CES CES Climate Change & Greenhouse Gas Management 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which greenhouse gas has the highest global warming potential (GWP) over a 100-year timeframe among those regulated under the Kyoto Protocol?
- Carbon dioxide (CO2)
- Methane (CH4)
- Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) (Correct answer)
- Nitrous oxide (N2O)
Correct answer: Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6)
Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) has a GWP of approximately 23,500 over 100 years, making it the most potent of the six Kyoto Protocol greenhouse gases.
Question 2: Under the EPA's Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP), facilities emitting at or above what annual threshold (in metric tons CO2 equivalent) must report?
- 10,000
- 25,000 (Correct answer)
- 50,000
- 100,000
Correct answer: 25,000
The GHGRP requires facilities emitting 25,000 metric tons CO2e or more per year to report their emissions to the EPA.
Question 3: Which of the following best describes the concept of 'carbon sequestration' in environmental science?
- Releasing stored carbon into the atmosphere through combustion
- The process of capturing and storing atmospheric CO2 to mitigate climate change (Correct answer)
- Converting methane emissions into carbon dioxide
- Measuring carbon content in soil samples
Correct answer: The process of capturing and storing atmospheric CO2 to mitigate climate change
Carbon sequestration refers to the long-term capture and storage of atmospheric CO2 in forests, soils, oceans, or geological formations to reduce greenhouse gas concentrations.
Question 4: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessment reports are produced by which type of organization?
- A United Nations body that synthesizes scientific literature on climate change (Correct answer)
- A US federal agency that monitors domestic emissions
- A private research consortium funded by energy companies
- A World Bank program that finances climate adaptation projects
Correct answer: A United Nations body that synthesizes scientific literature on climate change
The IPCC is a UN body established in 1988 by UNEP and WMO that synthesizes existing peer-reviewed scientific literature to assess climate change science, impacts, and mitigation options.
Question 5: Which sector is typically the largest contributor to US greenhouse gas emissions?
- Agriculture
- Industrial processes
- Transportation (Correct answer)
- Electricity generation
Correct answer: Transportation
Transportation has been the largest source of US GHG emissions since 2016, primarily from burning fossil fuels in cars, trucks, ships, trains, and planes.
Question 6: What is the primary purpose of a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in the context of greenhouse gas management?
- To estimate the remaining operational life of industrial equipment
- To quantify environmental impacts of a product or process from raw material extraction to disposal (Correct answer)
- To calculate the carbon tax liability of a facility
- To measure the half-life of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
Correct answer: To quantify environmental impacts of a product or process from raw material extraction to disposal
An LCA evaluates all environmental impacts—including GHG emissions—across a product's entire life cycle, from raw material extraction through manufacturing, use, and end-of-life disposal.
CES CES Climate Change & Greenhouse Gas Management 1
Which greenhouse gas has the highest global warming potential (GWP) over a 100-year timeframe among those regulated under the Kyoto Protocol?