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But CO2 isn't bad, nor is it a pollutant. The rate of CO2 increase in the atmosphere is what's bad. I understand the intended implication, but the vernacular

But CO2 isn't bad, nor is it a pollutant. The rate of CO2 increase in the atmosphere is what's bad. I understand the intended implication, but the vernacular is pendulum swinging too far in the wrong way factually against CO2. Nitpicky, but hey this is HN, and I can be unpopular at this party, too! :-P

philipkglass 6y ago
"Pollutant" depends on context. Plants need nitrogen and phosphorus compounds to grow, but when fertilizers run off farmland into rivers and lakes those same compounds are pollutants. The same goes for carbon dioxide. It is essential to plant life, and it is also a pollutant when dispersed into the environment in large quantities.