The 4th Drawdown Quiz

In many cultures, dragons are guardians of treasure hidden underground. Today, countries are racing to secure lithium, cobalt, and rare earth metals buried beneath the earth for batteries and clean energy technologies. What are these materials most commonly called?

This everyday material can be recycled repeatedly without losing quality, yet globally, large quantities of it still end up in landfills. Which material is it?

In Uttarakhand, naulas are traditional stone structures, often beautifully carved and built partially underground. For centuries, communities gathered around them not just for survival, but with a sense of ritual and reverence. What are naulas often described as?

A company advertises a shoe as “100% sustainable” because it uses recycled plastic bottles. However, the shoe cannot be repaired, reused, or recycled after use. Which sustainability criticism best applies here?

Farmers in Maharashtra’s Konkan region say a famous fruit variety is increasingly showing signs of climate stress: burnt flowers, poor fruit setting, premature fruit drop, smaller size, and a rise in “spongy tissue” caused by extreme heat. Scientists warn that rising temperatures and erratic weather may threaten its future cultivation. Its name comes from a 16th-century general associated with the western coast of India. Which fruit variety are they talking about?

A few days ago, Mumbai’s beaches saw large numbers of bright blue button jellies washed ashore. Similar sightings were reported along the coasts of Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Gujarat after cyclones and unusual sea conditions. Scientists say these strandings are best understood as signs of what larger phenomenon?

In Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, the needless killing of the albatross throws nature out of balance and brings disaster upon the ship. Which modern environmental idea does this most strongly resemble?