Climate Change and Human Impact Quiz

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Questions and Answers

What has dramatically increased human standards of living over the last 200 years?

Capitalism and finance (correct)

The discovery of agriculture

Technological advancements in medicine

Government regulations on resources

By what percentage have US CO2 emissions per capita increased since 1800?

24,000%

44,450% (correct)

10,450%

60,000%

What fraction faster are humans using natural resources compared to their regeneration rate?

1.2 times

2.0 times

1.5 times

1.7 times (correct)

Which of the following is considered a consequence of inaction regarding climate change?

Loss of land and inhabitable regimes Signup and view all the answers

What is required to address the climate change crisis according to the content?

Education and effective changes Signup and view all the answers

What is one example given that represents the consequences of climate change?

More extreme weather patterns Signup and view all the answers

What needs to happen to CO2 emissions by 2030 for effective climate change mitigation?

They need to be reduced by 45% Signup and view all the answers

Climate change is compared to which disease in the content?

Gout Signup and view all the answers

What is one major issue with renewable energy sources?

They have reliability issues due to storage limitations. Signup and view all the answers

Which sector is primarily responsible for climate change as per the provided content?

Fossil fuels Signup and view all the answers

What percentage of renewable electricity generation is reported in 20 countries?

90% Signup and view all the answers

Which power source is noted for being too inefficient to power modern needs?

Biomass Signup and view all the answers

What can potentially resolve the storage problem for renewable energy?

Improvements in batteries and power management Signup and view all the answers

How much global electricity supply does China produce?

31% Signup and view all the answers

What is highlighted as a challenge for electricity grids?

They cannot accommodate large spikes and falls in demand. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is noted to potentially fall due to rising population according to the provided content?

Standards of living Signup and view all the answers

What is one of the main challenges of establishing an independent Citizen’s Assembly to handle climate change?

It could face significant political resistance. Signup and view all the answers

Which group bears the brunt of climate change effects according to the content?

Equatorial countries with fewer resources Signup and view all the answers

How do 'super-polluters' compare their emissions to the average individual?

Their emissions can be much higher than the average person. Signup and view all the answers

What is one proposed solution to climate change mentioned in the content?

Pulling carbon out of the atmosphere Signup and view all the answers

What misconception does the content hint at regarding national average emissions figures?

They hide significant variation in pollution levels. Signup and view all the answers

What concept is discussed regarding the challenge of ensuring collective action on climate change?

Free-riding Signup and view all the answers

What is a possible outcome of sustainability efforts as mentioned in the content?

A possible end to economic growth Signup and view all the answers

How are inequalities in pollution levels characterized in the content?

There are massive inequalities in individual pollution contributions. Signup and view all the answers

What significant population milestone was reached in 1804 AD?

1 billion Signup and view all the answers

Which factor does not influence carbon dioxide emissions according to the provided information?

Technological advancement Signup and view all the answers

Which year marks the prediction of climate change?

1896 Signup and view all the answers

How many people are predicted to inhabit the Earth by 2100?

11 billion Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements about human population growth is true?

Population growth has been exponential over time. Signup and view all the answers

What has been the trend in living standards according to the content?

Exponential growth Signup and view all the answers

What was the world population around the year 0?

190 million Signup and view all the answers

What is a direct consequence of development as mentioned in the content?

Increase in carbon emissions Signup and view all the answers

Who authored the paper on the feasibility of air capture?

Manya Ranjan and Howard J. Herzog Signup and view all the answers

What is a major theme addressed by Johan Rockström and colleagues in their 2009 paper?

A safe operating space for humanity Signup and view all the answers

Which publication discusses the carbon footprints of U.S. consumers, highlighting the top 1%'s impact?

Ecological Economics Signup and view all the answers

In which year was 'The Wealth of Nations' published?

1776 Signup and view all the answers

Which dataset focuses on per capita CO2 emissions?

Global Carbon Budget Signup and view all the answers

Which of these is an author of the 'CO2 and Greenhouse Gas Emissions' publication?

Hannah Ritchie Signup and view all the answers

What concept does the 2017 book 'Inheritors of the Earth' by Chris D. Thomas explore?

How nature is thriving amidst extinction Signup and view all the answers

Which aspect of climate change does The Guardian's article focus on?

Visual impact of air pollution Signup and view all the answers

What is the main focus of the paper by Otto et al. (2019)?

Highlighting emissions inequality between income groups Signup and view all the answers

Which publication addresses the carbon footprint accounting for different countries?

Ecological Footprint Accounting for Countries Signup and view all the answers

What is a key concern raised by Oxfam International in their report?

Emissions generated by the super-rich contributing to carbon inequality Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following studies discusses the concept of 'carbon legacies'?

Reproduction and the Carbon Legacies of Individuals Signup and view all the answers

Which demographic trend is highlighted in the work of Max Roser and colleagues?

Global population growth and its implications Signup and view all the answers

What type of analysis does the paper by Oswald, Owen, and Steinberger (2020) focus on?

Inequality in energy consumption across different socioeconomic groups Signup and view all the answers

What does the paper by Nielsen et al. (2024) mainly criticize?

The underestimation of personal carbon footprint inequality Signup and view all the answers

Which organization published the report titled 'Climate and Lifestyle Report'?

