Does advocating for zero CO₂ emissions mean that humanity will come to an end? No, that's not true: Even if carbon emissions were reduced to zero percent, carbon would still be emitted through natural processes. Plants and forests play a crucial role in absorbing and storing significant amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. However, the challenge arises from the increasing amount of CO₂ that needs to be absorbed, primarily due to the growing human population. The reduction in the number of plants and forests, largely due to deforestation for agricultural purposes, exacerbates this issue. Carbon dioxide is a natural component of the ecosystem and is not inherently problematic. However, the excessive quantity of CO₂ produced by human activities is the heart of the problem.
The claim appeared in a video (archived here) on TikTok by Mislav Kolakušić, a member of the European Parliament, on February 19, 2024, under the title (translated from Croatian to English by Lead Stories staff) "EU climate fanatics now want zero CO₂ emissions, which translates to the death of humanity. Fanatics are always a danger to humanity because facts mean nothing to them, and they are ready for absolutely anything to achieve their goals." It opened (as translated):
The artificial intelligence tool answered directly 'yes' to the question 'Would a radical reduction in the number of people on earth help reduce CO2 levels?' CO2 makes up 0.042% of the Earth's atmosphere. In that same atmosphere, the air contains 78% nitrogen. Can there be life on earth and in the oceans without that 0.042% CO2? The answer is extremely simple and can be understood by everyone and even every person in this hall: It cannot exist. Zero CO2 emissions are talked about all the time. A zero rate of CO2 emissions translates to the disappearance of humanity, the disappearance of all plants, the disappearance of animals, and the disappearance of fish. One person exhales 0.7 kilograms of CO2 per day, 255 kg per year. 8 and a half billion of us live an average of 73 years and create 158 thousand billion CO2 without eating, working, living, or using any form of transportation.
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Wed Feb 21 08:59:52 2024 UTC)
Mislav Kolakušić (archived here) is a Croatian lawyer and politician who has been a member of the European Parliament for Croatia since July 2, 2019, as an independent representative. He is known for spreading misinformation (archived here) and conspiracy theories (archived here), especially regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. His claim from the video lacks context; while it is true that carbon dioxide is an essential part of the life cycle, the issue lies in its excess.
The atmosphere (archived here), consists of a blend of gases enveloping the Earth. The air we breathe is in the lower part of the atmosphere. Its primary components (archived here), include nitrogen (78.08 percent), oxygen (20.95 percent), and argon (0.93 percent), along with fluctuating levels of water vapor (0 to 4 percent) and carbon dioxide (0.03 percent). Additionally, trace amounts of hydrogen, helium, ozone, methane, ammonia, carbon monoxide, krypton and xenon are also present.
Greenhouse gases (archived here), are integral components of the Earth's atmosphere, consisting of carbon dioxide, methane, ozone, nitrous oxide, chlorofluorocarbons and water vapor. These gases participate in the greenhouse effect (archived here), when heat is trapped within the atmosphere. This process is crucial for maintaining Earth's average temperature, which stands at approximately 15 degrees Celsius (59 degrees Fahrenheit).
However, human activities in recent years have significantly escalated greenhouse gas emissions, exacerbating the planet's natural greenhouse effect and resulting in temperature increases. Between 1970 and 2004, global greenhouse gas emissions increased by 70 percent (archived here), with CO₂ emissions being the main contributor, increasing by 80 percent.
The main contributor to human-caused carbon dioxide emissions is the burning of fossil fuels (archived here), used for electricity generation, transportation, industrial processes and both commercial and residential heating. The amount of CO₂ exhaled by humans is negligible when compared to the vast quantities emitted from fossil fuel combustion.
Plants play a crucial role in utilizing CO₂ through photosynthesis (archived here). During this process, they absorb carbon dioxide and water, converting them into oxygen and sugar. However, escalating atmospheric CO₂ levels, coupled with rising rates of deforestation (archived here), have led to an excess of CO₂ in the air that cannot be effectively absorbed by plants.
