If the combustion of fossil fuels adds about 5 x 1012 kg of carbon to the atmosphere as co2 each year, how much oxygen is required to produce this amount of carbon dioxide?

Hello!

The general chemical reaction for the combustion of a fossil fuel is the following one:

C(s) + O₂(g) → CO₂(g)

Now, we use the following conversion factor to go from kilograms of CO₂ to kilograms of O₂, using the molar masses of each compound and the reaction coefficients:



So, for producing 5*10¹² kg of CO₂, 3,64*10¹² kg of O₂ are required. 

Have a nice day!

Woah that’s a lot to read xd i’ll try though. i’ll get back t you if. i know the andwer

The correct answer is "hydrogen".