Chemical reactions play a big role in climate change. Two important processes to know about are combustion and photosynthesis.

1. Combustion of Fossil Fuels:

   • When we burn fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas, it releases a lot of carbon dioxide (CO₂).
   • In 2021, the U.S. produced about 5 billion metric tons of CO₂ from burning these fuels. This adds to the greenhouse effect, which warms our planet.
   • Think of this simple equation for burning hydrocarbons:
     • Hydrocarbon + Oxygen → Carbon Dioxide + Water + Energy

2. Photosynthesis:

   • On the other hand, photosynthesis uses CO₂ to make food and oxygen.
   • Plants take in about 25% of the CO₂ that humans produce, which helps lessen climate change.
   • This process can be summed up like this:
     • 6CO₂ + 6H₂O → Glucose + 6O₂

3. Greenhouse Gases:

   • Other chemical reactions create greenhouse gases like methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) from farming and industries.
   • Methane is over 25 times better at trapping heat than CO₂ when you look at 100 years.

4. Ocean Acidification:

   • More CO₂ in the air means more carbon dioxide in the ocean, leading to ocean acidification. This harms sea life.
   • The ocean soaks up about 30% of the CO₂ we release, which changes its acidity.

Knowing about these chemical reactions is really important to help fight climate change.