The Amount of Human CO2 emissions vs. The Scale of our Atmosphere

AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers around the assertion made by a biology teacher that the emissions of harmful gases are negligible compared to the vastness of the Earth's atmosphere, suggesting a focus on more fragile ecosystems, such as amphibians facing extinction. This claim is challenged by highlighting the dangers of even small amounts of toxic substances, like mercury, emphasizing that their impact can be significant despite their relative mass. The conversation also touches on the release of artificial mercury into the atmosphere and natural waters, questioning the teacher's perspective on the harmlessness of certain emissions. Additionally, carbon dioxide is noted as the fifth most abundant gas in the atmosphere, leading to a broader discussion on climate change, which is ultimately deemed a closed topic.
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My biology teacher asserted to our class that compared to the vastness of the atmosphere of our earth, the amount of harmful gasses we are emitting is a fraction of a percent and therefore can be dismissed as harmless, and instead we should be worrying about more fragile ecosystems down here on top of the crust, like the alarming rate of amphibians going extinct.

So was my biology teacher right, or was she just trying to make a point about taking care of ecosystems?
 
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Offer her an amount of mercury insignificant in mass to the size of her body, see how harmless she thinks that is :)
 
Offer her an amount of mercury insignificant in mass to the size of her body, see how harmless she thinks that

Well how much artificial mercury has been released to atmosphere and how much to natural waters, like the Lady said?

Carbon dioxide is the fifth most abundant gas in our atmosphere.
 
This keeps going off into discussion of current climate and predictions which is a closed topic.

Locked.
 
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