Environmental Science and Climate Change Quiz

Grade 12 · Science · Quiz

Test your understanding of climate science, environmental issues, and sustainability strategies.

Questions

What is the primary driver of current global warming?
1. Natural solar cycles
2. Volcanic eruptions
3. Human greenhouse gas emissions
4. Earth's orbital changes
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Answer: Human greenhouse gas emissions
The IPCC states with >95% certainty that human GHG emissions (primarily CO₂ from fossil fuels) are the dominant cause of warming since 1950. Natural factors alone cannot explain the observed warming trend.
Methane has a higher global warming potential than CO₂ over a 100-year period.
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Answer: True
Methane (CH₄) has a global warming potential of ~84 times that of CO₂ over 20 years and ~28 times over 100 years. However, CO₂ persists much longer in the atmosphere.
The ___ Agreement is an international treaty aiming to limit global warming to 1.5–2°C above pre-industrial levels.
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Answer: Paris
The Paris Agreement (2015) commits 196 parties to nationally determined contributions to limit warming. The 1.5°C target is considered the threshold for avoiding the most severe climate impacts.
Which human activity contributes most to depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer?
1. Burning coal
2. Using CFCs in refrigerants and aerosols
3. Agricultural fertilizer use
4. Nuclear power generation
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Answer: Using CFCs in refrigerants and aerosols
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are extremely stable until they reach the stratosphere, where UV radiation breaks them down, releasing chlorine atoms that catalytically destroy ozone molecules.
Biodiversity loss can reduce ecosystem resilience, making ecosystems more vulnerable to disturbance.
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Answer: True
Biodiversity provides ecological redundancy — multiple species performing similar functions ensures ecosystem services continue even if some species are lost. Less biodiversity means fewer 'backup systems.'
Rising sea levels are primarily caused by:
1. Increased rainfall only
2. Thermal expansion of water and melting ice
3. Volcanic activity on the seafloor
4. Changes in ocean salinity
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Answer: Thermal expansion of water and melting ice
Sea level rises primarily through: (1) thermal expansion — warmer water takes up more volume, and (2) melting land-based ice (glaciers, ice sheets). Melting sea ice does NOT raise sea levels (Archimedes' principle).
The burning of fossil fuels releases carbon that was stored for millions of years, increasing atmospheric ___.
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Answer: CO₂
Burning coal, oil, and natural gas oxidizes carbon, releasing CO₂. Fossil fuels contain carbon captured from the atmosphere over millions of years — burning them rapidly releases what took millennia to accumulate.
Switching to renewable energy sources would eliminate all environmental impacts.
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Answer: False
Renewable energy has reduced but not zero environmental impact. Manufacturing solar panels and wind turbines requires mining; large dams affect river ecosystems; wind turbines can affect bird populations.
What is the approximate current atmospheric concentration of CO₂?
1. 180 ppm
2. 280 ppm
3. 380 ppm
4. 420 ppm
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Answer: 420 ppm
As of 2024, atmospheric CO₂ exceeds 420 ppm, up from ~280 ppm pre-industrial and ~315 ppm when direct measurements began at Mauna Loa in 1958.
Which best describes sustainability?
1. Using all available natural resources now
2. Meeting present needs without compromising future generations
3. Eliminating all human development
4. Only using renewable energy
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Answer: Meeting present needs without compromising future generations
The Brundtland Commission (1987) defined sustainability as 'development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.'

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