True or False: Most places on Earth are warmer than they were 100 years ago.
True - Most locations on the planet have recorded increased temperatures since 1880.
Which of the following is a greenhouse gas?
1. CO2
2. CH4
3. Water Vapor
4. All of the Above
4. All of the above! Greenhouse gases act like a heat-trapping blanket, making the Earth habitable for humans. However, human activities have increased emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere beyond what the Earth can support, resulting in climate change.
Energy that comes from naturally replenished resources such as sunlight, wind, waves, and geothermal heat.
Renewable Energy
Is air pollution good or bad?
Both - air pollution kills more than 9 million people per year. But, certain polluting particles actually reflect the sun’s heat rather than trap it. We’ve pumped enough greenhouse gases into the atmosphere to warm it by 1.5C already, but these particles have kept it around 1.1C so far.
True or False: Climate Change causes more extreme weather like droughts, heat waves, and hurricanes
True - Earth’s lower atmosphere is becoming warmer and moister as a result of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. This gives the potential for more energy for storms and certain extreme weather events.
Which of the following economic sectors emits the largest % of greenhouse gas emissions globally?
1. Transportation
2. Buildings
3. Industry
4. Electricity/Heat production
4. Electricity/Heat production!
The electricity and heat production sector emits the largest percentage of global greenhouse gas emissions at 25%.
The variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.
Biodiversity
At this point, is Global Warming reversible?
Yes, partially - if global net emissions were entirely ceased, the warming we’ve caused would gradually reverse, but other climate-induced changes would continue for decades if not centuries. For example, sea level rise would probably take millennia to reverse its course.
True or False: Wasting less food is a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
True - more than a 3rd of food produced globally never makes it to the table. Food loss and waste account for around 8.2% of the total human-made greenhouse gas emissions.
What percentage of the global greenhouse gas emissions does the transportation sector emit?
1. 1%
2. 14%
3. 33%
4. 70%
2. 14%!
Most of this involves fossil fuels burned for road, rail, air and marine transportation. Petroleum-based fuels like gasoline and diesel account for almost all of the world’s transportation energy.
These are the biggest cause of global warming.
Fossil Fuels - the combustion of fossil fuels for energy is the biggest source of carbon dioxide emissions linked to human activity.
True or False - Polar Bears are endangered
False - Polar Bears are currently listed as a Vulnerable species, meaning their population is decreasing and they are likely to become endangered. Sea ice loss from climate change is the single biggest threat to their survival.
True or False: An overwhelmingly large amount of scientists believe that climate change is not real, nor caused by humans.
False - Studies show that 97% (or more) of scientists who are actively publishing agree that climate change is real and likely due to human activity.
Which of the following gases does not trap heat?
1. Carbon Dioxide
2. Nitrogen
3. Water Vapor
4. Methane
Nitrogen - Nitrogen, which makes up 80% of Earth's atmosphere, is not a greenhouse gas.
When the gases in our atmosphere trap heat and block it from escaping our planet.
The Greenhouse Effect
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
True or False: Some kinds of pollution in the atmosphere can act to cool the planet.
True - Air pollution can take the form of fine particles called "aerosols," which both absorb and scatter the sun's radiation. Both natural and human-made aerosols, like dust, sea salt, soot and sulfates, affect the climate by reflecting radiation that is transmitted through the atmosphere.
This country emits the most carbon dioxide.
China is currently the top emitter of carbon dioxide, accounting for 28% of global carbon emissions. The US ranks as the second top emitter at 15%.
This international treaty on climate change aims to keep the overall increase in global temperatures below 2 degrees Celsius, with the hope of limiting it to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
The Paris Agreement
This celebrity got arrested on the steps of the US Capitol building in 2019 during a climate protest, and said she was inspired by Greta Thunberg.
Jane Fonda (Grace & Frankie, Book Club).