Lucy Siegle’s great green quiz

Crushed: single-use plastic bottles poison the environment. Photograph: Andrea Ricordi/Getty Images

We all need to take action on climate change. But how aware are you of the issues involved? Our Ethical Living columnist Lucy Siegle asked leading environmental NGOs to set the questions. Answers at the end – along with Lucy’s verdict on your performance.

1. How much water does it take, on average, to produce a pair of cotton jeans?

   1. 100 litres

   2. 1000 litres

   3. 10,000 litres

2. How many single-use plastic bottles are used in the UK every day?

   1. 21 million

   2. 38.5 million

   3. 50 million

3. Name the fashionable consumable recently held responsible by, of all things, Vogue magazine, for ‘ecological collapse, drug cartels and brutal murders’.

   1. nail polish

   2. smartphones

   3. the avocado

4. 

   When buying meat and dairy in British stores, which of these three labels assures you of the highest welfare standards?

   1. RSPCA Assured

   2. Red Tractor

   3. Soil Association

5. What’s the number one ranked solution for fighting climate change?

   1. Manage refrigerants

   2. Waste less water

   3. Restore tropical forests

6. Which of the following three activities is still legal practice in UK farmin

   1. Veal crates

   2. The tethering of dairy cows with chains or metal bars

   3. Hens in battery cages

7. What does the government’s climate change watchdog recommend as a green substitute for air conditioning?

   1. Opening windows to help create a through draught

   2. Installing special blinds on glass and steel structures

   3. Allowing ivy to grow

8. What happened in the UK for the first time at 1pm on 7 June 2017?

   1. More than half of the electricity demand of the UK was supplied by renewable energy

   2. Carbon emissions plateaued for the first time since 1990

   3. Water levels in aquifers in southern England reached sustainable levels for the first time in a decade

9. In March this year which nation became the first to ban all metal mining, in an attempt to protect its freshwater supply?

   1. Brazil

   2. Angola

   3. El Salvador

10. Which country generates the largest amount of solar power in the world?

    1. USA

    2. Germany

    3. China

11. Which three countries are not signatories to the Paris Climate Treaty?

    1. The US, Syria and Nicaragua

    2. The US, Syria and Uzbekistan

    3. The US, Norway and the Maldives

12. How many pieces of litter are estimated to enter the sea on a daily basis?

    1. 1 million

    2. 5 million

    3. 8 million

13. 

    How much of our wildflower meadows, a vital habitat for bees and insects, have been lost since the Second World War?

    1. 27%

    2. 63%

    3. 97%

14. How much longer do orcas live in the wild than in aquariums?

    1. 10 years more

    2. 25 years more

    3. 5 years less

15. 

    How many pairs of hen harriers (see picture, above) nested in England in 2016?

    1. 0

    2. 3

    3. 27

16. Who said: ‘What we are doing by degrading the land, polluting the waters and adding greenhouse gases to the air…All this is new in the experience of the Earth. It is mankind that is changing the environment of our planet in damaging and dangerous ways’?

    1. Al Gore

    2. Margaret Thatcher

    3. Shakira

17. 

    Why did US activist Morgan Curtis have ‘355<’ tattooed on her wrist?

    1. It denotes the number of wild white rhino left on the planet

    2. It is the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere in her birth year

    3. It’s the number of tree species in the Brazilian Amazon

18. Why is the picture above so significant for the environmental movement?

    1. It is the first full-view picture of Earth taken from space

    2. It is the first reveal of Antarctic ice melt

    3. It shows the effects of atmospheric gas on Earth

Solutions

1:C, 2:B, 3:C, 4:C, 5:A, 6:B, 7:C, 8:A, 9:C, 10:C, 11:A - Nicaragua did not sign the deal as it felt the agreement did not go far enough, 12:C, 13:C, 14:B, 15:B, 16:B, 17:B, 18:A

Scores

1. 16 and above.

   You are the definition of planet-strong, a caped crusader on behalf of all of us.

2. 0 and above.

   Are you Donald Trump??

3. 6 and above.

   You’re on the right track, but can’t quite let go of the old world. Meat-free Mondays and double-sided printing simply aren’t enough.

Lucy’s verdict

Over 15: You are the definition of planet-strong, a caped crusader on behalf of all of us. 5-15: You’re on the right track, but can’t quite let go of the old world. Meat-free Mondays and double-sided printing simply aren’t enough. 0-5: Are you Donald Trump?

With thanks to Forum for the Future, Surfers Against Sewage, Compassion in World Farming, Responsible Travel, the RSPB, Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace.

How to enter The Observer Ethical Awards

To vote, go to theguardian.com/environment/2017/jul/25/vote-in-the-observer-ethical-awards-2017 or email ethical.awards@observer.co.uk with the category title in the subject header. Then tell us in no more than 200 words why you, or your nominee, deserves to be recognised. Feel free to attach pictures, a short film or relevant links. The closing date is 15 September. For more information, go to observer.co.uk/ethical-awards