Carbon Dixode

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the primary greenhouse gas emitted through human activities. In 2015, CO2 accounted for about 82.2% of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions from human activities. Carbon dioxide is naturally present in the atmosphere as part of the Earth's carbon cycle (the natural circulation of carbon among the atmosphere, oceans, soil, plants, and animals). Human activities are altering the carbon cycle–both by adding more CO2 to the atmosphere and by influencing the ability of natural sinks, like forests, to remove CO2 from the atmosphere. While CO2 emissions come from a variety of natural sources, human-related emissions are responsible for the increase that has occurred in the atmosphere since the industrial revolution.

The main human activity that emits CO2 is the combustion of fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, and oil) for energy and transportation, although certain industrial processes and land-use changes also emit CO2. An example of how CO2 can be generate consider the combustion of octane, a component of gasoline

The balanced reaction in above Equation argues that for every two molecules of octane that are burned, 16 molecules of CO2 are generated.