Science Questions

Do fizzy drinks contribute to global warming?

I am curious to know if our fizzy drinks are adding significant CO2 to our atmosphere. Think about all the soda that is served each day is sure to be a significant quantity of escaped gas. Additionally what happens to the CO2 once inside the body, that CO2 must go somewhere or be released eventually. Could we slow down the CO2 global warming problem by just drinking water instead of carbonated drinks? Dwayne

The CO₂ does escape from the water, but you shouldn't worry about it because of the source of the CO₂.  It comes from the waste streams of power plants, so it's essentially a by-product that would have made it's way into the atmosphere anyway.  But, any consumer product takes manufacturing, shipping etc which does use up fossil fuels and release CO₂ into the atmosphere.  So giving up fizzy drinks could help reduce climate change, but not inthe way you thought!

March 2008