First: Read Week 3 Notes

What we know:
Temperature and Carbon Dioxide levels in Earths atmosphere are closely related: increases in
atmospheric CO2 tend to increase global average temperatures.
There has been a marked acceleration in the increase of greenhouse gas concentrations in the
atmosphere and global temperatures since the industrial revolution.
What is my Carbon Footprint, and how big is that?
Lets begin with one person and one quantity, in a global context, to get a sense of it. This week
were going to explore the idea of the carbon footprint, or the amount of CO2 we each emit
into the atmosphere annually, as a means for thinking about how each of us contributes to this
global puzzle.
Task 1: Go to the following simple carbon footprint calculator online. This is a resource to
calculate a quick estimate of your carbon footprint in tons of CO2 emitted to the atmosphere per
year, and is intended for middle school students.
http://calc.zerofootprint.net
If you were born before 1992, just leave that value as is but your students will be able to enter
the correct year! Youll be asked to enter information about your lifestyle, including eating
habits, travel habits, and how much energy you use in order to estimate your total emissions.
Once youve completed the survey, your CO2 footprint will appear on a graph. Record your
carbon footprint in the table.

My carbon footprint

Tons CO2
per year
7.06

Task 1
Total number
of Earths
3.14

Source
zero footprint youth calculator

Question 1. There is a quantity listed below the graph equating your carbon footprint to the total
number of earths used. What do you think this means?
I think the number of Earths means that if everybody in the world emitted as much carbon as I
do we would need 3.14 Earths to support us.

Task 2. At the top of the carbon footprint graph there are a number of tabs (words that are links)
that allow you to compare your carbon footprint to others in your peer group. Click on the
Country tab and enter the United States. Enter the footprint for the average U.S. Citizen and
the number of earths into the table. Then experiment entering different countries into the country
field, and compare their average carbon footprint with your own. What factors do you expect to
contribute the most to carbon footprint? Why do you expect certain countries to have higher or
lower carbon footprints? Enter at least three more of these into the table, and answer the
questions below:
Question 2. How does your carbon footprint compare to the average American? Does
this surprise you? Why or why not?
My carbon footprint is less than half that of the average American. My footprint is
estimated to be 7.06 tons per year while the average American produces an estimated 18
tons per year. I was not surprised by this. I live close to work and ride my bike when the
weather cooperates. I dont eat a lot of meat and keep my thermostat at a reasonable
temperature. I also hang-dry my clothes when the weather permits. Im also good at small
energy/CO2 saving like turning off lights and recycling.
Question 3. Which country had the highest carbon footprint you recorded? Did you
expect this? Why?
The United Stated had the highest CO2 footprint that I recorded, which I expected. I dont
think Americans are particularly in tune to the world as a whole, their place in it, or their
impact on it. Everybody has a car and its cheap enough to continue using non-renewable
resources as a fuel.
Question 4. Which country had the lowest carbon footprint you recorded? Did you
expect this? Why?
Of the countries that I recorded, Gabon had the lowest carbon footprint. I expected Gabon
to have a lower carbon footprint because it is not mentioned when you hear about
developed countries. Gabon is developing country with upper-middle income according
to a 2014 World Bank survey.

Country Name
United States
Germany
Gabon
Brazil

Tons CO2 per year

18
9.6
1.7
2.1

Task 2
Total number of Earths
8
4.27
.76
.93

Source
zero footprint youth calculator
zero footprint youth calculator
zero footprint youth calculator
zero footprint youth calculator

Task 3. Uncertainty. Every source of data has errors or uncertainties associated with it. Before
building a bridge, its worth knowing how good your measurements and calculations really are.
We should do the same with these estimates of our carbon footprint! Choose at least two

additional carbon footprint calculators, either from the list below or from your own exploration
on the web, and enter your data again to calculate a carbon footprint. Enter your new data in the
table, and answer the questions.
http://coolclimate.berkeley.edu/calculator
http://www.nature.org/greenliving/carboncalculator/
http://www3.epa.gov/carbon-footprint-calculator/
Task 3
my carbon footprint
as calculated by
zero footprint youth calculator
Cool Climate Network
The Nature Conservancy
EPA

