CO2 & CH4 as Greenhouse Gases Practice Questions

Which gas in the list is not a greenhouse gas?

Tick (✓) one box.

• Carbon dioxide
• Methane
• Nitrogen
• Water vapour

State why greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are important for life on Earth.

Give two human activities that increase the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Give two human activities that increase the amount of methane in the atmosphere.

What is meant by the carbon footprint of an event?

Describe two actions the organisers could take to reduce the carbon footprint of the festival.

Radiation A is short wavelength radiation from the Sun.

Describe what happens to radiation A when it reaches the Earth's surface.

Explain how the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere make the Earth's surface warmer than it would be if the atmosphere contained no greenhouse gases.

Use Figure 1 in your answer.

Calculate the percentage increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide between 1960 and 2020.

Give your answer to 3 significant figures.

Many countries became more industrialised between 1960 and 2020.

Explain why industrialisation causes the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to increase.

A student looks at Table 1 and writes:

'This proves that carbon dioxide is the only cause of the rise in temperature.'

Give one reason why the data in Table 1 do not prove this statement.

Give one reason why the evidence in this article may be biased.

Explain why one cold winter in one town does not show that the mean global surface temperature is falling.

Explain why it is important that reports about climate change are peer reviewed before they are published.

Explain why sending less food waste to landfill reduces the effect of the council's waste disposal on climate change.

Describe two other actions the council could take to reduce the carbon footprint of its waste service.

Give two reasons why the actions a council can take to reduce its carbon footprint may be limited.

Explain how the growth of the human population has increased the amounts of carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere, and describe the potential effects of the resulting climate change on the environment.

[6 marks]