APES Climate Change
Recent evidence from polar ice core analysis shows that, until now, carbon dioxide levels have never exceeded _____ ppm in the last 800,000 years.
300
Approximately ____% of U.S. citizens live in coastal counties and are thus vulnerable to storm surges and a rise in sea level
53
The most recent analyses of polar ice cores have given us the ability to profile global climate change as far back as _______ years.
800,000
Approximately ____% of the fuel you pump into your automobile does something other than move your vehicle down the road.
85-90
On average, how much warmer were global temeperatures in the year 2000 than temperatures predicted by the climate change model that incorporates only natural factors?
0.6C
Keeling's reports from Mauna Loa demonstrated ________.
an increase in tropospheric CO2 from the 1950s to present
Milankovitch cycles _____.
are changes in Earth's rotation about its axis and orbit around the sun that may trigger climate variation
Which of the following are market mechanisms for addressing climate change?
cap-and-trade and carbon offsets
In the wake of the U.S failure to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, ______.
cities and stated are setting their own programs for reducing greenhouse gas emissions
Which of the following is an alternative fuel supported by environmentalists that would decrease carbon dioxide production in transportation?
compressed natural gas
Impacts of global warming include all of the following except _____.
decrease in mortality because winters are warmer
The largest source of anthropogenic greenhouse gases in the United States is ________, followed by ________.
electricity generation, transportation
when do we have the most CO2 in our atmosphere?
end of Winter (when plants go dormant, aren't absorbing CO2 and going through photosynthesis)
What is a growing concern related to sea-level rise?
eroding shorelines in coastal areas
The 2009 Copenhagen Conference _____.
failed to produce a treaty because the United States failed to support it and China refused international monitoring for promised steep cuts
Carbon-based fuels from lithospheric reservoirs _____.
have been slowly sequestered over many millions of years
The best fit between observed and model data is shown by the model that _____.
incorporates both natural and anthropogenic factors
Hydroelectric power generation _____.
is an alternative to fossil fuels that produces fewer greenhouse gases
Earth's climate ______.
is changing as a result of natural and human processes
Recent research indicates that the variation in solar output _____.
is less than any of the anthropogenic factors affecting climate change
The U.S. Senate has so far opposed emissions reductions on the grounds that ____.
it might hurt the economy
Tuvalu and the Maldives are in the international spotlight because they _____.
may be among the first nations to be completely flooded by rising sea levels
Growing rice results in the release of ___ into the atmosphere.
methane
Of the following greenhouse gases, which one has experienced the greatest percentage increase since 1750?
methane
The Earth's atmosphere can cause global warming because ____
molecules in the atmosphere trap heat radiated from the Earth's surface
The use of public transportation is ______.
one option for decreasing the use of fossil fuels for transportation
One factor contributing to U.S resistance to legal intervention regarding global climate change is ____.
political influence of the petroleum, coal, and automobile industries
Carbon dioxide is _____.
produced during the combustion of fossil fuels
Hydrogen fuel cells, biodiesel, and long-range electric batteries are potential solutions to
reducing carbon emissions from cars and trucks
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is an international panel that ________.
reports on how climate change influences wildlife, ecosystems, and society
It can be argued that the United States should enacts laws slowing global climate change because _____.
the United States is a major source of the problem
Since the beginning of the industrial revolution, the increased flux of carbon into the atmosphere has been primarily due to _______.
the burning of fossil fuels
If anthropogenic factors continue to increase, then in the future _____.
the temperature trends shown in the figures should continue
Why do environmentalists and scientists advocate immediate action, including stricter laws to limit power plant carbon dioxide emissions and subsidies for renewable energy?
these industries produce the most greenhouse gases
Environmentalists and scientists advocate immediate intervention regarding global climate change because ______.
they fear the consequences of inaction caused by lack of full scientific certainty
The greenhouse effect involves warming of Earth's surface and the ______.
troposphere
The Kyoto Protocol _____.
was intended to reduce emissions of six greenhouse gases to levels lower than those of 1990
