The molecular formula of carbon dioxide is CO2. Carbon dioxide is a naturally produced non-toxic gas that has no odor. Carbon dioxide is the most abundant greenhouse gas on the planet, next to water vapor. In solid form it is commonly known as dry ice. It is an indispensable gas for the survival of most, if not all, living organisms on this planet. Land animals naturally create carbon dioxide in their lungs when they exhale. However, humans alone do not physically or directly need carbon dioxide to survive. Humans need carbon dioxide to survive because it nourishes plants that produce oxygen for respiration. Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere also allows for a warmer temperature so that conditions on Earth allow it to be habitable. Today we hear that carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is becoming a problem even though it is a natural gas. This is because humans have interfered with the natural carbon dioxide cycle. Carbon dioxide is created through many different processes, both natural and unnatural. It is created through respiration, burning fossil fuels, burning wood, and in many other ways. Carbon dioxide is absorbed by many different things. For example, plants absorb carbon dioxide through photosynthesis. However, the soil releases some carbon dioxide back into the air. The ocean has a similar process. The ocean absorbs carbon dioxide that falls into the water, and some is released through evaporation. In fact, most carbon dioxide emissions come from electricity production. Thirty-eight percent of carbon dioxide emissions in the United States come from burning fossil fuels like coal to heat water and power steam turbines. This generates electricity. Next up... middle of paper... farm supplies. This theory is similar to the case that people are born because the quality of life slowly begins to deteriorate as more carbon is put into the atmosphere. The quality of life will worsen because too much carbon dioxide is dangerous for both plants and animals. If we look at Venus today, it is further from the Sun than Mercury, but somehow appears to be much hotter. This is because the atmosphere is much denser than that of Mercury. An extreme amount of carbon in Venus' atmosphere is what makes the temperature so high. The temperature of Venus is about 864 degrees Fahrenheit and Mercury is about 800 degrees Fahrenheit. All this while Mercury is closer to the Sun than Venus. If carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere at the current rate, then it will only be a matter of time before Earth's atmosphere becomes similar to that of Venus..