Which of the following activities is responsible for the largest percentage of human-made carbon dioxide emissions?

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BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Question restatement: Which of the following activities is responsible for the largest percentage of human-made carbon dioxide emissions?

Option a: ozone depletion. This choice is incorrect as ozone depletion relates to ozone layer thinning and does not represent a major direct source of CO2 emissions. The processes affecting ozone involve reactive chlorine and bromine in the stratosphere, not large-scale CO2 release.

Option b: deforestation. While deforestation contributes to CO2 emissions (trees and soil store carbon and their removal reduces sequestration, and burning or decomposition releases CO2), its share is smaller than the emissions from burning fossil fuels across energy and transportation sectors.

Option c: acid deposition. Acid deposition results from emissions of sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides, which cause acid rain. These gases are often produced alongside CO2, but acid deposition itself is not a direct major source of CO2 emissions, making this option incorrect for identifying the largest CO2 source.

Option d: agriculture. Agricultural activities release greenhouse gases such as methane (from enteric fermentation in ruminants and rice paddies) and nitrous oxide (from manure and soil processes). While significant for overall greenhouse gases, the CO2 portion from agriculture is not the largest contributor when considering human-made CO2 specifically.

Option e: burning fossil fuels. This is the correct pathway: burning coal, oil, and natural gas for energy and transportation releases vast amounts of CO2 and is the dominant source of human-made CO2 emissions globally. It encompasses electricity generation, industry, and transportation sectors, which together overwhelm other sources in CO2 output.

Summary of reasoning: The other options describe important environmental issues or other greenhouse gases, or indirect effects, but none account for the majority of CO2 emissions compared with burning fossil fuels, which remains the leading cause of anthropogenic CO2 emissions.

252_NSC2100 Environmental Science

Which of the following activities is responsible for the largest percentage of human-made carbon dioxide emissions?

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