What are the two main sources of energy that power the Earth system? A. the sun and Earth's interior
B. radioactive decay and volcanic eruptions
C. the sun and the motion of Earth through space
D. the sun and human activities, such as burning fossil fuels

The answer is A, the sun and the Earth's interior.

A.the sun and Earth interior

it provides an alternative energy pathway for the reaction to proceed.

a catalyst is a substance that speeds up the rate of a chemical reaction but is not consumed during the course of the reaction.

catalysts increase the rate of reaction without being used up. they do this by lowering the activation energy needed. with a catalyst, more collisions result in a reaction, so the rate of reaction increases. different reactions need different catalysts.

a catalyst works by providing an alternative reaction pathway to the reaction product. the rate of the reaction is increased as this alternative route has a lower activation energy than the reaction route not mediated by the catalyst.