Burning hydrocarbons will suffocate us.

[Pirate88179]

Well said Vidar.

Bill

[brian334]

After all, I do not think we are able to kill our planet - no matter how much we try

I agree we are not capable of killing our planet, but we are capable of killing ourselves.

I will ask a simple question, does burning hydrocarbons take oxygen out of the atmosphere. Yes or no?

[mr_bojangles]

i once saw a documentary that said over than 1/3 of the carbon dioxide converted into oxygen was done by algea and cyanobacteria in lakes and oceans

also, humans could most like survive with only 1/3 of the amount of oxygen

this implies that even if every tree in the world was cut down we would still be able to live easily, considering trees are in the lesser percentile of oxygen conversion on earth, with all the grass, weeds, flowers, etc

high altitude training suggests that even if oxygen levels were dramatically decreased, the human body responds with increases in white and red blood cells making it possible for sustained life in low levels of oxygen

cow farts are responsible for most of the methane released in the atmosphere putting people way down the list but people freak out that we burn that too

[ResinRat2]

Does burning hydrocarbons take oxygen out of the atmosphere? Technically it takes free oxygen out of the air and converts it to the compound of carbon dioxide. The oxygen is still in the atmosphere, just tied up and chemically bound with carbon. So it becomes poison to humans and animals, yet perfectly suited for use by plants and ocean plankton.

Here is a link for what happens when carbon dioxide levels are raised:

http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/watkins/CO2plants.htm

Plants then grow larger and convert more carbon dioxide and water into sugars and free oxygen.

What I found interesting was that the oxygen released into the atmosphere came from the water, and the carbon dioxide became part of the sugar used by the plants through photosynthesis.

So water, carbon dioxide, photons from the sun, and warm temperatures help the release of greater amounts of oxygen into the atmosphere. Without carbon dioxide, all the photosynthesizing plants would die. They would starve to death.

[Pirate88179]

RR:

That is what I was taught in college.  CO2 is NOT a poison but essential to green plants, ie crops.  The more CO2, the better the crop yield and the more oxygen produced.  Isn't mother nature brilliant?  So, one might say that, the more CO2 in the atmosphere, the more oxygen will result.  Within reason, of course.

Bill