Thorium reactors produce far less waste than present-day reactors. Thorium produces 10 to 10,000 times less long-lived radioactive waste The increasing amount of carbon dioxide in the air is slowly raising the temperature of the atmosphere, because it absorbs

1. the water vapour of the air and retains its heat.
2. the UV part of the solar radiation.
3. all the solar radiations.
4. the infrared part of the solar radiation.

Explanation

Option (d) is correct

• Carbon dioxide is a meteorologically important gas as it is transparent to incoming solar radiation but opaque to outgoing terrestrial radiation. Being an efficient absorber of infrared radiation (heat), it absorbs a part of terrestrial radiation and reflects some of it towards the earth’s surface. It is mainly responsible for the greenhouse effect and heat energy budget. Among GHGs, only water vapour can absorb both incoming (UV) and outgoing (infrared) radiation.

Answer: (d) the infrared part of the solar radiation; Difficulty Level: Easy