QUIZ – 2020: INSIGHTS STATIC , 20 April 2021 – Environment

Solution: a)

Carbon capture utilization storage is the process of capturing waste carbon dioxide (CO2) from large point sources, such as fossil fuel power plants, and either transporting it to a storage site where it will not enter the atmosphere, normally an underground geological formation, or reusing it.

In Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), emissions are forced into underground rocks at great cost and no economic benefit while CCUS aims at using CO2 emissions by exploiting the resource itself and creating new markets around it.

Solution: d)

Geoengineering schemes are projects designed to tackle the effects of climate change directly, usually by removing CO2 from the air or limiting the amount of sunlight reaching the planet’s surface.

The first category of scheme – those designed to remove CO2 from the air – include machines (sometimes called “artificial trees”) that pull the gas from the atmosphere using plastic polymers. Other proposals seek to increase the amount of CO2 absorbed by the oceans – for example by adding large quantities of lime to the water.

In the second category – schemes designed to reduce the amount of sunlight reaching Earth – proposals include firing sulphate aerosols into the stratosphere to reflect sunlight back to space; using unmanned ships to increase above-ocean cloud cover by spraying sea water into the air; painting the world’s roofs white to increase reflectivity; and even floating thousands of tiny mirrors in space between Earth and the sun.

Solution: a)

Statement 1: Green plants use CO2 gas to prepare their food through photosynthesis.

Statement 2: Argon is the next abundant gas.

Statement 3:  Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere does not absorb the incoming visible radiations coming from the sun, but Carbon dioxide blocks the out going infrared radiations radiated by earth. By absorbing infrared radiations, the atmosphere gets heated. This is known as Green house Effect. The heated atmosphere keeps the earthworm. Thus carbon dioxide helps in keeping the earth warmer by blocking the infrared radiations.

Solution: d)

Oceans are one of the largest carbon sinks on earth because of their large geographical coverage and presence of rich population of phytoplankton and seagrass, which act as carbon sink.

Carbon dioxide readily dissolves in water and the oceans provide a huge reservoir of carbon. Across the world’s oceans there is a continual cycle of equilibration of dissolved carbon dioxide in water with carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

The difference in partial pressure of the CO₂ between seawater and air facilitate gaseous exchange. This allows atmospheric CO2 to dissolve in seawater.

The carbon dioxide which dissolves in our oceans occurs in three main forms. Aside from the normal carbon dioxide form, it is also found as bicarbonate and carbonate ions.

Solution: a)

Carbon neutrality refers to achieving net zero carbon dioxide emissions by balancing carbon dioxide emissions with removal (often through carbon offsetting) or simply eliminating carbon dioxide emissions altogether (the transition to the “post-carbon economy”).

Although both renewable and non-renewable energy both produce carbon emissions in some form, renewable energy has a lesser to almost zero carbon emissions.