According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which one of the following is the largest source of sulphur dioxide emissions ?
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Answer: D. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, the largest source of sulphur dioxide in the atmosphere is the burning of fossil fuels by power plants and other industrial facilities. Coal contains sulphur, which turns into SO2 when burnt.
Watch for: Smelting of sulphide ores releases SO2, which tempts option C, but power plants are much bigger emitters.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Wrong because locomotives are a smaller source of SO2.
- B. Wrong because ships are a notable but smaller source than power plants.
- C. Wrong because metal extraction from ores is a smaller source than fuel burning in power plants.
Source to check: US EPA, 'Sulfur Dioxide Basics' (epa.gov/so2-pollution/sulfur-dioxide-basics)
Answer from the official UPSC key. Written and fact-checked by AI against the official key. Spotted a mistake? Report it.