Take a deep breath and suck in all that air into your lungs. Hmm have you ever thought about what exactly are you breathing into your lungs?

We tend to think of air as mainly oxygen, because that is what we need to survive. Did you know that oxygen only makes up about 21 % of the air that you breath in?

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Animals and humans use the oxygen in the air and release carbon dioxide. Plants do exactly the opposite. Plants use carbon dioxide and release oxygen. Isn't it wonderful how nature works?

What is photosynthesis?

This is the process where green plants absorb light energy from the sun using chlorophyll in their leaves. The chlorophyll then reacts with carbon dioxide and water to make a sugar called glucose. The glucose is used in respiration or converted into a starch. It is stored in the plant. Oxygen is a by-product of photosynthesis.

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The breathing process in humans

Here is a video that briefly explains the breathing process. Video courtesy of YouTube

Animals as well as plants plays an important role in the balance of life on our planet. These processes above are vital for our survival on earth but unfortunately things that people do can upset the natural balance of the system and it can negatively affect the air and the atmosphere. If the balance is upset, then the following things can occur:

Acid rain
Global warming
Ozone layer can be damaged

What is acid rain?

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This is a term used for any form of precipitation with acidic components. Sulfuric or nitric acid falls on the ground from the atmosphere in wet or dry forms. This can include rain, snow, fog, hail or even dust that is acidic.

Acid rain is very harmful and mostly affects aquatic environments. As it flows through the soil, acidic water can filter aluminum from soil clay particles and then flow into streams and lakes. Acidic water dissolves the nutrients and helpful minerals in the soil and then washes them away before plants can use them to grow. Acid rain causes the soil to become sterile and unusable for planting.

What is global warming?

Global warming is exactly what it says. The earth is heating up. Most of the energy that we use is made by burning fossil fuels. This produces huge clouds of carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide drifts up into the atmosphere and makes the Earth's greenhouse gas thicker. This is called the greenhouse effect.

How does the ozone layer affect us on earth?

The ozone layer is there to protect us. The ozone layer is like the sunscreen of the earth and plays a vital role in protecting us from harmful radiation. Due to pollution and other factors caused by humans, the ozone layer is now damaged and this also has an effect on global warming.

Conclusion:

We live on Earth. This is our home. We are busy destroying our own homes by polluting the Earth in such a way that there will be nothing left for future generations. Think carefully about what you do and how something that YOU do can affect the Earth. Don't kill the world.