Global warming is generally described as an increase in the earth’s average temperature due to greenhouse gases. Which option correctly reflects this description?

Global warming is generally described as an increase in the earth’s average temperature due to greenhouse gases. Which option correctly reflects this description?

• A. An increase in the earth's average temperature due to greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and CFCs
• B. A decrease in the earth's average temperature due to sunspot activity
• C. A random fluctuation in weather
• D. A short-term atmospheric cooling event

Answer: (A)

Global warming means a long-term rise in Earth's average surface temperature caused by more heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. When gases like carbon dioxide and CFCs accumulate, they trap infrared radiation that would normally escape to space, packing more heat near the surface. Human activities such as burning fossil fuels and certain industrial processes increase these gases, strengthening the greenhouse effect and nudging global temperatures upward over decades. The statement that best captures this is the one describing an increase in the Earth’s average temperature due to greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and CFCs, because it links the cause (more heat-trapping gases) with the effect (warming). The other ideas aren’t describing a long-term trend: sunspot activity isn’t the main driver of sustained global warming, weather fluctuations are short-term changes, and a short-term cooling event would not represent the overall warming trend.

Global warming means a long-term rise in Earth's average surface temperature caused by more heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. When gases like carbon dioxide and CFCs accumulate, they trap infrared radiation that would normally escape to space, packing more heat near the surface. Human activities such as burning fossil fuels and certain industrial processes increase these gases, strengthening the greenhouse effect and nudging global temperatures upward over decades. The statement that best captures this is the one describing an increase in the Earth’s average temperature due to greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and CFCs, because it links the cause (more heat-trapping gases) with the effect (warming). The other ideas aren’t describing a long-term trend: sunspot activity isn’t the main driver of sustained global warming, weather fluctuations are short-term changes, and a short-term cooling event would not represent the overall warming trend.