CO2 is food of our food

In the May 17 paper, Judy Butler decried the rising carbon dioxide component of our atmosphere.

Carbon dioxide is the food of our food. By “our,” I mean every living thing from the smallest germ to the largest land mammal.

Every plant (farm crop, tree, grass in your lawn and veggie or fruit in your garden) inhales carbon dioxide and uses the carbon as its building block, exhaling oxygen. Some studies show that doubling the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere doubles the growth rate of some plants. This increased rate of carbon dioxide helps agriculture produce more affordable food for us to eat.

Without carbon dioxide, there would not be any food in our grocery store. Without fossil fuels, we would not have processing plants to clean and package our food or trucks to deliver the goods to our stores.

As far as smog is concerned, carbon dioxide is not a component of visible smog. It is a colorless, odorless gas. Visible smog is particles of incomplete combustion (carbon) and other material. The auto industry has made tremendous strides in cleaning its exhaust.

Fossil fuels: Coal that produces affordable electricity; and oil used for gasoline, plastics and medicines.

Ernie Preedy

Spangle