For the first time, scientists have estimated how much carbon dioxide humanity emits when breathing: 2.05 billion tons in 2015, equivalent to about 5% of annual emissions from fossil fuels and land use.

For the first time, scientists have estimated how much carbon dioxide humanity emits when breathing: 2.05 billion tons in 2015, equivalent to about 5% of annual emissions from fossil fuels and land use.

The authors clarify: breathing does not accelerate warming. The carbon we exhale has recently been pulled out of the atmosphere by plants—a rapid cycle, unlike burning fossil fuels, which release carbon stored underground for millions of years.