All flashcards
Flashcard 1: Which energy choice often requires mining that can damage land and water: coal or sunlight?
Answer: Coal. Coal mining strips land and can pollute nearby water sources.
Flashcard 2: Which energy choice can harm fish by blocking rivers with dams: hydropower or rooftop solar?
Answer: Hydropower. Dams block fish migration routes and change river ecosystems.
Flashcard 3: What is a nonrenewable energy resource?
Answer: An energy source that is limited and replaces very slowly. Examples include coal, oil, and natural gas formed over millions of years.
Flashcard 4: What is a renewable energy resource?
Answer: An energy source that is naturally replaced quickly. Examples include solar, wind, and water power that nature replenishes.
Flashcard 5: Which energy choice produces electricity with no air pollution at the point of use: solar panels or gasoline engines?
Answer: Solar panels. Solar converts sunlight directly to electricity without combustion.
Flashcard 6: Which energy choice can kill some birds or bats if not placed carefully: wind power or geothermal?
Answer: Wind power. Turbine blades can strike flying animals, though impacts are relatively small.
Flashcard 7: What is biomass energy?
Answer: Energy from burning plant or animal material. Includes wood, crops, and waste that can be burned for energy.
Flashcard 8: Which choice usually releases more air pollution when used for heat: burning wood (biomass) or using solar electricity?
Answer: Burning wood (biomass). Wood burning releases smoke and particles; solar produces no emissions.
Flashcard 9: Which choice reduces pollution more: a more efficient car using less gasoline, or a less efficient car using more gasoline?
Answer: A more efficient car using less gasoline. Less fuel burned means fewer emissions and less pollution.
Flashcard 10: What does energy efficiency mean when comparing fuel choices?
Answer: Using less energy to do the same job. Efficient devices waste less energy as heat or friction.
Flashcard 11: Which fuel choice usually produces the most CO2 per unit of energy: coal or natural gas?
Answer: Coal. Coal has more carbon content than natural gas, releasing more CO2.
Flashcard 12: Which energy choice generally has the smallest long-term fuel waste because it uses sunlight directly: solar or coal?
Answer: Solar. Sunlight is free and produces no waste products during use.
Flashcard 13: Which energy choice can cause oil spills that harm ocean and coastal ecosystems: oil or wind?
Answer: Oil. Oil transport and drilling can leak, harming marine life and beaches.
Flashcard 14: Which energy choice produces electricity with no air pollution at the point of use: wind turbines or coal plants?
Answer: Wind turbines. Wind power generates electricity without burning fuel or releasing emissions.
Flashcard 15: What gas is a major product of burning fossil fuels and is linked to climate change?
Answer: Carbon dioxide, CO2. This greenhouse gas traps heat in Earth's atmosphere.
Flashcard 16: Which fuel choice usually produces the least air pollution when burned: coal, oil, or natural gas?
Answer: Natural gas. Natural gas burns cleaner than coal or oil, producing fewer pollutants.
Flashcard 17: Which fuel choice usually produces the most air pollution when burned: coal, oil, or natural gas?
Answer: Coal. Coal releases the most pollutants like sulfur dioxide and particulates when burned.
Flashcard 18: What environmental problem can oil spills cause in oceans and rivers?
Answer: Water pollution that harms plants and animals. Oil is toxic to aquatic life and damages ecosystems.
Flashcard 19: Which option usually uses the least fuel per person: a full bus or many single-occupant cars?
Answer: A full bus. Shared transportation divides fuel consumption among many passengers.
Flashcard 20: What is one major environmental concern about burning gasoline in cars?
Answer: It releases air pollutants, including CO2. Combustion produces greenhouse gases and smog-forming compounds.
Flashcard 21: Which energy source can change river habitats by blocking fish movement: hydropower dams or rooftop solar?
Answer: Hydropower dams. Dams create barriers that prevent fish migration upstream.
Flashcard 22: Which energy source can harm birds and bats if turbines are placed poorly: wind or geothermal?
Answer: Wind energy. Spinning turbine blades can strike flying animals.
Flashcard 23: Which choice usually causes more air pollution: driving a gasoline car or riding a bicycle?
Answer: Driving a gasoline car. Gasoline combustion releases pollutants; bicycles use human power only.
Flashcard 24: What is the term for energy sources that can be replaced naturally in a short time?
Answer: Renewable energy. These sources replenish naturally, unlike fossil fuels.
Flashcard 25: Which option usually produces less air pollution while generating electricity: solar panels or gasoline?
Answer: Solar panels produce less air pollution. Solar converts sunlight directly without burning fuel or releasing emissions.
Flashcard 26: What is the main air pollutant released when burning coal that worsens climate change?
Answer: Carbon dioxide (CO2). Coal combustion releases CO2, a greenhouse gas that traps heat.
Flashcard 27: Which energy source is renewable: coal or wind?
Answer: Wind is renewable. Wind naturally replenishes, unlike coal which takes millions of years to form.
Flashcard 28: Which option is more likely to require mining that disturbs land: coal or wind?
Answer: Coal. Coal extraction requires removing rock and soil layers.
Flashcard 29: Which choice is better for reducing water pollution risk: an oil tanker system or wind turbines?
Answer: Wind turbines. Wind power doesn't involve liquid fuels that can spill.
Flashcard 30: Identify the cleaner electricity choice for local air quality: natural gas plant or rooftop solar panels.
Answer: Rooftop solar panels. Solar produces electricity without combustion or emissions.