Did you know the Earth is now about 1.1°C warmer than it was in the 1800s? Did you know that on the current path of carbon dioxide emissions, the temperature could increase by as much as 4.4°C by the end of the century?

As greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, so does global surface temperature. Since the 1800’s each decade has been warmer than the previous one, with 2011-2020 on record as the warmest.

Increasing surface temperature is only the beginning. Other consequences of climate change include severe cyclones and droughts, declining biodiversity and ecosystems, sea level rise and frequent disaster events, among others.

The Pacific islands and other small island nations are extremely vulnerable to climate change. Each year people in these areas face the devastating impacts of the changes in climate,affecting their livelihoods, food, water security and causing damage to critical infrastructure.

Climate change awareness is key to people understanding the impacts they face and developing activities to cope with the effects of climate change.

For this reason, the Secretariat of the Pacific Environment Programme (SPREP) has developed a series of quizzes designed to support children and adults alike through a virtual, fun, and interactive way to learn and test their knowledge about the Pacific environment.

Each quiz will focus on a different topic and will have no more than 10 questions.

SPREP Climate Change Resilience Programme Director, Ms Tagaloa Cooper highlights the importance of learning about climate change and sharing this knowledge with others.

“We are all impacted by climate change therefore we all have a role to play in knowledge sharing and brokerage. Climate change has become  the  defining issue of our time. The Pacific bears the brunt of the changing climate. Our communities are the most vulnerable and it is extremely important to educate yourself on the basics of climate change, its effects on each and every one of us and the activities you can undertake to best respond to the impacts”.

SPREP is encouraging you to find out more about our environment by participating in its Waste Management Quiz. Challenge your friends and family to see how much they know about Pacific invasive species.

To play the quiz, click here or visit our website www.sprep.org, follow our Facebook or Twitter to receive updates on new quizzes and upcoming release dates and topics. The Basics of Climate Change Quiz will be opened for two weeks, closing on 23 March 2023, 5pm Samoa time.

The top five players will be announced at the end of the quiz period.