Download Clicker quiz: What do we know about climate change?

Clicker quiz:
Carbon and the climate
created by Sarah Wise, CIRES Education and Outreach,
for use by faculty at U. of Colorado at Boulder
for Focus the Nation, Jan. 31, 2008
1. Which cycle does this diagram represent?
a. Carbon b. nitrogen c. water d. phosphorous
Source of Diagram: The Blue Planet, Skinner et al., 1999
1. Follow up discussion: What clues from the diagram
did you use to choose your answer?
2. How do human activities affect the carbon cycle?
a.
b.
c.
d.
add pollution to the cycle
add carbon to the cycle
transfer carbon from earth to atmosphere
cause the cycle to slow or stop
2. Follow up discussion: Why are all but c. incorrect?
a.
b.
c.
d.
add pollution to the cycle
add carbon to the cycle
transfer carbon from earth to atmosphere
cause the cycle to slow or stop
3. What do these two
graphs show?
a. CO2 increase is
causing warming
b. CO2 increase is
strongly correlated
with warming
source of diagrams:
Wikipedia: Keeling curve,
global warming
3. Follow up discussion:
what is different between
correlation and causation?
source of diagrams:
Wikipedia: Keeling curve,
global warming
4. What do these diagrams suggest about the cause of
global warming?
a. increased greenhouse gases (e.g. CO2)
can cause warming
b. natural variation in the sun is not correlated
with recent warming
source of diagrams:
c. both a. and b.
Wikipedia, global warming
4. Follow up: Has anyone learned about other possible
explanations of warming, based on known causes?
Discussion questions:
-- is there a difference between global warming
and climate change?
-- how do you think climate change will affect your life?
-- how do you think the problem of climate change
may be resolved?
-- what do your friends and family think about climate
change?
-- has the issue of climate change made you want
to make changes in your life?