4.9.2 Carbon dioxide and methane as greenhouse gases Flashcards
What are greenhouse gases?
Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere maintain temperatures on Earth high enough to support life. Water vapour, carbon dioxide, and methane are greenhouse gases.
What is the greenhouse effect?
The greenhouse effect describes the interaction of short and long wavelength radiation with matter.
What human activities contribute to an increase in greenhouse gases?
Some human activities that increase greenhouse gases include the emission of carbon dioxide and methane.
What do many scientists believe about human activities and global climate change?
Many scientists believe that human activities will cause the temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere to increase at the surface, resulting in global climate change.
What challenges exist in modeling global climate change?
It is difficult to model complex systems like global climate change, leading to simplified models and potentially biased media representations.
What should students be able to evaluate regarding global climate change?
Students should be able to evaluate the quality of evidence in a report about global climate change given appropriate information.
What are the potential effects of global climate change?
An increase in average global temperature is a major cause of climate change, with several potential effects.
What should students be able to describe about global climate change?
Students should be able to describe briefly four potential effects of global climate change and discuss its scale, risk, and environmental implications.
What is a carbon footprint?
The carbon footprint is the total amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases emitted over the full life cycle of a product, service, or event.
How can the carbon footprint be reduced?
The carbon footprint can be reduced by reducing emissions of carbon dioxide and methane.
What actions can be taken to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases?
Students should be able to describe actions to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and methane and give reasons why actions may be limited.
