# ✅ Checkpoint: Climate Foundations

By Better Wise

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## Quiz

1. Which statement best describes the greenhouse effect?
   - Greenhouse gases absorb incoming sunlight and block it from reaching the surface.
   - Greenhouse gases absorb outgoing infrared heat and re-radiate some of it back down, slowing heat loss to space.
   - Greenhouse gases create the ozone hole, which lets extra heat in.
   - Greenhouse gases form a solid lid that seals heat inside the atmosphere permanently.
2. Why does CO2 dominate long-run warming even though methane is about 28 times more potent per tonne?
   - Because CO2 is emitted in far larger volumes and a large share stays in the atmosphere for centuries to millennia.
   - Because CO2 has a higher global warming potential than methane over 100 years.
   - Because methane is not actually a greenhouse gas and does not trap heat.
   - Because methane disappears from the atmosphere within a few days.
3. A household burns natural gas in its own boiler and buys electricity from the grid. How do these two fit the scopes?
   - Gas is Scope 2 and electricity is Scope 3.
   - Both are Scope 3 because the utility supplies them.
   - Gas is Scope 1 (direct), electricity is Scope 2 (purchased energy).
   - Both are Scope 1 because they happen at home.
4. One kilogram of methane leaks from a pipe. Using a 100-year global warming potential of about 28, how many kg CO2e is that?
   - About 7.8 kg CO2e
   - About 273 kg CO2e
   - About 28 kg CO2e
   - About 1 kg CO2e
5. Two footprint figures for the same product disagree. What should you check first?
   - Which number has more decimal places.
   - Whether the company calls itself carbon neutral.
   - The boundary: what is counted, where it starts and stops, the factor year, and the unit of comparison.
   - Whether the product is recyclable.
6. The unit that puts all greenhouse gases on one common scale, using global warming potential as the exchange rate, is called ____.
7. A 12,000 km year in a petrol car at about 0.17 kg CO2e per km comes to roughly ____ kg CO2e (answer in kg).
8. Explain in your own words why cutting methane is called a fast lever while cutting CO2 is the long-run control knob. Use the ideas of lifetime and cumulative stock in your answer.
9. Take one week of your own household activity (home energy, driving, food, or a purchase) and sketch a rough CO2e estimate. Then label each item as Scope 1, 2, or 3 and state one boundary you had to assume.


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## Contents

Part of [🌱 Sustainable Living and Climate Awareness](https://everwise.study/courses/sustainable-living-and-climate-awareness.md)

- **🌍 Climate Science in Plain Terms**
  - [☀️ The Greenhouse Effect Without the Jargon](https://everwise.study/courses/sustainable-living-and-climate-awareness/greenhouse-effect-without-jargon.md)
  - [🔢 CO2e, Scopes, and Reading a Carbon Footprint Number](https://everwise.study/courses/sustainable-living-and-climate-awareness/co2e-scopes-reading-carbon-footprint.md) (sign-in required)
  - [✅ Checkpoint: Climate Foundations](https://everwise.study/courses/sustainable-living-and-climate-awareness/checkpoint-climate-foundations.md) (sign-in required) — this lesson
- **🛒 The Big Four: Food, Home, Travel, Shopping**
  - [🥦 Food Footprints: Meat, Dairy, Waste, and Fair Swaps](https://everwise.study/courses/sustainable-living-and-climate-awareness/food-footprints-meat-dairy-waste-swaps.md)
  - [🔌 Home Energy and Water Savings That Pay Back](https://everwise.study/courses/sustainable-living-and-climate-awareness/home-energy-water-savings-payback.md)
  - [🚲 Transport and Shopping: Choices With the Widest Spread](https://everwise.study/courses/sustainable-living-and-climate-awareness/transport-shopping-choices-widest-spread.md)
  - [✅ Checkpoint: Everyday Emissions](https://everwise.study/courses/sustainable-living-and-climate-awareness/checkpoint-everyday-emissions.md)
- **♻️ Waste, Greenwashing, and Habits That Stick**
  - [🧰 Waste, Repair, and Reuse: Worked Examples](https://everwise.study/courses/sustainable-living-and-climate-awareness/waste-repair-reuse-worked-examples.md)
  - [🔍 Sustainable Purchasing and Spotting Greenwashing](https://everwise.study/courses/sustainable-living-and-climate-awareness/sustainable-purchasing-spotting-greenwashing.md)
  - [📋 Building a Household Plan That Cuts Emissions and Bills](https://everwise.study/courses/sustainable-living-and-climate-awareness/household-plan-cuts-emissions-and-bills.md) (premium content)
  - [✅ Checkpoint: Green Choices and Habits](https://everwise.study/courses/sustainable-living-and-climate-awareness/checkpoint-green-choices-habits.md) (premium content)
- [Course cheatsheet](https://everwise.study/courses/sustainable-living-and-climate-awareness/cheatsheet.md) (premium content)