<p>As far as displacement of oxygen, CO<sub>2</sub> is not even close to a concern. Air is already close to 80% nitrogen, and about 20% oxygen. CO<sub>2</sub> is only about 0.04% of the atmosphere, so even if  CO<sub>2</sub> were multiplied by a factor of 10,000, the concentration of oxygen would decrease by only about 4%.</p>
<p>However, the human body relies primarily on the presence of CO<sub>2</sub>, rather the absence of oxygen, to detect when it's not getting sufficient respiration. As little as one order of magnitude (i.e. multiplying by ten) can be enough for there to be health effects of CO<sub>2</sub>, but only the most pessimistic projections have us doubling CO<sub>2</sub> concentration in the next hundred years.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-08-12T05:00:42.050Z
Shortness of breath at altitude/when flying would seem to offer question to your second paragraph.  I don't know if CO2 increases also cause this, but it'd be best to give some kind of reference maybe?
JeopardyTempest
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-08-12T05:02:22.063Z
Also might think masks\blankets\crowds would lead to more significant (direct) shortness of breath more than it does?  But honestly I don't really know how much CO2 increases in such circumstances.
JeopardyTempest
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-08-10T16:58:31.783Z
2021-08-10T17:01:41.700Z
2021-08-10T17:01:41.700Z
Acccumulation
<p>No, you can't blame the <span class="math-container">$CO_2$</span> concentration <em>per se</em> for your shortness of breath. From the <a href="https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/environment/air/toxins/co2.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Minnesota (U.S.) Department of Health</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The outdoor concentration of carbon dioxide is about 400 parts per million (ppm) or higher in areas with high traffic or industrial activity. [...] Carbon dioxide concentrations indoors can vary from several hundred ppm to over 1000 ppm in areas with many occupants present for an extended period of time and where outdoor air ventilation is limited. [...]</p>
<p>Carbon dioxide is not generally found at hazardous levels in indoor environments. The [Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry] has set workplace safety standards of 10,000 ppm for an 8-hour period and 30,000 ppm for a 15 minute period.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>In a worst case scenario (energy consumption growing and being met 100% with fossil fuels), the U.S. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration <a href="https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/climate-change-atmospheric-carbon-dioxide" rel="nofollow noreferrer">projects</a> a peak of 900 ppm in 2100 -- still less than the indoor concentration in many places today.</p>
<p>However, there are several related effects of climate change that you could blame for your shortness of breath:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.c2es.org/content/wildfires-and-climate-change/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Drought which leads to wild fires</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.lung.org/clean-air/outdoors/what-makes-air-unhealthy/electric-utilities" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Pollution from power plants</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.blf.org.uk/support-for-you/hot-weather" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Higher air temperatures</a></li>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_impact_of_climate_change#Eco-anxiety" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Eco-anxiety</a></li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-08-10T11:46:33.353Z
The key sentence here is that even in the worst case scenario, CO2 concentrations would still be "less than the indoor concentration in many places". Since you can breathe just fine when you're in a seminar room, there is nothing to fear about.
Wolfgang Bangerth
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-08-10T16:04:42.107Z
Another cause for the shortness of breath could be anxiety attacks due to climate change concern.
BarocliniCplusplus
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-08-09T18:32:14.473Z
2021-08-10T16:22:23.007Z
2021-08-10T16:22:23.007Z
LShaver
<p>Can it be that our air will be unbreathable in a few years due to CO<sub>2</sub> emission? I think I may suffer from global warming anxiety and I accuse CO<sub>2</sub> for my shortness of breath. Is it rational?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-08-09T18:53:10.713Z
Maybe if one lists CO2 as 0.04 % you won't feel so bad.
blacksmith37
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-08-10T00:51:50.797Z
Or put another way, atmospheric carbon dioxide would have to multiply over 100 times as much as it has over the past century to alter oxygen levels by just 1%.  CO2 isn't causing your shortness of breath, unless it's your lungs with the problem, that they aren't expelling your own CO2 properly to free up room for new air.
JeopardyTempest
<climate-change><co2>
Can we run out of air because of global warming?
FreeZe
# Can we run out of air because of global warming?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-08-09)

Can it be that our air will be unbreathable in a few years due to CO2 emission? I think I may suffer from global warming anxiety and I accuse CO2 for my shortness of breath. Is it rational?

**Tags:** climate-change, co2

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Maybe if one lists CO2 as 0.04 % you won't feel so bad.  
> **username_2**: Or put another way, atmospheric carbon dioxide would have to multiply over 100 times as much as it has over the past century to alter oxygen levels by just 1%.  CO2 isn't causing your shortness of breath, unless it's your lungs with the problem, that they aren't expelling your own CO2 properly to free up room for new air.  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2021-08-09. Score: 9 | Accepted answer

No, you can't blame the $CO\_2$ concentration *per se* for your shortness of breath. From the [Minnesota (U.S.) Department of Health](https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/environment/air/toxins/co2.html):

> The outdoor concentration of carbon dioxide is about 400 parts per million (ppm) or higher in areas with high traffic or industrial activity. [...] Carbon dioxide concentrations indoors can vary from several hundred ppm to over 1000 ppm in areas with many occupants present for an extended period of time and where outdoor air ventilation is limited. [...]
>
> Carbon dioxide is not generally found at hazardous levels in indoor environments. The [Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry] has set workplace safety standards of 10,000 ppm for an 8-hour period and 30,000 ppm for a 15 minute period.

In a worst case scenario (energy consumption growing and being met 100% with fossil fuels), the U.S. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration [projects](https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/climate-change-atmospheric-carbon-dioxide) a peak of 900 ppm in 2100 -- still less than the indoor concentration in many places today.

However, there are several related effects of climate change that you could blame for your shortness of breath:

* [Drought which leads to wild fires](https://www.c2es.org/content/wildfires-and-climate-change/)
* [Pollution from power plants](https://www.lung.org/clean-air/outdoors/what-makes-air-unhealthy/electric-utilities)
* [Higher air temperatures](https://www.blf.org.uk/support-for-you/hot-weather)
* [Eco-anxiety](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_impact_of_climate_change#Eco-anxiety)

> **Comments:**
> **username_5**: The key sentence here is that even in the worst case scenario, CO2 concentrations would still be "less than the indoor concentration in many places". Since you can breathe just fine when you're in a seminar room, there is nothing to fear about.  
> **username_6**: Another cause for the shortness of breath could be anxiety attacks due to climate change concern.  

---

### Answer by username_3 on 2021-08-10. Score: 1

As far as displacement of oxygen, CO2 is not even close to a concern. Air is already close to 80% nitrogen, and about 20% oxygen. CO2 is only about 0.04% of the atmosphere, so even if CO2 were multiplied by a factor of 10,000, the concentration of oxygen would decrease by only about 4%.

However, the human body relies primarily on the presence of CO2, rather the absence of oxygen, to detect when it's not getting sufficient respiration. As little as one order of magnitude (i.e. multiplying by ten) can be enough for there to be health effects of CO2, but only the most pessimistic projections have us doubling CO2 concentration in the next hundred years.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: Shortness of breath at altitude/when flying would seem to offer question to your second paragraph.  I don't know if CO2 increases also cause this, but it'd be best to give some kind of reference maybe?  
> **username_2**: Also might think masks\blankets\crowds would lead to more significant (direct) shortness of breath more than it does?  But honestly I don't really know how much CO2 increases in such circumstances.  

---

