Read the given passage and answer the following questions based on it.
Emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases plunged 4.6 percent in 2020, as lockdowns in the first half of the year restricted global mobility and hampered economic activity. Many hoped that this would mark the beginning of a more permanent shift downwards in emissions. Emissions from the manufacturing and the energy sectors contributed the most to recent global increases based on updated information from the IMF’s Climate Change Indicators Dashboard—a joint effort among national and international statistical organizations to provide timely data to help monitor the transition to lower carbon use.
As greenhouse gas emissions from human activities increase, they build up in the atmosphere and warm the climate, leading to many other changes around the world—in the atmosphere, on land, and in the oceans. While total emissions have climbed significantly above pre-pandemic levels, increases from transportation and households were more muted last year as the pandemic weighed on global mobility. This was particularly evident with the emergence of the omicron variant in the fourth quarter of last year. The public health policy measures in many countries drove down the emissions of households and of the electricity sector.
It will be important to monitor the emissions of both of these sectors as economies fully reopen in the context of historically high fossil fuel-based energy prices. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has said that, in the scenarios they assessed, limiting atmospheric warming to the key level of around 1.5 degrees Celsius requires global greenhouse gas emissions to peak by 2025 at the latest, emphasizing that achieving this milestone is a crucial step towards controlling the severity of climate change. The new data from the climate dashboard underscore what some scientists have warned: time is running out, and we must urgently bend the emissions curve to achieve the necessary reductions to limit atmospheric warming.
How do greenhouse gas emissions impact the climate, as mentioned in the passage?
Correct Answer :
They cause changes in the atmosphere, land, and oceans.
Solution :
The correct answer is: "They cause changes in the atmosphere, land, and oceans."
Let's walk through the passage carefully to understand why this is the right answer.
Step 1: Locate the relevant part of the passage.
The question asks specifically how greenhouse gas emissions impact the climate. The passage directly addresses this in the second paragraph:
"As greenhouse gas emissions from human activities increase, they build up in the atmosphere and warm the climate, leading to many other changes around the world — in the atmosphere, on land, and in the oceans."
Step 2: Break down what the passage is saying.
The passage explains a chain of cause and effect:
1. Cause: Human activities increase greenhouse gas emissions.
2. Intermediate effect: These gases build up in the atmosphere, which warms the climate.
3. Broader impact: This warming then leads to changes across three domains — the atmosphere, on land, and in the oceans.
Step 3: Evaluate each option against the passage.
• "They lead to increased atmospheric humidity." — The passage makes no mention of humidity at all. ❌
• "They reduce atmospheric warming." — This is the opposite of what the passage states. The passage says emissions warm the climate. ❌
• "They cause changes in the atmosphere, land, and oceans." — This directly matches the passage's exact wording. ✅
• "They only affect the atmosphere." — The passage clearly states the impact extends to land and oceans too, not just the atmosphere. ❌
• "Their impact on climate is miniscule thus cannot be judged effectively." — The passage says the opposite — emissions have climbed significantly and scientists are urgently warning about their effects. ❌
Step 4: Conclusion.
The passage is explicit and comprehensive. Greenhouse gas emissions do not just affect one domain — they trigger wide-ranging changes across the atmosphere, on land, and in the oceans. This makes Option 3 the only accurate and fully supported answer, as it mirrors the passage's own language almost word for word.
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