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Quiz
Quiz: How much do you know about Ireland and climate change?
Test yourself.
THIS MONTH ON TheJournal, we’re taking a more in-depth look into the climate crisis in the lead-up to COP26.
We’re looking at rising temperatures and extreme weather events, examining the impact that greenhouse gas emissions have on the environment and scrutinising what governments around the world are doing to tackle what has been called the “biggest threat modern humans have ever faced”.
Ireland’s Climate Action Bill was signed into law in July and is set to be published in full early next month. It will detail how the government aims to lower Ireland’s emissions and reach other climate goals over the next three decades.
But how much do you know about how climate change is impacting Ireland and what is being done to tackle it? Take our quiz and test your knowledge.
A handy one to start with - who is the Climate and Environment Minister?
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Charlie McConalogue
Eamon Ryan
Roderic O'Gorman
Eamon Gilmore
Set out in the Climate Action Bill, by what year does Ireland want to halve our national emissions?
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2025
2030
2045
2050
87% of all energy used in Ireland in 2019 came from fossil fuels. Which of these is NOT a fossil fuel?
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Coal
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Oil
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Natural gas
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Wood
On average, how high have Ireland's sea levels risen every year since the early 1990s?
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0.5mm - 1mm
1mm - 2mm
2mm - 3mm
3mm - 4mm
Around how many electric vehicles, including hybrids, are being used on Ireland's roads?
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35,000
50,000
75,000
90,000
True or False: The previous government pledged to plant 440 million trees by 2040 as part of a plan to tackle climate change?
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True
False
Ireland had the second highest emissions of greenhouse gases per capita in the EU in 2019. How many tonnes of CO2 equivalent did we generate?
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9.8 tonnes
12.1 tonnes
17.3 tonnes
20.6 tonnes
The government has committed to 5,000 megawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030. What percentage of electricity used in Ireland last year was provided by wind energy?
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18.8%
24.2%
36.3%
45.4%
What sector has contributed the most to Ireland's climate emissions over the last three decades?
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Agriculture
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Energy
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Residential
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Transport
According to the 'Status of Ireland’s Climate' study, of the top 20 warmest years on record in Ireland, how many of them have occurred since 1990?
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11 years
13 years
15 years
17 years
According to the same study, how much higher was Ireland's rainfall in the period 1989 to 2018 compared to the 30-year period leading up to 1990?
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6%
7%
8%
9%
Bord Na Móna’s ‘Bog Rehabilitation Scheme' aims to restore peatlands to their natural state. Why?
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So that they can continue to store enormous amounts of carbon dioxide for thousands of years
To enable harvesting of better quality peat
In order to help with flood relief
So that more people can take up the sport of bog snorkelling
The Environmental Protection Agency found that Ireland generated more than 1.1 million tonnes of plastic waste in 2019. What happened to around 70% of it?
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It was recycled
It was incinerated
It went to landfill
It ended up in the ocean
Finally, Ireland declared a climate and biodiversity emergency two years ago. In what year is the Citizens' Assembly on biodiversity set to take place?
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Next year
2023
2024
There is still no set date for the assembly.
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