participate
pounds of CO₂e
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Greenhouse gases naturally occur on Earth and in Earth’s atmosphere
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Greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere, warming the earth
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To balance out Earth’s natural GHG sources, “sinks” (like plants and oceans) absorb GHGs
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All of the above
Scientists agree that a specific amount of GHGs are necessary to maintain life on Earth, but that the current levels are too high.
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Before the Industrial Revolution, heat sources and heat sinks neutralized each other
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Now, sinks can’t keep up with all the man-made GHGs, like CO2 from burning fossil fuels
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Both of these are true, and now we have an atmospheric imbalance
GHGs (both natural and man-made) trap heat in the atmosphere, and too many GHGs will trap too much heat.
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Trick question — GHGs aren’t really a problem at all
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Some GHGs can stay trapped in the atmosphere for thousands of years
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Currently, there is no way to remove the extra GHGs that are already in the atmosphere
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Because GHGs last so long, today’s effects could be due to actions from 100 years ago
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All of the above
This is why reducing emissions today is integral to lessening the climate challenges of tomorrow.
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Warmer air makes more water evaporate, creating more powerful storms
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Warmer land dries out and becomes un-farmable, or thaws and releases more GHGs
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Warmer bodies of water aren’t hospitable for many different species
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All of the above
As you can see, it’s not a matter of toughing out a few heat waves. Increased GHGs lead to some serious changes and challenges.
UPENDING THE CYCLE
Over millions of years, Earth developed a system to regulate global temperatures: Heat sources and “sinks” that balanced each other out to maintain the perfect average temperature. But because GHGs have been released in large amounts by unnatural sources, that balance has gotten completely out of whack.
