Iceland's Volcanic Eruption: Carbon Emissions vs. Human Activity

Social media users are spreading false claims that the impending volcanic eruption in Iceland will emit more carbon dioxide (CO2) than all human activity in the past decade. However, scientific studies have shown that human activity emits 40 to 100 times more CO2 each year than all volcanoes combined. While volcanic eruptions can temporarily affect the climate, their long-term impact is not as significant as man-made emissions. Volcanoes release less than one percent of the carbon dioxide currently emitted by human activities, according to the United States Geological Survey.