UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

Global carbon dioxide emissions are dominated by the combustion of coal, oil and natural gas for energy and transport. Power plants, industrial facilities and vehicles release huge quantities of CO2 when burning these fuels. Land-use change and other sources are important but smaller in comparison. Thus, the activity that contributes the most to anthropogenic CO2 emissions is fossil fuel use for energy, as stated in option B.

Option A:
Option A is incorrect because rice cultivation is more closely associated with methane emissions, not carbon dioxide as the primary gas. While methane is a potent greenhouse gas, the question specifically asks about CO2.

Option B:
Option B is correct since energy production and transport account for a major share of global CO2 emissions. Reducing dependence on fossil fuels in these sectors is central to climate mitigation strategies.

Option C:
Option C is incorrect as modern household aerosols mostly use propellants that are not major CO2 sources. Historically, they raised concerns about CFCs and ozone, not bulk CO2 emissions.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect because composting organic waste largely recycles carbon within the short-term biological carbon cycle. It does not create the massive additional CO2 associated with fossil carbon released from underground reserves.