Carbon Dioxide
A colorless, odorless, non-poisonous gas that
is a normal part of Earth's atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is a product of
fossil-fuel combustion as well as other processes. It is considered a
greenhouse gas as it traps heat (infrared energy) radiated by Earth
into the atmosphere and thereby contributes to the potential for global
warming. The global warming potential of other greenhouse gases is
measured in relation to that of carbon dioxide, which by international
scientific convention is assigned a value of one (1).
(Courtesy of Energy Information Administration, U.S. Department of Energy)
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