Acid rain is caused by the pollution of environment by
carbon dioxide and nitrogen
carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide
ozone and carbon dioxide
nitrous oxide and sulphur dioxide
Answer is Right!
Answer is Wrong!
This question was previously asked in
UPSC IAS – 2013
Acid rain is primarily caused by atmospheric pollutants, mainly sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). These gases are released into the atmosphere, primarily from the burning of fossil fuels. In the atmosphere, they react with water, oxygen, and other chemicals to form sulfuric and nitric acids. These acids then fall to the Earth’s surface through rain, snow, fog, or dry deposition. While the term “nitrous oxide” (N₂O) is specifically mentioned in the option, it is one of the nitrogen oxides (NOx) group, although NO and NO₂ from combustion are the main contributors to acid rain’s nitrogen component. However, compared to other options which list substances not responsible for acid rain (Carbon dioxide, Carbon monoxide, Ozone, Nitrogen), this option correctly identifies the two major categories of pollutants that lead to acid rain (sulfur compounds and nitrogen compounds).