Importance of water:
• Creates benign thermal conditions. Oceans are 71% of the world’s surface and they
absorb, store and slowly release heat. Clouds reflect 1/5 of insolation. Water vapour
(potent greenhouse gas) absorbs long-wave radiation and maintains global
temperature at 15 degrees higher.
• Makes up 65-95% of all living organisms (plus life processes such as respiration)
• Resource for economic activity
Importance of carbon:
• Life is based on carbon atoms (proteins, carbohydrates and nucleic acid).
• Economic resource (fossil fuels and product manufacture using oil).
• Agricultural crops and forest trees
