Carbon Cycle
What element is the building block of life and present in all living things?
What is carbon?
What global system relies on private ownership and exploitation of labor and land?
What is capitalism?
What causes wind to form on Earth?
Uneven heating of the Earth's surface and the Earth's rotation.
What is carbon sequestration?
The process of capturing and storing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
How is climate different from weather?
Climate is the average weather over long periods, typically 30 years.
Name one of the Earth's spheres involved in the carbon cycle.
What is the atmosphere, biosphere, lithosphere, or hydrosphere?
What historical event marked the start of land theft and environmental disruption?
What is the arrival of Columbus (colonialism)?
What is the name for large systems of ocean currents?
What are ocean gyres?
Name one natural carbon sink.
What is soil, oceans, or plants/biomass?
What aspect of Earth causes seasons to change in length and intensity?
What are Earth’s orbit shape and axial tilt?
What are the main processes in the short carbon cycle?
What are photosynthesis, respiration, diffusion, and emissions?
What organization publishes major reports on global climate risks?
What is the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change)?
What is a rainshadow, and why does it form?
A dry region formed when mountains block moist air and precipitation.
How do oceans store carbon?
Through chemical exchange where CO₂ diffuses into the water.
What kind of evidence helps scientists study ancient climates?
What are ice cores, tree rings, sediment, and pollen?
What long-term process removes organic carbon and stores it in the lithosphere?
What is burial and sedimentation?
What are two major effects of the modern climate crisis?
What are biodiversity loss, ocean acidification, extreme weather, or rising temperatures?
What is PM 2.5 and where does it come from?
Fine particulate matter from vehicles, fires, and fossil fuel burning.
How does ocean acidification occur?
CO₂ dissolves into seawater, lowering its pH and making it more acidic.
What are the four major greenhouse gases?
What are carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, and nitrous oxide?
How do human activities like burning fossil fuels affect the carbon cycle?
They release ancient carbon into the atmosphere, disrupting natural carbon flows.
Why are Indigenous peoples especially affected by displacement during the climate crisis?
Because it separates them from ancestral lands, food, medicine, language, and culture.
Why are BIPOC communities more affected by air pollution?
Due to redlining, urban development, lack of green space, and proximity to industry.
Why does deforestation increase atmospheric carbon levels?
Because it removes trees that absorb CO₂, reducing carbon storage.
How do greenhouse gases warm the Earth?
They trap heat by absorbing and re-emitting infrared radiation.