Two Truths and a Lie (Sustainability Edition)

Choose the LIE.

• The five warmest years on record have occurred in the last decade.

• In the last 170 years, we added 5.7 trillion tons of Carbon Dioxide into our atmosphere.

• The concentration of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere in 2018 was the highest it has been in 3 million years.

Answer explanation

In the last 170 years, we added 2.4 trillion tons of Carbon Dioxide into our atmosphere. Half of this was added in the last 35 to 50 years.

Choose the LIE.

• Up to 50% of the energy used during a washing machine’s cleaning cycle goes into heating the water.

• Recycling one aluminium can save enough energy to run a TV for three hours.

• The Ozone “Hole” is expected to be fully healed in the next 55 years.

Answer explanation

Up to 90% of the energy used during a washing machine’s cleaning cycle goes into heating the water, so use the cold setting.

Choose the LIE.

• A plastic bag is used for 12 minutes but remains in the environment for 1,000 years decomposing.

• Agricultural emissions could be reduced by as much as 90% by adopting a vegan diet.

• Germany has the best recycling rate in the world followed by Austria, South Korea, and Wales.

Answer explanation

Agricultural emissions could be reduced by as much as 70% by adopting a vegan diet and 63% by adopting a vegetarian diet.

Choose the LIE.

• An energy-smart washing machine can save more water in one year than one person drinks in an entire lifetime.

• An average household of 2 adults and 2 children in Australia uses 30,000L of water in a month.

• Running the tap for 2 minutes is equal to 5L of water

Answer explanation

Running the tap for 2 minutes is equal to 15-20L of water.

Choose the LIE.

• Some new refrigerators are so energy-smart they use less electricity than a light bulb.

• When you turn on an incandescent light bulb, only 75% of the electricity used is turned into light.

• A compact fluorescent light bulb uses 75% less energy than a regular bulb.

Answer explanation

When you turn on an incandescent light bulb, only 10% of the electricity used is turned into light. The other 90% is wasted as heat.

Choose the LIE.

• Only 21% of all plastic produced is recycled.

• On average, one supermarket goes through 60,500,000 paper bags per year.

• 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are used worldwide annually.

Answer explanation

Only 9% of all plastic produced is recycled.

Choose the LIE.

• One ton of recycled paper saves the equivalent of 26,500L of water and 30kg of air emissions.

• 40% of plastic produced is packaging used just once and then discarded.

• 8 million kg of plastic waste flows into the oceans every year from coastal regions.

Answer explanation

8 billion kg of plastic waste flows into the oceans every year from coastal region. 

Choose the LIE.

• Every year, more than

  $13 billion worth of energy leaks from houses through small holes and cracks.

• Lighting uses about 15% of the world’s electricity use.

• Americans consume 15% of the world's energy.

Answer explanation

Americans consumes 26% of the world's energy.

Choose the LIE.

• When landfilled, the organic matter produces 34 times more powerful methane gas than CO2. 

• Nearly 60% of carbon dioxide is due to transportation and housing activities.

• Energy use would be reduced by 90% if people used energy-efficent lightbulbs.

Answer explanation

If people started to use energy-efficient light bulbs or LEDs instead of regular ones, energy use would be reduced by 90%, and 114 billion dollars would be saved every year!

Choose the LIE.

• The use of water-efficient fittings and fixtures has the ability to cut water use in homes by 45%.

• Water use has grown at more than four times the rate of population increase in the last century.

• Only 2.5% of the world's water is fresh and only 1% of it is easily accessible for human use.

Answer explanation

Water use has grown at more than twice the rate of population increase in the last century.