The Climate Quiz Project

Danish designed, net distributed, public service edutainment for teenagers.

The focus of this project is our youth, who will inherit this earth.

Vision:
A new way to reach teenagers, generate climate literacy, and reflection about how their daily lives effect the environment
An entertaining approach through the free download online game: Climate Quiz
User generated content: climate stories told by teens using their mobile phones
An online archives – for recycling of free educational material, easy to use in teaching in high schools
A green project that investigates the use of the net in the development of edutainment.

Mission:
We want to create, test and refine Climate Quiz over the next year – and launch it in Copenhagen, October, 2009 (COP15). A game that is played online, with a thousand climate questions and answers. A game that is fun to play after school, relates to daily life, and is challenging.
A game that gives the player / players climate insight while playing.

We want to create educational background material that is attached to Climate Quiz.
Players of Climate Quiz can access short explanations of answers and other supplementary A/V material: photos, diagrams, audio, video cuts.
We want to involve teens in the development process. Working with selected focus test groups in high schools, both in Denmark and in the USA, we want to try it all out.
By fall semester this year, we should have a beta test.

Though Climate Quiz is a fun free time game, it can be played at school!
The background material contained in the Climate Quiz database can be used by teachers on the screen in their classes, or by students in their reports. Each item is tagged, with source information and keywords, easy to search and copy. Each item is free of copyright restrictions, for reuse in educational institutions. We are using short formats for fast file transfer.

You can help. We are now collecting questions and answers for Climate Quiz.
We are asking Danish university researchers and scientists in all climate related fields, student bodies, NGOs and others to give us some good climate questions, that would be relevant and entertaining for a teenage audience to answer. We want to collect a broad spectrum of questions: provocative, challenging, funny, easy, and hard for our focus group testing in the fall.

We are asking you to send us 10 questions and their answers, using the following guidelines:
Questions that test teen attitudes and knowledge of specific aspects of global warming and what might be done to assuage it. Questions and answers, please. Not just questions.
For a starter, we would prefer multiple choice, with answers that can easily be tabulated.
But also questions that can be answered by writing words.

Example: “When you hear the word “climate” what comes to mind? Write five words.

Questions can be in one – two or three parts (giving a bonus if all answers are correct).
All answers must be accompanied by source information.
Estimates, forecasts, prognosis must include source.

1)Example: “How much do you think a gallon of gas will cost in ten years? (We are looking for documentation, please sent references to forecasts about gas prices.)
a) 5 dollars b) 10 dollars c) 20 or more

2)Do you think you will be driving to work in ten years?
a) no b) yes c) not sure

3)What do you think of roadpricing (paying a highway toll for driving)?
a) Very much in favour b) Acceptable c) Don’t know d) not in favour

It could also be a question like:
“Do cow´s farts affect the climate?”
a) yes* (explanation) b) no
“How many litres of gas does a cow fart a day?”
a) 2 litres b) 10 litres c) 1200 litres * (explanation)

It could also be a straight factual question:
1) “How much warmer is it for every kilometre you drill into the earth?
a) 5 – 10 degrees C b) 20 -30 c) 30 -40
2) How many cities in Demark (could be the USA) currently use the heat of the earth to warm their houses?
a) none b) two (* Thisted and Copenhagen) c) 10
Actually the town of Thisted in North Jutland is quite remarkable in its innovative combination of sustainable energy solutions. Our intention is to have high school students
from the town of Thisted tell others about how their homes are heated, what effect their
town´s geothermal solutions have on global warming – and in general spread the good news. We want to highlight success stories – not just stories that point to doom.

Hope the above gives some inspiration and that you will reply – or forward to
others for consideration.

Sincerely,
Stephen Schwartz

Please replay or send your questions and answers, with documentation to:
Stephen Schwartz
stsos@stofanet.dk
or call:
tlf: 045 49212902

PS:
There are a number of climate quizzes already.
The BBC has done quizzes and games.
Here are some links:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_4760000/newsid_4761900/4761997.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_4770000/newsid_4773900/4773975.stm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/bluepeter/greenpeter/http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_6270000/newsid_6271300/6271312.stm