U3L8 Industry and Climate Change Flashcards
(30 cards)
What is the definition of anthropogenic climate disruption?
Disturbance of the climate caused by human activities
How much of sun’s energy reaches the crust?
About half
What percentage of radiated infrared heat from the crust gets absorbed by GHGs (greenhouse gases)?
About 90%
How long can different GHGs stay in the atmosphere?
Several years to several thousand years
What is the number one cause of global warming?
Burning fossil fuels
In the U.S. what activity produces the largest percentage of CHGs per year?
Transportation sector (cars, trucks, planes, etc.)
How much GHGs do transportation sectors produce?
About 30% of all GHGs emissions in the U.S.
How much GHGs does the production of electricity produce?
About 28% of the GHGs emitted per year in the U.S.
What percentage of electricity emitted in the U.S. is produced by fossil fuels?
About 64%
Coal accounted for about 31 percent of the electricity generated in the U.S., and it emitted 68 percent of the carbon dioxide produced by generating that electricity.
Idk how to put this into a sentence.
_____ accounted for about ___ percent of the electricity generated in the U.S.
Coal; 31
_____ emitted __ percent of the carbon dioxide produced by generating that electricity.
Coal; 68
What are direct emissions of GHGs?
Emissions that are produced at the factory of other facility.
Where do direct emissions come from?
Burning fossil fuels on-site for power or heat, through chemical reactions, and from leaks from equipment or processes.
Where do indirect emissions of GHGs come from?
Burning fossil fuels off-site to generate electricity that is used on-site at the factory or other facility.
In 2017, direct emissions of GHGs by industry made up about ____ of all GHGs produced that year in the United States. Add in indirect emissions, and industry is responsible for about _____ of GHG emissions.
22%; 30%
What are ruminants?
These mammals have four-chambered stomachs that contain methane-producing bacteria.
What percentage of GHGs emissions from agriculture are methane from ruminants?
About one-third
What are some examples of ruminants!
Cattle and dairy cows
What GHGs do livestock manure emit?
Methane and nitrous oxide emissions
Gases released by livestock manure represent about ____ of all agriculture GHG emissions.
14%
How is the management of soils causing GHGs to be released?
Certain methods of soil management, including the use of both synthetic and organic fertilizers, cause nitrous oxide emissions. Using some irrigation practices and growing crops that fix nitrogen in the soil also release nitrous oxide.
GHGs released by soil management caused ____ of all agriculture GHG emissions.
about half
What stays in the atmosphere longer? Carbon dioxide or methane.
Carbon dioxide
