Sustainability Comprehension Quiz

According to the UN Brundtland Commission, what is sustainability?

• Using no resources at all

• Development that meets present needs without harming future generations

• Conserving forests and oceans only

• Economic growth without restrictions

What does the passage compare the replacement rate to?

• A ticking clock

• A running marathon

• A bathtub filling and draining at the same rate

• A growing forest

What happens if we consume resources faster than the replacement rate?

• Equilibrium is maintained

• Resource levels go down

• The environment balances itself

• More resources appear naturally

Which of these is an example of resources replenishing?

• Mining metals for smartphones

• Cutting down trees without replanting

• Catching fish at a sustainable rate

• Burning fossil fuels

What is one current problem mentioned as a result of overconsumption?

• More farmland being created

• Fisheries disappearing

• Forests growing faster

• New oceans forming

What does the passage say sustainability is about?

• Only reducing plastic use

• Systems thinking and connections

• Avoiding technology

• Limiting economic development

What does buying a smartphone show about sustainability?

• It has no impact on the environment

• It only affects the economy

• It connects to mining and impacts lives across the world

• It helps forests grow

What are the “three E’s” of sustainability?

• Energy, Environment, Equity

• Environment, Economy, Equity

• Equity, Efficiency, Education

• Economy, Ecology, Energy

Why is it not enough to only focus on short-term economic profit?

• It leads to stronger societies

• It prevents environmental conservation

• It harms long-term economic stability

• It increases equity automatically

Why does sustainability require addressing environment, economy, and equity together?

• They are completely separate issues

• Each depends on the other for a thriving society

• Environment is more important than the others

• Equity can be ignored without harm