How Green Was This Decade?

Say goodbye to the 2000s! As we enter a new era, we take a look back at the decade that was. There were tragedies (9/11, Hurricane Katrina, space shuttle Columbia), triumphs (Human Genome Project completion, Boston's World Series win, first African-American President), the bizarre (Pluto's demotion), and the Internet (blogs, Google, Facebook, iPhone).

The past ten years have also featured an enormous number of environmental stories that will have huge implications on the coming decades. Were you watching the 2000s through an eco-lens? Take this quiz and find out.

(Hate quizzes? Skip straight to the answers.)

1. The Hummer's demise signaled an end to an era of the gas-guzzling vehicle. Between 2007 and 2008, Hummer sales dropped by just over
   20 percent
   30 percent
   40 percent
   50 percent
   

2. In 2001, a Gallup poll found that 30 percent of Americans thought the seriousness of global warming was "exaggerated." In March 2009, that percentage had since _______.
   Increased
   Decreased
   

3. Which of these honors did Al Gore not receive this past decade?
   an Academy Award
   a Grammy
   an Emmy
   Time magazine's Person of the Year
   the Nobel Peace Prize
   

4. Which of these national parks was established in the 2000s?
   Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in Colorado
   Biscayne National Park in Florida
   Saguaro National Park in Arizona
   Congaree National Park in South Carolina
   

5. Which of these species definitely did not become extinct during the past decade?
   The Baiji Dolphin
   The Western Black Rhino
   The Tooth Cave Pseudoscorpion
   The Spix's Macaw
   The Hawaiian Crow
   

6. Who said "We're spending money on clean coal technology. Do you realize we've got 250 million years of coal?"
   George W. Bush
   Dick Cheney
   Sarah Palin
   Rush Limbaugh
   

7. According to the National Snow and Ice Data Center, Arctic sea ice is now declining at a rate of just over ___ percent per decade, relative to the 1979 to 2000 average.
   11 percent
   8 percent
   5 percent
   2 percent
   

8. The 2000 Olympics were in Australia. In 2004, they were in Greece. In 2008, they took place in China. Of the three countries, which has the worst greenhouse-gas emissions per capita?
   Australia
   Greece
   China
   

9. In 2009, the rate of deforestation in Brazil's Amazon rainforest was much ___ than in 2000.
   higher
   lower
   

10. In July 2000, gas prices were roughly how much?
    $1.00 per gallon
    $1.50 per gallon
    $2.00 per gallon
    $2.50 per gallon