CEP Climate Change & Carbon Footprint 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: According to the GHG Protocol, which 'Scope' encompasses indirect emissions from purchased electricity consumed by a reporting organization?
- Scope 1
- Scope 2 (Correct answer)
- Scope 3
- Scope 0
Correct answer: Scope 2
Scope 2 covers indirect GHG emissions from the generation of purchased electricity, heat, steam, or cooling consumed by the reporting organization.
Question 2: What is the 100-year global warming potential (GWP) of methane (CH4) according to the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report?
- 12
- 28 (Correct answer)
- 84
- 298
Correct answer: 28
The IPCC AR5 assigns methane a 100-year GWP of 28, making it significantly more potent than CO2 but less potent than nitrous oxide over that timeframe.
Question 3: Which international agreement established the first legally binding greenhouse gas emission reduction targets for developed countries during its 2008–2012 commitment period?
- Paris Agreement
- Montreal Protocol
- Kyoto Protocol (Correct answer)
- Copenhagen Accord
Correct answer: Kyoto Protocol
The Kyoto Protocol (1997) set the first legally binding GHG reduction commitments for Annex I (developed) nations during its initial 2008–2012 commitment period.
Question 4: Under the Global Protocol for Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Inventories (GPC), emissions from on-road vehicles and transit systems are categorized under which sector?
- Stationary Energy
- Transportation (Correct answer)
- Waste
- Industrial Processes and Product Use
Correct answer: Transportation
The GPC framework categorizes emissions from on-road vehicles, railways, waterborne navigation, and aviation under the Transportation sector.
Question 5: The Paris Agreement established a long-term goal to hold the global average temperature increase to well below how many degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels?
- 1.0°C
- 1.5°C
- 2.0°C (Correct answer)
- 3.0°C
Correct answer: 2.0°C
Article 2 of the Paris Agreement commits parties to holding the global average temperature increase to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, while pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5°C.
Question 6: According to EPA inventory data, which sector has been the single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States since approximately 2016?
- Agriculture
- Industry
- Transportation (Correct answer)
- Electric Power
Correct answer: Transportation
Transportation surpassed electric power generation around 2016 and has since been the largest U.S. GHG source, accounting for approximately 28% of total emissions.
Question 7: In the context of climate change mitigation, what does 'carbon sequestration' refer to?
- The release of CO2 from fossil fuel combustion
- The long-term capture and storage of atmospheric CO2 (Correct answer)
- The conversion of carbon to methane under anaerobic conditions
- The measurement of carbon concentrations in soil samples
Correct answer: The long-term capture and storage of atmospheric CO2
Carbon sequestration refers to the long-term removal and storage of atmospheric carbon dioxide through biological processes (forests, soils) or geological storage (carbon capture and storage).
CEP Climate Change & Carbon Footprint 1
According to the GHG Protocol, which 'Scope' encompasses indirect emissions from purchased electricity consumed by a reporting organization?