Ratings

Science

Will We Run Out Of Breathable Oxygen If We Produce Too Much Carbon Dioxide?

Here’s why you might be worried: Burning oil, coal, gas, wood or other organic materials uses molecular oxygen, the O₂ we breathe, to break carbon-hydrogen bonds and release energy. This reaction, better known as combustion, also pairs each broken-off, positively charged carbon atom with two negatively charged oxygen atoms, forming carbon dioxide, or CO₂.