How much do you know about global warming?
Take this global warming quiz to find out!
Question 1) True or false. Global Warming is the annual rise in the earth’s temperature due to the excessive amounts of Greenhouse Gases (GHG) in the atmosphere.
- GHG are gases that trap the Sun’s heat in the planet. Without these gases, it would be too cold for us to live on Earth.1 But when too much of these gases stay in the atmosphere, they trap too much of the Sun’s energy and make the global temperature rise, which we call “global warming.” Our day-to-day activities – like eating, riding in the car, and watching TV – release these GHG into the air and contribute to climate change.
Question 2) Which of the following are Greenhouse Gases (GHG) that contributes to Global Warming?
- All of these gases trap the Sun’s heat and make the planet warmer. Other GHG are: nitrous oxide, fluorinated gases, and water vapor.1
Question 3) Which of the following activities can reduce the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere?
- Most cars are powered by gas, a product that is made from petroleum (a fossil fuel). When we burn fossil fuels, they release GHG in the atmosphere. A typical gasoline-powered car sends 4.6 tons of CO2 to the atmosphere.2 Food waste is responsible for more or less 8 percent of the GHG emissions humans produce.3
Question 4) What is the Greenhouse effect?
Question 6) Which of the following lightbulb types uses the least energy, and therefore results in fewer greenhouse gas emissions?
- Compact fluorescent lightbulbs require 60 to 80% less energy than incandescent or halogen bulbs!5 That is a lot less!
Question 7) How long does it take for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to disperse, even with the amount of pre-existing trees?
- Greenhouse gases stay in the atmosphere for a long time! That is why it is so important for us to decrease our greenhouse gas emissions – even if we stopped sending carbon to the atmosphere now, the amount contained in the atmosphere would remain there and heat the Earth for decades!5
Question 8) Which Arctic animal do many scientists consider most vulnerable to extinction due to global warming?
- Toucans and tropical frogs do not live in the Arctic! Polar bears have been long considered the most vulnerable to climate change, but new studies have found that the situation is much worse for narwhals. That is because narwhals don’t have a diversified diet and they can only live in and travel through very places.5
Question 9) True or false? Global warming is accelerated by the reduction of global snow and ice cover.
- White surfaces – like those covered by ice and snow – reflect much more solar energy than dark surfaces. As snow and ice decrease, they give space to darker areas that absorb (instead of reflecting) more heat. Like that the Earth gets warmer more quickly!5
Question 10) During what time of day does air travel have the least damaging effect on the environment?
- When planes fly, they leave white streaks in the air. These streaks are called contrails, and they are mainly composed of water. Contrails trap heat coming from Earth’s surface, but they also reflect solar radiation when the sun is shining! At night, there is no sunlight to reflect, so all contrails do is trap heat.5
References
1Denchak, M. (2019, July 16). Greenhouse Effect 101. Retrieved July 29, 2021, from https://www.nrdc.org/stories/greenhouse-effect-101
2Greenhouse Gas Emissions from a Typical Passenger Vehicle | US EPA. (2016, January 12). Retrieved July 29, 2021, from https://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/greenhouse-gas-emissions-typical-passenger-vehicle
3Climate Change Quiz | Earth Day. (n.d.). Retrieved July 29, 2021, from https://www.earthday.org/the-climate-change-quiz/
4Scientific Consensus: Earth’s Climate is Warming. (2021, July 27). Retrieved July 29, 2021, from https://climate.nasa.gov/scientific-consensus
5How Well Do You Understand Global Warming. (n.d.). Retrieved July 29, 2021, from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/global-warming-quiz