What environmental problem is most often linked to the combustion of fossil fuels?

What environmental problem is most often linked to the combustion of fossil fuels?

• A. Acid rain
• B. Global warming
• C. Ozone depletion
• D. Photochemical smog formation in the troposphere

Answer: (D)

Burning fossil fuels releases pollutants like nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds into the air. In bright sunlight, these pollutants react to form ground-level ozone and other oxidants, leading to a visible cocktail of pollutants near the surface known as photochemical smog. This tropospheric smog is the characteristic environmental problem most directly linked to fossil-fuel combustion, especially in urban areas with heavy traffic and emissions from power plants. Acid rain results from sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, ozone depletion from CFCs, and global warming from greenhouse gases, but the everyday air-quality issue most closely tied to fossil fuel burning is the photochemical smog formed in the troposphere.

Burning fossil fuels releases pollutants like nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds into the air. In bright sunlight, these pollutants react to form ground-level ozone and other oxidants, leading to a visible cocktail of pollutants near the surface known as photochemical smog. This tropospheric smog is the characteristic environmental problem most directly linked to fossil-fuel combustion, especially in urban areas with heavy traffic and emissions from power plants. Acid rain results from sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, ozone depletion from CFCs, and global warming from greenhouse gases, but the everyday air-quality issue most closely tied to fossil fuel burning is the photochemical smog formed in the troposphere.