principle has been codified in several international treaties to which Canada is a
signatory. Domestic law makes reference to this principle but implementation remains
limited.