Atmospheric CO2 and Particulates
Introduced| English |
|---|
| carbon dioxide/ˈkɑːbən daɪˈɒksaɪd/ |
| particulates/pəˈtɪkjʊleɪts/ |
| greenhouse gas/ˈɡriːnhaʊs ɡæs/ |
| Particulate matter/pəˈtɪkjʊleɪt ˈmætə/ |
| micrometres/ˈmaɪkrəʊmiːtəz/ |
Two pollutants from one fire
- Burning fossil fuels adds two big pollutants to the air.
- One is a gas: carbon dioxide 二氧化碳 (CO2).
- The other is tiny solid bits: particulates 颗粒物.
- They cause very different kinds of harm.
Carbon dioxide warms the planet
- CO2 is an invisible gas — you cannot see or smell it.
- It is the main greenhouse gas 温室气体.
- It traps heat in the atmosphere, warming the climate.
- Every fossil fuel we burn adds more CO2 to the air.
The main problem with rising atmospheric CO2 is that it…
CO2 is the main greenhouse gas — it traps heat and drives global warming.
Particulates harm the lungs
- Particulate matter 颗粒物 is tiny solid and liquid bits.
- Soot, dust, and droplets float in the air.
- The smallest bits lodge deep in the lungs.
- They cause breathing problems, heart disease, and hazy air.
Carbon dioxide or particulates?
Sort each description under the pollutant it fits.
Particulate matter is harmful mainly because it…
Particulates are tiny enough to reach deep into the lungs, causing breathing and heart problems.
The tiny solid and liquid bits floating in polluted air are called ____ matter.
Particulate matter (PM) is the mix of tiny particles — soot, dust, droplets — in the air.
Size is everything for particulates
- Scientists sort particulates by size, like PM2.5 and PM10.
- The number is the width in micrometres 微米.
- Smaller particles (PM2.5) are the most dangerous.
- They slip past the body's defences and reach the deepest lungs.
Burning fossil fuels releases both CO2 and particulates.
Combustion gives off CO2 gas and soot particles, so fossil fuels produce both pollutants.
Select all true statements.
CO2 warms the climate, particulates harm lungs, and both come from combustion. CO2 is an invisible gas.
Keep the two harms separate. CO2 is a climate problem — it's not poisonous to breathe at normal levels, but it traps heat and warms the whole planet. Particulates are a health problem — they don't warm the climate much, but breathing them damages your lungs and heart. Same source (burning), completely different danger.
Standing by a coal plant:
- The CO2 streaming from the stack is invisible and harmless to breathe right there — but it joins the atmosphere and nudges the whole planet warmer for centuries.
- The grey particulate haze around the same stack is the immediate health threat — breathe it daily and your lungs and heart suffer.
Burning fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide and particulate matter. CO2 is an invisible greenhouse gas — a climate problem that traps heat and warms the planet. Particulates are tiny bits (measured in micrometres, e.g. PM2.5) — a health problem that lodges in the lungs and heart. Same source, different dangers.