Climate Change and Energy
Options for a Sustainable
Future, 1st Edition by Dinesh
Kumar Srivastava & V S
Ramamurthy | 2025/2026
Exam Success Guide
, What are the three key factors that determine Earth's temperature? - CORRECT
ANSWERSDistance from the Sun, changes in solar energy output, and presence of
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
What is the solar constant (S) in W/m²? - CORRECT ANSWERS1,360 W/m², which is
divided by 4 for Earth's sphere to yield 340 W/m².
What percentage of solar radiation is reflected by the atmosphere and surface? -
CORRECT ANSWERS~30% is reflected by the atmosphere and surface (albedo).
What is Earth's Energy Imbalance (EEI)? - CORRECT ANSWERS+0.71 W/m²,
indicating net heat accumulation.
What is the greenhouse effect (GHE)? - CORRECT ANSWERSGHGs naturally warm
Earth; without GHE, Earth's temperature would be -18°C, but with GHE, it is +15°C.
What are the major greenhouse gases and their sources? - CORRECT ANSWERSCO₂
(fossil fuels, deforestation), CH₄ (livestock, landfills), N₂O (agricultural soils), SF₆
(refrigeration), O₃ (secondary pollutant), H₂O (natural GHG).
What is proxy data in climate science? - CORRECT ANSWERSPreserved
characteristics that allow scientists to reconstruct past climates beyond the ~150-year
instrumental record.
What do ice cores indicate about past climates? - CORRECT ANSWERSThey trap
ancient air bubbles and isotope ratios indicate temperature, with records going back
800,000 to 2 million years.
What are Milankovitch cycles? - CORRECT ANSWERSEccentricity (100,000-year
cycle), obliquity (41,000-year cycle), and precession (26,000-year cycle) affecting
Earth's climate.
How does the rate of recent warming compare to natural warming? - CORRECT
ANSWERSRecent warming is ~1°C in the last 100 years, which is 10× faster than the
natural ~6°C increase over 10,000 years.
What was Fourier's contribution to climate science? - CORRECT ANSWERSIn 1824, he
identified that Earth without an atmosphere would be far colder, recognizing the 'blanket'
effect.
What key finding did the IPCC report in AR6 (2021)? - CORRECT ANSWERSHuman
activities have unequivocally caused global warming.
What are the projected impacts of a ~4°C warming by 2100? - CORRECT
ANSWERS10-23% decline in global GDP, 35-132 million more people in extreme
poverty, and 90-380 million more people exposed to flooding.
Options for a Sustainable
Future, 1st Edition by Dinesh
Kumar Srivastava & V S
Ramamurthy | 2025/2026
Exam Success Guide
, What are the three key factors that determine Earth's temperature? - CORRECT
ANSWERSDistance from the Sun, changes in solar energy output, and presence of
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
What is the solar constant (S) in W/m²? - CORRECT ANSWERS1,360 W/m², which is
divided by 4 for Earth's sphere to yield 340 W/m².
What percentage of solar radiation is reflected by the atmosphere and surface? -
CORRECT ANSWERS~30% is reflected by the atmosphere and surface (albedo).
What is Earth's Energy Imbalance (EEI)? - CORRECT ANSWERS+0.71 W/m²,
indicating net heat accumulation.
What is the greenhouse effect (GHE)? - CORRECT ANSWERSGHGs naturally warm
Earth; without GHE, Earth's temperature would be -18°C, but with GHE, it is +15°C.
What are the major greenhouse gases and their sources? - CORRECT ANSWERSCO₂
(fossil fuels, deforestation), CH₄ (livestock, landfills), N₂O (agricultural soils), SF₆
(refrigeration), O₃ (secondary pollutant), H₂O (natural GHG).
What is proxy data in climate science? - CORRECT ANSWERSPreserved
characteristics that allow scientists to reconstruct past climates beyond the ~150-year
instrumental record.
What do ice cores indicate about past climates? - CORRECT ANSWERSThey trap
ancient air bubbles and isotope ratios indicate temperature, with records going back
800,000 to 2 million years.
What are Milankovitch cycles? - CORRECT ANSWERSEccentricity (100,000-year
cycle), obliquity (41,000-year cycle), and precession (26,000-year cycle) affecting
Earth's climate.
How does the rate of recent warming compare to natural warming? - CORRECT
ANSWERSRecent warming is ~1°C in the last 100 years, which is 10× faster than the
natural ~6°C increase over 10,000 years.
What was Fourier's contribution to climate science? - CORRECT ANSWERSIn 1824, he
identified that Earth without an atmosphere would be far colder, recognizing the 'blanket'
effect.
What key finding did the IPCC report in AR6 (2021)? - CORRECT ANSWERSHuman
activities have unequivocally caused global warming.
What are the projected impacts of a ~4°C warming by 2100? - CORRECT
ANSWERS10-23% decline in global GDP, 35-132 million more people in extreme
poverty, and 90-380 million more people exposed to flooding.
