climate change
Which of the following best describes how greenhouse gases warm the Earth?
They absorb and re-radiate heat emitted by the Earth's surface.
Which of the following statements about greenhouse gas emissions is FALSE?
Transportation contributes more to greenhouse gas emissions than any other source.
True or false? In 2014 the subdivision around my home had a larger than normal tick population and neighbors were reporting seeing many ticks in and around their homes. According to the United States Global Change Research Program's website, more problems similar to this can be expected due to global climate change.
True
In Michigan, it is expected that insect and waterborne diseases will increase due to global climate changes, as will the occurrence of floods and droughts.
True. The negative effects of climate change will be especially pronounced in the summer months.
Carbon sinks are places on earth that store carbon and include all of the following, EXCEPT:
a decomposing squirrel
The term greenhouse gas refers to a group of gases that are ____________________ in the atmosphere.
both naturally occurring and anthropogenic
As you learned in the National Public Radio story, Atlantic Station is a community in mid-town Atlanta, Georgia, and the home of the Taylor family. This type of community is designed in such a way that it reduces the carbon footprint for those living and working there. How?
by reducing the need to drive a car
Trees are removed from a forest. The same number and species of trees are planted to replace the trees that were removed. Given this scenario, which of the following statements is TRUE?
carbon dioxide will be absorbed from the atmosphere by the new trees
Which of the following best summarizes the two-part NPR story about Atlanta, Georgia, that you were asked to listen to in your lesson?
One family's journey from suburban life to urban living and the sacrifices they made to reduce their carbon footprint.
Photosynthesis is to carbon dioxide as respiration is to:
oxygen
Climate change is likely to result in a wide array of geographically variable and unpredictable patterns. All of the following projected scenarios are likely, EXCEPT:
precipitation and flood risk at all locations
Scientists can examine ice cores from glaciers to determine the composition of the atmosphere when the snow fell, and infer information about the prehistoric climate. This data, and other data like it, are considered:
proxy data.
Which of the following agricultural practices most contributes to greenhouse gas emissions that are considered to have High Global Warming Potential?
raising cattle for beef production.
The greenhouse effect can result in the release of even more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere by:
raising ocean temperatures.
______________ help(s) regulate Earth's temperature by absorbing long wave radiation.
Carbon Dioxide
The United States backed out of the Paris Agreement mainly because targets were not ambitious enough and there were no penalties for not reaching those targets.
False
True or false? Although the amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide significantly increased throughout the twentieth century, it is now decreasing and the atmosphere contains less carbon dioxide than it did a decade ago. This is primarily due to an increase in renewable energy and global awareness of issues like deforestation.
False
True or false? Carbon dioxide levels (or concentrations) in the atmosphere have more than doubled since the pre-industrial era.
False
What is significant about the Paris Agreement?
Governments of the world are acting together and committing to a low carbon future.
Which of the following statements about the greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere is TRUE?
Industrial agriculture is one of the primary sources of nitrous oxide.
Which of the following statements about carbon dioxide and carbon dioxide emissions is FALSE?
It is the most powerful of the greenhouse gases in terms of trapping heat and warming the planet.
All of the following are ways in which raising livestock, specifically cattle, may contribute to global climate change, EXCEPT:
creating wastes, which are then used on a field as fertilizer.
Climate change is likely to result in a wide array of geographically variable and unpredictable patterns. All of the following projected scenarios are likely, except:
decreased precipitation and drought conditions at all locations.
The Conference of Parties is a gathering of nations committed to addressing global climate change. Which of the following best describes the United States' role in the Conference of Parties since its inception?
did not ratify the Kyoto Protocol, but tried to broker its potential successor, the Copenhagen Accord
Which of the following has been a criticism of the various agreements and accords that have come out of meetings of the Conference of the Parties?
even with ratification, there are no real legal penalties for not meeting set targets
True or false? A majority of scientists agree that global climate change is occurring and that human actions are contributing.
false
When comparing an atmosphere to a greenhouse, which of the following most closely functions as the glass?
gases in the atmosphere
Emissions of this synthetic variety of greenhouse gas are commonly produced in small amounts as an industrial byproduct, but are potent and highly effective at trapping heat.
hydrofluorocarbons
The group of greenhouse gases known as hydroflourocarbons:
include gases that are used in place of ozone-depleting substances.
Which of these agricultural activities has the potential to have the most powerful impact on global climate change, given the type of greenhouse gas associated with its production?
intensive cattle feeding operations
Like the glass of a greenhouse, gases such as water vapor and carbon dioxide contain:
longwave radiation from the Earth.
When soil is fertilized by hand with synthetic fertilizers, the greenhouse gas emitted is:
nitrous oxide.
When a parcel of land is deforested, all of the following are true, except:
the carbon cycle is only affected if the tree is burned or naturally decomposes.
In the atmosphere and at the surface, which of the following has the biggest influence on the Earth's energy balance?
the reflectivity of a surface
The term High Global Warming Potential is most often used to describe:
those greenhouse gases that are most powerful.
Greenhouse gases:
trap long wave radiation, further heating the atmosphere.
True or false? A majority of scientists agree that humans have created an anthropogenic phenomenon known as the greenhouse effect whereby emissions of warming gases, otherwise known as greenhouse gases, trap longwave radiation and heat the earth's atmosphere.
true
The most abundant greenhouse gas in our atmosphere is:
water vapor.
