Which term describes pollutants released from natural sources such as volcanoes and fires?

Which term describes pollutants released from natural sources such as volcanoes and fires?

• A. Anthropogenic emissions
• B. Biogenic emissions
• C. Natural emissions
• D. Secondary pollutants

Answer: (C)

Emissions come from natural sources versus human-caused ones. Pollutants released by volcanoes and fires are produced by natural geological and ecological processes, so they fall under natural emissions. Anthropogenic emissions describe pollutants released due to human activities, like burning fossil fuels or industrial processes. Biogenic emissions come from living organisms, such as plants, but volcanoes and fires aren’t living organisms, so they aren’t best described by that term. Secondary pollutants are about pollutants formed in the atmosphere from other pollutants, not about where they come from. So, pollutants from volcanoes and fires are natural emissions.