If all fossil fuels come from dead plants and animals of the past, was all the carbon trapped in them present in the atmosphere as CO2 at some point? If we dug out all the fossil fuels in the world and burned them all today, would the atmosphere be comparable to what it was like before life?

Question

If all fossil fuels come from dead plants and animals of the past, was all the carbon trapped in them present in the atmosphere as CO2 at some point? If we dug out all the fossil fuels in the world and burned them all today, would the atmosphere be comparable to what it was like before life?

In: 64

Answer 1

There was a time when most of the co2 in fossil fuels was in the atmosphere. This time was not the same day. It took millions of years for the build up of sequestered co2. The earth releases co2 through geological processes all the time.

What is important to remember is when there is more co2 in the atmosphere we know what happens to the climate. There is evidence of temperature rise.

We know climate change is real. Just because co2 in fossil fuels used to be in the atmosphere don’t mean it’s ok to release it again.