I recently became interested in how plants work. My vague memories from science classes weren't telling me what I wanted to know, so I started doing some searching.
In the process, I was startled by a fact which I didn't ever really quite realize --- plants are virtually the only source of oxygen on the planet. So without them, we would just simply die. I'd been aware of several reasons, besides my own love of nature, why trees are so important, but hadn't ever quite twigged (pardon the pun) to this one.
"The overall chemical reaction involved in photosynthesis is: 6CO2 + 6H2O (+ light energy) = C6H12O6 + 6O2. [or carbon dioxide plus water acted on by light energy (in chloroplasts) produce glucose and oxygen] This is the source of the O2 we breathe, and thus, a significant factor in the concerns about deforestation."
University of Cincinnati
Carbon dioxide, on the other hand, is present in the atmosphere regardless of whether humans are breathing or not, so though we may need plants, they don't need us. A humbling thought.