Founders Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Lecture 11: Climate Change

Climate change is a period of great change, life 25 years ago is very different to now (e.g., no phones)
The difference between our lives now and those 200 years ago is much greater than the difference between the years 1400 and 1600, or 200 and 400
In the year 0 there were only 190 million people in the world (less than the USA currently)
In 1804 AD, the world's population was only 1 billion (less than China or India today)
There are 8 billion people today, predicted to peak at 11 billion in 2100
Thanos's snap (removing half the population) would only bring the world back to 1974.
Human population growth has been exponential since 10,000 BCE
The graph of the world's population shows exponential growth with many large increases (e.g., year 0, 1800)
Growth in living standards is also exponential from 1 to 2018
In 2018, the US, Canada, France, UK, Peru, Indonesia, and India's GDP per capita is shown (with a significant increase since the first year)
Capitalism has reduced absolute poverty, defined as living below the poverty line of $2.15/day
But development brings emissions, specifically CO2 emissions, in the years 1802-2018
Climate change was first predicted in 1896! (Arrhenius)
Carbon dioxide emissions depend on population and CO2 usage per person.
The world population has increased dramatically as has average CO2 emissions per person.
The speed of change in human development in the past 200 years is exponential allowing cooperation like never before.
This increased living standards dramatically, but also increased carbon footprints.
US CO2/capita emissions have increased by 44,450% since 1800.
Atmospheric CO2 concentration is rising from803719 BCE to 2018.
Global temperatures have risen over the same period (from 1850-2018)
The world is viewed to be a national park, where livestock is 60%, humans are 36%, and the remaining are wild mammals (4%).
Humans are living outside the 'safe operating space' for the global ecosystem (Rockström et al. 2009), and using natural resources 1.7 times faster than they can regenerate (Lin et al. 2018).
CO2 emissions need to be reduced by 45% by 2030 (Change 2014).
Loss of land and inhabitable regimes, migrant crises, and mass extinctions are amongst the consequences of inaction.
Climate science models vary wildly in their predictions made worse by vicious cycles (e.g., melting ice-sheets expose buried methane, warming seas less able to act as carbon sinks)
These vicious circles are very hard to stop, but very hard to predict when they start, contributing to uncertainty.
Is climate change going to be an apocalypse? Can we adapt to it? Who will be affected? We don't know!
This makes planning, convincing people to make sacrifices, and knowing how much carbon-cutting is necessary, hard.
Nothing stops people polluting and it is cheaper to pollute (indeed), therefore no need for costly climate-neutral policies.
Industrial pollution affects current and future generations with downstream effects and the need for regulation.
Carbon dioxide is colourless, odorless, and invisible, unlike smog.
Humans are not good at dealing with threats they cannot sense, and the effects of carbon dioxide are delayed.
The market fails on climate change due to the long timescale and the market only considering current generations (future generations cannot reward for sacrifices necessary to cut emissions), therefore time travel isn't real.
Where carbon is produced needs consideration and the concept of the "polluter pays principle".
Rich countries should sacrifice the most, given they've been capable of polluting for years and outsourcing to poorer countries (which aren't expected to sacrifice as much).
Companies aim to make money and often do not care about ethics, companies would be more environmentally friendly if consumers only demanded green goods.
Consumption patterns are not very environmentally friendly and disconnect from appearing green and actual sacrificing consumption, even in the case of having fewer children.
Households are responsible for 72% of CO2 emissions.
One proposed solution is government intervention with carbon taxes.
Politicians are elected every 3–6 years, making this mandate too short-term to tackle climate change (incentives to pay lip-service).
Climate change falls more heavily on poorer equatorial countries with past polluters dying before effects occur.
National average emissions figures hid significant variance.
Super-rich pollute much more, with billionaires’ jets/yaughts emitting the same emissions a month as the average person does their entire lifetime.
Solutions for climate change include pulling carbon out (currently too expensive) and reducing carbon.
Sustainability may require an end to economic growth, a change to "green growth", and falling standards of living, or radical changes to our lifestyles.
Areas to reduce emissions include electricity, transport, manufacturing, buildings, industry, land-use, aviation, and other fuel combustion
Fossil fuels (for power generation, with coal, oil, and gas) have very high carbon intensities.
We need a climate-friendly, reliable power-source we can build anywhere (e.g., nuclear), but nuclear is more expensive than fossil fuels, not including future costs of climate change
For renewable energy, 20 countries have over 90% renewable electricity generation and 31% of global supply is produced by China
The biggest problem of renewable energy is the electricity cannot be stored at scale, and this leaves various renewable sources (e.g., solar, hydroelectric, geothermal, tidal) unsuitable.
Reforestation (removing 1m tonnes of CO2) needs 862km2 of arable land.
Direct carbon capture (removing 1m tonnes of CO2) needs just 0.4km2 of land.
Adaptation (a less habitable planet) will be costly.
Richer areas will likely have gated communities and enforced higher levels of security, and intolerance.
This adaptation scenario may mean that many people die.
Fatalism (doomerism) is one result of dealing with climate change.
Human innovation is astonishing given necessary incentives are present, similar to the development of COVID vaccines.
Capitalism responds to current problems, and sadly, climate change looks set to affect poorer, equatorial areas first.
Good news includes environmental progress (e.g., Montreal protocol).
Everyone(and companies) has a role to combat climate change.
Capitalism gives us what we want, but we need to want to fix climate change

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Test your knowledge on how climate change affects human living standards and resource consumption. This quiz covers statistics on CO2 emissions, energy sources, and the necessary actions to tackle the climate crisis effectively. Challenge yourself and learn about the environmental issues we face today.