How Green Are You?

LIFESTYLE

By: Zoe Samuel

6 Min Quiz

Image: Tom Werner/DigitalVision/Getty Images

About This Quiz

Climate change is here, and it's bad: if we don't dramatically cut greenhouse gas emissions in the next decade, we will lock in irreversible change. This doesn't just mean it'll be slightly hotter. It means rising seas swallowing trillions of dollars of wealth. It means drought in the Midwest, Middle East, and swaths of Asia, with deadly heatwaves and wildfires. It means a warmer sea, which means more energy drawn into hurricanes, meaning more destruction and flooding. (If simultaneous droughts and floods are confusing, picture a see-saw; if you push down in one area, you get a backlash someplace else).

Meanwhile, air pollution is already the No. 1 killer on the planet, causing one in six deaths globally. Plastics are endangering ecosystems. Soil degradation is causing risks of global famine. It's not a pretty picture.

That's the bad news. The good news is threefold: first, we have the technology and will to fix it. Second, far from requiring a hair-shirt approach or return to medieval living, fixing it is an investment in jobs, growth, health, reduced inequality and stronger communities. Third, we who care about healing our planet and communities are not alone. That means nobody has to solve all of this on their own.

However, this doesn't mean that individual choices are going to win the day. Sure, flying less, eating less beef, and using less energy helps, but the key is systemic change - and that's where we're much more powerful than we think. Sure, changing the system is much harder than changing a habit, but every time it changes, it makes the good habits easy for all. The upshot is that together, we really can move mountains.

Now that we know what we need to be doing, click through to find out whether you're doing your part!

Do you turn off the lights when you leave the room?

Advertisement

Have you ever undertaken a project to get clean energy for your workplace, church, apartment block, school, etc?

Advertisement

Is your home insulated?

Advertisement

How much economic damage will it do to go to carbon zero energy by 2050?

Advertisement

What do you drive?

Advertisement

If all subsidies were removed, which form of energy is cheapest?

Advertisement

How is your home heated and cooled?

Advertisement

The most ecologically friendly living is dense; it reduces CO2 and protects habitats. What sort of neighborhood do you live in?

Advertisement

It's the simplest way to fight for the planet. Do ​you vote?

Advertisement

Making sure the climate is in regular discussion is an effective tool. How often do you talk about climate change with family and friends?

Advertisement

Systemic change is infinitely more effective than personal change. What's the leading way you've contributed to it?

Advertisement

Have you ever joined a protest or march for the climate?

Advertisement

Are you up to date on basic facts and terminology like ppm, GHGs, "hockey stick," etc.?

Advertisement

If someone you loved was going to buy a home less than 3 feet above sea level, how would you feel about that?

Advertisement

How many children do you have?

Advertisement

Have you adjusted your meat consumption?

Advertisement

Do you eat organic?

Advertisement

Climate solutions have been thoroughly assessed by efficacy. Which, in your view, is the most effective?

Advertisement

Which sector would you say is emitting the most greenhouse gas?

Advertisement

By how much have you reduced your personal carbon footprint in the past year?

Advertisement

What part of climate change worries you most?

Advertisement

Have you personally taken on a climate change skeptic?

Advertisement

If you could pass a single pro-climate law (as opposed to a package such as the Green New Deal), what would you pass?

Advertisement

100 companies are responsible for 70% of emissions. Do you know who they are?

Advertisement

Have you ever adjusted your savings or stock portfolio to a more climate-friendly one?

Advertisement

Who is your climate role model?

Advertisement

When did you first know that climate change is real?

Advertisement

Have you ever boycotted a company because of its climate practices?

Advertisement

How many miles per year do you fly?

Advertisement

When someone claims tackling climate change is expensive, you know this is incorrect. Which argument do you tend to deploy first?

Advertisement

Explore More Quizzes

About Zoo

Our goal at Zoo.com is to keep you entertained in this crazy life we all live.

We want you to look inward and explore new and interesting things about yourself. We want you to look outward and marvel at the world around you. We want you to laugh at past memories that helped shape the person you’ve become. We want to dream with you about all your future holds. Our hope is our quizzes and articles inspire you to do just that.

Life is a zoo! Embrace it on Zoo.com.