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Dear LW,
Using the term "carbon" refers to the fact that CO2 contains carbon and that the burning of fossil fuels is a short circuit of the Earth's natural carbon cycle. (Fossil fuels, which are mainly made of ancient carbon synthesized from CO2 long ago by plants, naturally take millions of years to return to the atmosphere. We are digging and drilling them up and burning them at a tremendous rate. This shifts the global carbon cycle to include more atmospheric CO2.) Additionally, as someone else here pointed out, other carbon containing compounds (such as methane, CH4) are also part of the problem.
If you actually knew anything about this problem, you would understand why the term "carbon" is reasonable. So, as a scientist and educator, it’s your letter that alarms me most about the knowledge and understanding of science and the environment among the general public. The use of buzzwords, incorrectly or otherwise, is a minor issue in comparison.
