Describe some of the ways in which human civilization is fundamentally different from the natural geosystems we have studied in this textbook.
Which fossil fuel produces the least amount of CO2 per unit of energy: oil, natural gas, or coal? Which produces the most?
What are the prerequisites for oil traps to contain oil?
Explain which of the following factors are important in estimating the future supply of oil and natural gas: (a) the rate of oil and gas accumulation, (b) the rate of depletion of known reserves, (c) the rate of discovery of new reserves, (d) the total amount of oil and gas now present on Earth.
An aggressive drilling program in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge could produce as much as 16 billion barrels of oil. At current consumption rates, for how many years would this resource supply U.S. oil demand?
Which three countries have the largest coal reserves?
If we keep pumping CO2 into the atmosphere and Earth’s climate warms significantly in the next 100 years, how might the global carbon cycle be affected?
An economist once wrote: “The predicted change in global temperature due to human activity is less than the difference in winter temperature between New York and Florida, so why worry?” Should he worry? Why or why not?