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🌍 Earth's Atmosphere and Carbon Dioxide

Discover what the air is really made of and how carbon dioxide helps keep our planet warm.

lessons

~15 min

to learn

🔬 Science

subject

Teens

level

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What you’ll learn

What's in the AirKnow the main gases in the atmosphere and their rough proportions, and that plants use carbon dioxide.Air is a mixture of gases: about 78 percent nitrogen, 21 percent oxygen, 1 percent argon, and just 0.04 percent carbon dioxide, plus some water vapour. Each gas has a role, and green plants use carbon dioxide to make food by photosynthesis, releasing oxygen.
Carbon Dioxide and the Greenhouse EffectExplain where carbon dioxide comes from, what the greenhouse effect is, and why burning fossil fuels warms Earth.Carbon dioxide enters the air from breathing, burning fuels, and volcanoes, and plants remove it. Greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and water vapour trap heat, keeping Earth warm enough for life. Burning fossil fuels adds extra carbon dioxide, trapping more heat and slowly warming the climate.

Questions this course answers

Which gas makes up most of the air?

Nitrogen is by far the most common gas in the atmosphere, making up about 78 percent of the air.

About how much of the air is carbon dioxide?

Carbon dioxide is only a trace gas, making up roughly 0.04 percent of the atmosphere.

What do green plants use carbon dioxide for?

Plants take in carbon dioxide and use sunlight to make their own food in photosynthesis, releasing oxygen as they do.

What do greenhouse gases do?

Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and water vapour trap heat near the surface, keeping Earth warm enough for life.

Which of these adds the most carbon dioxide to the air today?

Burning fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas is the largest source of the extra carbon dioxide entering the atmosphere.

Why does burning more fossil fuels lead to a warmer planet?

Extra carbon dioxide from burning fuels traps more of the Sun's heat, so average temperatures rise over time.

Grounded in trusted sources

Royal Society of Chemistry
BBC Bitesize
Britannica
NOAA

Every Wunder lesson is built from real, reputable sources — never invented.

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