The Carbon Cycle

All that we do impact the environment in one way or the other more than we can imagine. For example when we go rock climbing or hiking we are assisting the weathering of rocks and soil erosion though to us they are funny and mind clearing activities. All human activities impact the environment whether it is in a good way or in a destructive nature. I will start by describing the carbon cycle and how elements of my lifestyle impact the cycle.
Photosynthesis converts the Carbon dioxide gas that exists in the atmosphere and in dissolved water to organic carbon. Organic carbon is brought back into carbon dioxide gas by a process called respiration. There are sources of organic carbon underground in the form of fossil fuels, human emissions and volcanic activity brings the stored carbon back into the cycle.
As a human being who feed, move, breath and grow, I impact the carbon cycle in the following ways.
1. Respiration which releases carbon dioxide
2. Food consumption
3. Burning fuels
4. Human emissions.
Sometimes the City of Harare waste collection department fails to collect waste for up to three weeks. I tend to burn most of the trash to avoid heaps of trash in my yard. I burn papers, plastics, containers and leaves among other things and this pollutes the air while increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
The fact that all the things we
If I am to quit burning trash then I would have to wait for several weeks with accumulating waste in my yard. And if I stop using fossil fuels I would have to eat cold meals or wait until the power is back on. The whole process is unhealthy and time consuming. Starting a garden bed, planting and watering a garden can also be time consuming but to reduce greenhouse effect growing vegetables at home is a good idea because this will reduce the greenhouse farming due to low