Question

What is considered the greatest environmental impact of the extraction and burning of fossil fuels?

a) The increase in greenhouse gases.
b) On the land damage from extraction.
c) Releasing carbon back into the carbon cycle, increasing the amount available for plant growth.
d) The resulting carbonic acid, which leads to acid rain in areas downwind from power plants.
e) On the recovery of the tropospheric ozone layer.

Answer 1

The most significant environment impact of fossil fuel extraction and combustion is the rise in greenhouse gases, leading to global climate change. This is manifested in higher carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere, contributing to the greenhouse effect, and subsequently to global warming.

Step-by-step explanation:

The greatest environmental impact of the extraction and burning of fossil fuels is a) The increase in greenhouse gases. The burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas releases significant amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This heightened level of CO2 is not balanced by photosynthesis and leads to the greenhouse effect, which contributes to global warming or climate change, altering the Earth's equilibrium temperature and causing changes like the melting of ice caps and a rise in sea levels.

Other environmental impacts include land damage from extraction processes plus associated risks such as oil spills, water contamination, and methane leaks. Moreover, the resulting carbonic acid from fossil fuel combustion leads to acid rain, affecting regions downwind from power plants. However, the most pronounced and long-term impact is the increased greenhouse effect due to raised CO2 levels, which affects global climate systems.