All questions come from Gapminder, an independent educational non-profit fighting global misconceptions. How do you score?
Climate action
If all emissions of CO2 completely stopped right now, how much of the current CO2 in the atmosphere would still be there 100 years from now?
- Less than 10% of today’s amount
- Almost 50% of today’s amount
- More than 90% of today’s amount
You are right
But 81% of people answer wrongly. They don’t realize that 100 years from now almost all the extra carbon will still be in the atmosphere.
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You were wrong – just like 81% of people.
CO2 disappears slowly
A hundred years from now, almost all the extra carbon will still be in the atmosphere.
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Clean water & sanitation
How many people in the world have access to safe drinking water in their home or close by?
- Around 30%
- Around 50%
- Around 70%
You are right
But 82% of people answer wrongly. Most people don’t realize how many actually have safe water. As they think few have safe drinking water at home, it must be difficult for them to imagine a future when everyone has it.
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The world is not as bad as you think
Most people don’t realize how many actually have safe water. A majority already have safe drinking water at home today, but you believe it’s few. It must be difficult for you to imagine a future where everyone has it.
You were wrong just like 82% of people
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Life on land
Of all the area that was tropical rainforest 100 years ago worldwide, how much is still tropical rainforest today?
- Less than 10%
- Around 20%
- More than 30%
You are right
But 73% of people answer wrongly. They realize that lots of rainforest has been lost, but they underestimate how much remains.
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The rainforests haven’t all been destroyed… yet
You are right that a lot of the original tropical rainforest has been lost. But you underestimated how much still remains.
You were wrong just like 73% of people.
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Sustainable cities & communities
In 2020, there were around 68 cities in Africa with more than 1 million inhabitants. How many cities of this size will there be in Africa in 2030, according to UN experts?
- Fewer than 60
- Around 70
- More than 90
You are right
But 72% of people answer wrongly. Most people have missed that there will be more big cities in the future as the African population increases.
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Cities are growing in Africa too
You thought there would be slightly more big cities in Africa by 2030, but as the African population increases very fast, the number of big cities will too.
You were wrong just like 72% of people.
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Partnership for the goals
Of all financial aid received by the least developed countries, how much comes from charity and philanthropy?
- Around 5%
- Around 25%
- Around 50%
You are right
But 78% of people answer wrongly. They overestimate the aid from private charities to the poorest countries.
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Almost all aid comes from tax.
We hear a lot about charities and it’s easy to get the impression that their contribution to the poorest countries is much more than 5%.
You were wrong just like 78% of people.
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Climate action
How much of the excess heat from global warming is captured in the oceans?
- Around 10%
- Around 50%
- Around 90%
You are right
But 90% of people answer wrongly. Most people are unaware that most global warming is hiding in the seas. As long as they think global warming is all about air temperature, they won’t realize the size of the problem.
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Don’t look for global warming outside your window.
Most people are unaware that most global warming is hiding in the seas. If you think your local weather shows you global warming, you don’t realize the size of the problem. Most of it is hiding in the oceans.
You were wrong just like 90% of people.
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Affordable & clean energy
Of all renewable energy used in the world today, what share comes from traditional burning of biomass like charcoal, wood and agricultural waste?
- Around 10%
- Around 25%
- Around 40%
You are right
But 80% of people answer wrongly. They seem to think that renewable means only the wind and sun, while in fact a lot of renewable energy comes from burning fuels found around the home.
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Renewable often means fire
When we hear renewable, we often think of wind and solar energy. We easily forget the most commonly used renewable: Burning wood and waste.
You were wrong just like 80% of people
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Life on land
What share of all agricultural land worldwide is used for feeding animals?
- Roughly 25%
- Roughly 50%
- Roughly 80%
You are right
But 78% of people answer wrongly. They don’t realize that most farmland is used for animals.
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Lots of meat land
You believed a small portion of all land that farmers use is for animals, but it’s actually almost all of it.
You were wrong just like 78% of people.
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Climate action
What happens to the CO2 level in the atmosphere if we halve the annual emissions today?
- It increases
- It stays the same
- It decreases
You are right
But 68% of people answer wrongly. They have no idea how slowly the natural process is at removing carbon from the atmosphere.
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A little more, means increase
As long as we emit any CO2 it keeps accumulating, because the natural process for removing it is super slow, and we don’t have an effective way to capture it.
You were wrong just like 68% of people.
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