Tons CO2 per

year
Source
7.06
http://calc.zerofootprint.net
27.7
http://coolclimate.berkeley.edu/calculat
or
30
http://www.nature.org/greenliving/carb
oncalculator/
13
http://www3.epa.gov/carbon-footprintcalculator/

Question 5. How different were the three estimates of your carbon footprint? (Give your
answers as numbers (tons CO2 per year), and as a percent (%) change from your first
estimate.
My four estimates were very different. The first one, the Zero Footprint Youth Calculator,
gave an estimate of 7.06 tons of CO2 per year. The Cool Climate Network gave an
estimate of 27.7 tons, which is 392% more than the Youth Calculator. The Nature
Conservancy estimated my CO2 footprint to be 30 tons per year, or 425% of the Youth
Calculator estimate. The EPA calculator estimated my footprint to be 184% higher than
the Youth Calculator, 13 tons. Not every calculator was measuring the same things. They
asked different questions.
Discussion Questions for Human Dimensions of Climate Change
Post your answers to these questions on the discussion board:
1. In general, do Americans emit more or less CO2 than others on earth?
Americans generally emit more CO2 than others on Earth. In 2011 the US was
responsible for 16% of CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion and various industrial
processes (EPA, 2016). The US population only accounts for only 311.8 million of the 7
billion people on Earth (Population, 2016). This is only 4.5% of the world population
emitting 16% of the CO2.

2. How do you think the answer to (1) affects United States position in international dialogs
about global solutions to climate change?
The US should be taking the lead in international dialogues. We should also be leading by
example by developing more sustainable energy sources and agricultural processes.
3. Based on your explorations of other countries emissions, what factors do you think are
the most important driver of/ control on emissions?
It seems that the development level and geography of a country are important factors for
emissions. Countries with growing populations require more energy. Even if the growth
rate is small, if the population is already high like China, the amount of additional energy
needs will be substantial. This need for energy will increase emissions. Developed
countries use more energy than developing countries. This energy comes primarily from
the burning of fossil fuels, which adds CO2 to the atmosphere. I was a little surprised to
see that Germany, which is a developed country like the US, only had a little more than
half the CO2 emissions that the US has. The population density of the contiguous US is
about 40 people per square kilometer compared to Germanys 226 people per square
kilometer (Wikipedia, 2015 and IndexMundi, 2014). With a more compact population,
mass transit can be utilized more easily and resources in general have to be used more
wisely.
4. How does population relate to CO2 emissions?
A higher population does not necessarily mean more CO2 emissions. Chinas population
greatly exceeds that of the US, but their per capita CO2 emissions in 2011 is less then half
of the per capita emissions for an American (Union of Concerned Scientists, 2014).
Chinas overall CO2 emissions did not exceed that of the US until 2005 even with its
larger population (Holthaus, 2016). There is a combination of population and
development of a population that determines CO2 emissions. A developed country with a
small population could have more emissions than an undeveloped country with a large
population.
References:

Environmental Protection Agency. (2015, December 12). Global Greenhouse Gas

Emissions Data. Retrieved February 06, 2016, from
http://www3.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/global.html#four
Holthaus, E., & Kirk, C. (2016). Which Countries Are the Worst Carbon Polluters in
History? (Map.). Retrieved February 06, 2016, from
http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2014/05/carbon_dioxide_emission
s_by_country_over_time_the_worst_global_warming_polluters.html
IndexMundi. (2014, January 1). Country Comparison Population density. Retrieved
February 06, 2016, from http://www.indexmundi.com/g/r.aspx?v=21000
Union of Concerned Scientists. (2014, November 18). Each Country's Share of CO2
Emissions. Retrieved February 06, 2016, from

http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/science_and_impacts/science/each-countrysshare-of-co2.html#.VraUSMdXtOo
Wikipedia. (2015, December 23). Contiguous United States. Retrieved February 06,
2016, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contiguous_United_States#cite_note-7
World Bank. (2016). Gabon. Retrieved February 04, 2016, from
http://data.worldbank.org/country/gabon
World Bank. (2016). Population, total. Retrieved February 06, 2016, from
http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL/countries/1W?display=default