All Flashcards
What is the purpose of the Clean Air Act?
Sets emission standards for cars and limits the release of pollutants into the air.
What is the goal of the Kyoto Protocol?
Sets greenhouse gas emission reduction targets for participating countries.
What does the Montreal Protocol regulate?
Phases out the production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances like CFCs.
What are emission standards?
Legal requirements that set specific limits on the amount of pollutants that can be released into the atmosphere.
What is the significance of the Montreal Protocol's success?
It demonstrates the effectiveness of international cooperation in addressing global environmental problems by phasing out CFCs.
What are the main provisions of the Clean Air Act?
It establishes national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) and regulates emissions from stationary and mobile sources.
Why is the Kyoto Protocol considered less effective?
Due to lack of universal participation and enforcement challenges, its impact on global greenhouse gas emissions has been limited.
What are the steps in photochemical smog formation?
- NOx and VOCs are released. 2. They react with heat and sunlight. 3. Tropospheric ozone and other components of smog form.
Describe the formation of Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2).
Nitric oxide (NO) oxidizes in the atmosphere to form Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2).
Define primary air pollutant.
Pollutants released directly from a source.
Define secondary air pollutant.
Pollutants formed when primary pollutants react in the atmosphere.
What is photochemical smog?
Smog created by the reaction of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and VOCs with heat and sunlight.
What is thermal inversion?
A deviation from the normal temperature gradient where a layer of warm air traps cooler air below it.
Define Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs).
Organic chemicals that have a high vapor pressure at ordinary room temperature.
What is Particulate Matter?
A mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets found in the air.
Define emission standards.
Regulations setting maximum amounts of pollutants that can be released.
What is acid rain?
Rainfall made acidic by atmospheric pollution, typically caused by industrial emissions.
Define air quality index (AQI).
An index for reporting daily air quality, indicating how clean or polluted the air is.
What are CFCs?
Chlorofluorocarbons, harmful chemicals phased out by the Montreal Protocol.