WHY IS PHOTOSYNTHESIS IMPORTANT TO LIFE ON EARTH?
- Plants play an important role in maintaining the percentage of carbon dioxide at 0.03% in the atmosphere.
- There has been a gradual increase in carbon dioxide output globally.
- This increase is attributed to large scale deforestation, forest fires and the burning of fossil fuels.
- The carbon dioxide in the atmosphere traps heat. This heat-trapping effect of carbon dioxide is called the GREENHOUSE EFFECT which may lead to global warming which would increase the atmospheric temperature of the earth.
- So the importance of photosynthesis is that it helps to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere - this helps to greatly reduce the dangers of global warming.
- Apart from maintaining the percentage of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, photosynthesis also helps to give out oxygen which is useful for other living organisms (for cellular respiration).
