According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which one of the following is the largest source of sulphur dioxide emissions?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (d) Power plants using fossil fuels
The US Environmental Protection Agency names the burning of fossil fuels by power plants and other industrial facilities as the largest source of sulphur dioxide in the air. Metal extraction, volcanoes, locomotives and ships are only smaller sources.
- ✓ (d) Power plants that burn fossil fuels are the largest source of SO2 in the atmosphere according to the EPA.
- ✗ (c) Extracting metal from ore is an industrial process the EPA lists among the smaller sources.
- ✗ (b) Ships, like locomotives (option a), burn fuel with a high sulphur content, but the EPA counts them among the smaller sources.
Remember · Largest SO2 source: fossil-fuel burning by power plants and other industry. Smaller: extracting metal from ore, volcanoes, locomotives, ships.
Sources
- Sulfur Dioxide Basics, US Environmental Protection Agency ↗ “The largest source of SO 2 in the atmosphere is the burning of fossil fuels by power plants and other industrial facilities.”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2024, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·