CO2 stands for carbon dioxide and is a chemical compound comprising carbon and oxygen that is principally created when combusting materials containing carbon (coal, crude oil, gas or biomass).
Approximately 0.04 per cent of the air consists of CO2. The air we breathe contains 4 per cent CO2. The colourless and odourless gas is neither explosive nor combustible and is a natural component of our environment. Plants require CO2 to grow (photosynthesis).
People use CO2, for example, in carbonic acid in sparkling drinks, as a means for extinguishing fires, as dry ice for cooling or as a fertiliser.
