Additional info from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is the primary greenhouse gas emitted through human activities. In the U.S., for example, CO₂ accounted for about 84% of greenhouse gas emissions from human activities in 2010. Carbon dioxide is naturally present in the atmosphere as part of the Earth's carbon cycle (the natural circulation of carbon among the atmosphere, oceans, soil, plants and animals). Human activities are altering the carbon cycle — both by adding more CO₂ to the atmosphere and by influencing the ability of natural sinks, like forests, to remove CO₂ from the atmosphere. While CO₂ emissions come from a variety of natural sources, human-related emissions are responsible for the increase that has occurred in the atmosphere since the Industrial Revolution.

The main human activity that emits CO₂ is the combustion of fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, and oil) for energy and transportation, although certain industrial processes and land-use changes also emit CO₂.

Carbon dioxide is constantly being exchanged among the atmosphere, ocean, and land surface as it is both produced and absorbed by many microorganisms, plants and animals. However, emissions and removal of CO₂ by these natural processes tend to balance. Since the Industrial Revolution began around 1750, human activities have contributed substantially to climate change by adding CO₂ and other heat-trapping gases to the atmosphere.

This build-up of CO₂ in the atmosphere is like a tub filling with water, where more water flows from the faucet than the drain can take away.


Source: EPA