Net Zero & Energy Transition · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.
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Net Zero & Energy Transition

Science · Weather & Climate · ages 13-14
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. Which of these is an example of electrifying transport as part of the energy transition?

    • Replacing a gasoline car with an electric car
    • Building a new coal power plant
    • Digging for more natural gas

  2. What does 'net zero' mean for a country's carbon emissions?

    • It stops making any CO2 at all
    • It removes as much CO2 as it adds, so the net change is zero
    • It doubles the CO2 it captures each year

  3. Green hydrogen is made using electricity from fossil fuels like coal.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. A machine uses giant fans to pull in ordinary outdoor air and filter the CO2 straight out of it. What is this called?

    • Carbon capture and storage
    • Direct air capture
    • Stratospheric aerosol injection

  5. A factory captures CO2 from its smokestack before it reaches the air, then pumps it underground. What is this called?

    • Direct air capture
    • Carbon capture and storage
    • Marine cloud brightening

  6. Which best explains why marine cloud brightening is considered risky?

    • It could shift rainfall patterns in ways that cross borders, so no one country can decide to use it alone
    • It permanently removes all CO2 from the atmosphere
    • It has no effect on weather anywhere

  7. A country cuts every person's individual carbon footprint by 10%, but keeps its power grid running entirely on coal. Will it likely reach net zero?

    • Yes, individual footprint cuts always outweigh how electricity is generated
    • Yes, because coal power has no connection to carbon emissions
    • No, because systemic changes like the power grid matter far more than individual footprints alone

  8. Ravi says solar radiation management techniques like aerosol injection solve climate change by removing greenhouse gases. What is wrong with his claim?

    • These techniques reflect sunlight to cool the Earth, they don't remove any greenhouse gases
    • Solar radiation management is the same thing as direct air capture
    • These techniques were banned decades ago and no longer exist
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Answer key

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Net Zero & Energy Transition W1-mt_Wzj1RETm9A-s1

  1. Replacing a gasoline car with an electric car · Swapping fossil-fuel vehicles for electric ones is a core part of electrifying transport.
  2. It removes as much CO2 as it adds, so the net change is zero · Net zero balances emissions added against CO2 removed, not zero emissions outright.
  3. False · Green hydrogen is made by splitting water using renewable electricity, not fossil fuels.
  4. Direct air capture · DAC filters CO2 out of the open air rather than catching it at a source.
  5. Carbon capture and storage · Catching CO2 right at the source and storing it underground is CCS.
  6. It could shift rainfall patterns in ways that cross borders, so no one country can decide to use it alone · Because its effects could spread across borders, using it raises hard governance questions.
  7. No, because systemic changes like the power grid matter far more than individual footprints alone · Without changing how electricity is generated, small individual cuts can't offset a coal-powered grid.
  8. These techniques reflect sunlight to cool the Earth, they don't remove any greenhouse gases · Solar radiation management only reflects sunlight; it leaves greenhouse gases in the atmosphere untouched.
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