What Do You Know About Sustainability Science? Trivia Quiz

1. Most scientists are not sure if climate change is being driven by human (anthropogenic) activity.

True

False

Scientists are overwhelmingly in agreement about the impact of human activity on climate change. Over 97% of climate scientists are in agreement.

Explanation

Scientists are overwhelmingly in agreement about the impact of human activity on climate change. Over 97% of climate scientists are in agreement.

2. The Brundtland Commission of the United Nations on March 20, 1987, defined sustainable development as:

A global plan to consume all of the known fossil fuel reserves as quickly as possible.

The Brundtland Commission defined sustainable development as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. This means that the focus should be on finding ways to develop and grow while also considering the long-term impact on the environment, society, and economy. It emphasizes the importance of responsible resource management and ensuring that future generations have the same opportunities and resources available to them.

Explanation

The Brundtland Commission defined sustainable development as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. This means that the focus should be on finding ways to develop and grow while also considering the long-term impact on the environment, society, and economy. It emphasizes the importance of responsible resource management and ensuring that future generations have the same opportunities and resources available to them.

3. The sun does not deliver enough energy to the earth to power human industry. Even if we used all of the energy delivered by the sun to the earth we would still need fossil fuels.

True

False

The sun actually delivers every 2 hours more than enough energy to power the world economy for an entire year. Expressed another way - if just 1 percent of the Sahara desert were covered in solar panels enough energy could generate to power the world economy. This wouldn't be the most efficient way of collecting energy but it's useful in recognizing the tremendous potential of solar.

Explanation

The sun actually delivers every 2 hours more than enough energy to power the world economy for an entire year. Expressed another way - if just 1 percent of the Sahara desert were covered in solar panels enough energy could generate to power the world economy. This wouldn't be the most efficient way of collecting energy but it's useful in recognizing the tremendous potential of solar.

4. The industry responsible for the greatest anthropogenic (human activity related) release of methane into the atmosphere is:

Energy

Transportation

Agriculture

Waste treatment

The releases of methane from ruminant (livestock) is the largest single contributor to anthropogenic methane release.

Explanation

The releases of methane from ruminant (livestock) is the largest single contributor to anthropogenic methane release.

5. Which of the following gases are considered anthropogenic greenhouse gases?

Methane (CH4)

Water Vapour (H20)

Carbon Dioxide (CO2)

Nitrous Oxide (NO2)

Water vapor is actually an important greenhouse gas. The earth would be much cooler if it were not for water vapor in the atmosphere. However it is not considered to be an anthropogenic greenhouse gas as the total amount of H2O vapor in the atmosphere is not being directly increased significantly by human activity,

Explanation

Water vapor is actually an important greenhouse gas. The earth would be much cooler if it were not for water vapor in the atmosphere. However it is not considered to be an anthropogenic greenhouse gas as the total amount of H2O vapor in the atmosphere is not being directly increased significantly by human activity,

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