How does carbon dioxide from hydrocarbon combustion contribute to global warming?

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) contributes to global warming through the greenhouse effect, a process where the gas traps heat within Earth's atmosphere.12

When hydrocarbons—compounds of carbon and hydrogen—are burned for energy, they release CO₂ as a byproduct. Once in the atmosphere, CO₂ molecules absorb infrared radiation (heat energy) emitted from the Earth's surface. Instead of allowing this energy to escape into space, the CO₂ reemits a portion of it back toward the surface.341

Because the lower atmosphere is warmer than the layers above it, this absorption and reemission process keeps the lower troposphere warmer than it would be otherwise. Human activities, particularly the combustion of fossil fuels since the Industrial Revolution, have significantly increased atmospheric CO₂ concentrations, leading to a rise in global temperatures. This accumulation of greenhouse gases is a primary driver of modern climate change.1453