This video uses an animated machine to show how carbon moves around the Earth’s surface – from the atmosphere to plants to animals to soils to oceans to rocks. Carbon moves quickly between the atmosphere, plants, animals and the ocean. Carbon ordinarily moves VERY slowly between rocks and the atmosphere. Over the last few centuries, though, we humans have increased that slow rate more than a 100-fold by mining and burning fossil fuels. Humans have thrown the carbon cycle out of adjustment, with increasingly severe consequences for climate, oceans, and ecosystems. We have to bring the cycle back into balance to reduce unwanted changes.
