But it also generates a lot of sulfate aerosols that make clouds shinier and reflect more incoming sunlight back into space before it can hit the Earth. Moreover, carbon dioxide is, undeniably, plant food. Humanity dumps between 6 billion and 7 billion tons of carbon into the air every year. But only about half stays there. The rest is soaked up by oceans and plants.
Many species grow faster and bigger when they get more of the stuff.
You'll also get a good sense of how the seemingly benign rhythms of your own life contribute to gassy greenhouse buildup. About 56 percent of electricity in the United States comes from coal generators, and another 20 percent is produced by oil and gas. So using one average home toaster for a year puts about 20 pounds of carbon into the atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide. There are, inevitably, a few disappointments. Chief among them is that the program ducks its own title question.