Which of the following best describes greenhouse gases

1. What is the “Anthropocene,” according to Krakoff?

   Table of Contents Show

   • Why does it matter?
   • Summary of Key Points
   • Major Long-Lived Greenhouse Gases and Their Characteristics
   • Sources of Data on U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions
   • EPA's Inventory of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks
   • EPA's Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program
   • Which of the following statements best defines a greenhouse gas quizlet?
   • Which of the following best describes what the greenhouse effect does quizlet?
   a. The geological period that began when humans first appeared on Earth.
   b. A rationalistic mind-set that sees Earth as something to be controlled and manipulated.
   c. The sum total of manmade material on Earth.
   d. A period of significant human influence on Earth systems.
   

2. How, according to Krakoff, is coping with climate change like becoming a parent?

   a. Both involve long-term thinking and planning for the future.
   b. Coping with climate change requires focusing on virtues instead of consequences.
   c. Coping with climate change requires setting aside our current carefree attitude and taking responsibility for the well-being of something beyond ourselves.
   d. Both involve lying awake at night worrying.
   

3. Which of the following best captures the basic idea of Erikson's stages of human psychological development?

   a. Different stages of human life involve different conflicts, and people must grow and change to resolve those new conflicts.
   b. Individual humans tend to develop through stages of moral thought, from self-interest to consequences to rules to virtues.
   c. Moral growth occurs when people are forced to change their lifestyles, such as when people become parents.
   d. Human psychological development follows a set biological pattern unless it is interrupted by outside forces.
   

4. Which of the following best explains the greenhouse effect?

   a. When the Earth's surface absorbs energy from the Sun, it radiates that energy back toward space. Greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, trap some of that energy, making the surface warmer than it would otherwise be.
   b. When sunlight bounces off the Earth's surface, greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide reflect it back toward Earth, warming the surface.
   c. The greenhouse effect is one hypothesis to explain recent measurements that the Earth's surface has been warming, but scientists aren't yet sure what causes it.
   d. Since the Earth's atmosphere traps sunlight in much the same way that a greenhouse does, an increase in the amount of energy coming in from the Sun is warming the Earth's surface.
   

5. Which of the following is NOT one of the efforts to fight climate change that Krakoff discusses?

   a. states' cap-and-trade programs.
   b. Individual cities' pledges to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.
   c. A lawsuit brought by the Inuit community.
   d. A Buddhist movement to reduce emissions by reducing consumption.
   

Greenhouse gases from human activities are the most significant driver of observed climate change since the mid-20th century.1 The indicators in this chapter characterize emissions of the major greenhouse gases resulting from human activities, the concentrations of these gases in the atmosphere, and how emissions and concentrations have changed over time. When comparing emissions of different gases, these indicators use a concept called “global warming potential” to convert amounts of other gases into carbon dioxide equivalents.

Why does it matter?

As greenhouse gas emissions from human activities increase, they build up in the atmosphere and warm the climate, leading to many other changes around the world—in the atmosphere, on land, and in the oceans. The indicators in other chapters of this report illustrate many of these changes, which have both positive and negative effects on people, society, and the environment—including plants and animals. Because many of the major greenhouse gases stay in the atmosphere for tens to hundreds of years after being released, their warming effects on the climate persist over a long time and can therefore affect both present and future generations.

Summary of Key Points

• U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions. In the United States, greenhouse gas emissions caused by human activities decreased by 7 percent from 1990 to 2020. Since 2005, however, total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions have decreased by 20 percent. Carbon dioxide accounts for most of the nation’s emissions and most of the decrease since 1990. Transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, followed by electricity generation. Emissions per person have decreased slightly in the last few years.
  • Sources of Data on U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions. EPA has two key programs that provide data on greenhouse gas emissions in the United States: the Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks and the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program. The programs are complementary, providing both a higher-level perspective on the nation’s total emissions and detailed information about the sources and types of emissions from individual facilities.
• Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions. Worldwide, net emissions of greenhouse gases from human activities increased by 43 percent from 1990 to 2015. Emissions of carbon dioxide, which account for about three-fourths of total emissions, increased by 51 percent over this period. As with the United States, the majority of the world’s emissions result from transportation, electricity generation, and other forms of energy production and use.
• Atmospheric Concentrations of Greenhouse Gases. Concentrations of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have increased since the beginning of the industrial era. Almost all of this increase is attributable to human activities.2 Historical measurements show that the current global atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide are unprecedented compared with the past 800,000 years, even after accounting for natural fluctuations.
• Climate Forcing. Climate forcing refers to a change in the Earth’s energy balance, leading to either a warming or cooling effect over time. An increase in the atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases produces a positive climate forcing, or warming effect. From 1990 to 2019, the total warming effect from greenhouse gases added by humans to the Earth’s atmosphere increased by 45 percent. The warming effect associated with carbon dioxide alone increased by 36 percent.

Major Long-Lived Greenhouse Gases and Their Characteristics

Sources of Data on U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions

EPA has two key programs that provide data on greenhouse gas emissions in the United States: the Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks and the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program. The programs are complementary, providing both a higher-level perspective on the nation’s total emissions and detailed information about the sources and types of emissions from individual facilities. The data in EPA’s U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions indicator come from the national inventory.

EPA's Inventory of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks

EPA develops an annual report called the Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks (or the GHG Inventory). This report tracks trends in total annual U.S. emissions by source (or sink), economic sector, and greenhouse gas going back to 1990. EPA uses national energy data, data on national agricultural activities, and other national statistics to provide a comprehensive accounting of total greenhouse gas emissions for all man-made sources in the United States. This inventory fulfills the nation’s obligation to provide an annual emissions report under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Learn more about the inventory and explore the data using interactive tools.

EPA's Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program

Since 2010, EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program has been collecting annual emissions data from industrial sources that directly emit large amounts of greenhouse gases. Generally, facilities that emit more than 25,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents per year are required to report. The program also collects data from entities known as "suppliers" that supply certain fossil fuels and industrial gases that will emit greenhouse gases into the atmosphere if burned or released—for example, refineries that supply petroleum products such as gasoline. The Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program only requires reporting; it is not an emissions control program. This program helps EPA and the public understand where greenhouse gas emissions are coming from, and will improve our ability to make informed policy, business, and regulatory decisions.

Learn more about the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program and explore data by facility, industry, location, or gas using a data visualization and mapping tool called FLIGHT. You can also review state- or tribal-specific emissions using interactive fact sheets and download detailed data via EPA's Envirofacts database. 

References

1 IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). 2021. Climate change 2021: The physical science basis. Working Group I contribution to the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. www.ipcc.ch/assessment-report/ar6.

2 IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). 2021. Climate change 2021: The physical science basis. Working Group I contribution to the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. www.ipcc.ch/assessment-report/ar6. 

3 IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). 2021. Climate change 2021: The physical science basis. Working Group I contribution to the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. www.ipcc.ch/assessment-report/ar6.

Which of the following statements best defines a greenhouse gas quizlet?

Which of the following best describes what the greenhouse effect does quizlet?