Are You Meeting the Kyoto Protocol? - birdvilleschools.net You...Are You Meeting the Kyoto Protocol? – Environmental Science Environmental Science – Are You Meeting the Kyoto Protocol?

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1Copyright © 2013 National Math + Science Initiative, Dallas, Texas. All rights reserved. Visit us online at www.nms.org.

Environmental Science

MATERIALS AND RESOURCES

EACH GROUP

calculator

Global Warming wheel card

TEACHER

brad

copies of wheel cards

scissors

Are You Meeting the Kyoto Protocol?Calculating Your Carbon Dioxide Footprint

ABOUT THIS LESSON

The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement written by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

to limit or reduce the emission of greenhouse gases. Carbon dioxide is one of the gases addressed by this protocol. This lesson asks the students to calculate their yearly carbon dioxide emissions and compare their results with the recommendations made by the Kyoto Protocol.

OBJECTIVES

Students will calculate their yearly CO2 emissions and compare their results with the amounts listed in the international Kyoto Agreement on greenhouse gases.

LEVEL


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2 Copyright © 2013 National Math + Science Initiative, Dallas, Texas. All rights reserved. Visit us online at www.nms.org.

Environmental Science – Are You Meeting the Kyoto Protocol?Are You Meeting the Kyoto Protocol? – Environmental Science

COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS

(LITERACY) RST.6-8.1

Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts.

(LITERACY) RST.6-8.3

Follow precisely a multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks.

(LITERACY) WHST.6-8.1

Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.

(MATH) 7.NS.A

Apply and extend previous understandings of operations with fractions.

(MATH) 7.EE.B

Solve real-life and mathematical problems using numerical and algebraic expressions and equations.

NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS

DEVELOPING ANDUSING MODELS

i i

OBTAINING/EVALUATINGCOMMUNICATING

CAUSE AND EFFECT SYSTEMS ANDSYSTEM MODELS

ESS3: HUMAN IMPACT

ASSESSMENTS

The following types of assessments are embedded in this lesson:

• Assessment of prior knowledge• Formative assessment discussions during

activity

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TEACHING SUGGESTIONS

This lesson has students explore how human activity has resulted in changing the composition of the atmosphere. The lab

may be done when studying the atmosphere, energy sources, or environmental changes.

Environmental scientists call the amount of anything you produce into the environment your footprint. In this lab, students will be calculating the amount of carbon dioxide they are personally emitting into the atmosphere, and therefore calculating their own CO2

footprint. Other footprint labs might have students calculate their solid waste footprint, waste water footprint, methane footprint, or even a combination of all categories just called their “environmental footprint.”

The Kyoto Protocol was developed by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and was adopted by the United Nations in December of 1997. The protocol brought an international focus to limiting the emission of greenhouse gases, and specifically focused on carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxides. As of November 2009, 187 nations have signed and ratified it, which would require nations to enforce it.

The Kyoto Protocol has different recommendations

for developed versus developing countries, and only recommends limiting emissions for the 38 nations with the highest levels of emissions. Thirty-seven of the high-emission nations have ratified it and are making efforts to reduce their emissions. At present, the U.S. is the only country that has signed but not ratified the protocol, and has not put any limits in place.

A copy of the Protocol is available at http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/convkp/kpeng.html.

Prior to doing this activity in class, give your students a homework assignment to talk to their parents and research their monthly household amounts of heating cost (natural gas or heating oil), electricity costs, miles traveled, and recycling (the listed categories of carbon dioxide production from the student answer sheet). The students will bring this data to class to calculate their carbon dioxide emissions.

Each group will need a Global Warming Wheel Card, also available at:

http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/Downloads/ghgemissions/wheel_instructions.pdf

You will need to print these and put them together prior to class.

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Are You Meeting the Kyoto Protocol? – Environmental Science

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MATERIALS

calculator

Global Warming wheel card

Are You Meeting the Kyoto Protocol?Calculating Your Carbon Dioxide Footprint

The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement written by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to limit or reduce the emission of greenhouse gases. Carbon dioxide is one of the

gases addressed by this protocol. The recommended amount of carbon dioxide emissions per person is 5.5 tons per year (1 ton = 2000 pounds). How much carbon dioxide do you produce a year? Can you reduce that number?

PURPOSE

Students will calculate the amount of carbon dioxide they individually contribute to the atmosphere every year.



PROCEDURE

PART I: WHAT’S YOUR SCORE?

1. Make a prediction about the amount of CO2 you produce each year.2. Use the Global Warming Wheel and the information you gathered for

homework to fill in the Table 1 on your student answer page.3. In Part I of the Analysis section of your student answer page, calculate the

total CO2 emission (in pounds) for your family. Adjust this number to reflect the amount of CO2 you as an individual produce by dividing the total CO2 emission by the number of people in your household. Record this value in Table 3.

PART II: WHAT CAN YOU DO?

1. Use the Global Warming Wheel to complete the Table 2 in Part II. 2. In Part II of the Analysis section of your student answer page, calculate the

total CO2 savings (in pounds) for your family. Adjust this number to reflect your individual CO2 savings by dividing the total CO2 savings by the number of people in your household. Record this value in Table 4.

3. Use the data you collected and the information on this page to answer the Conclusion Questions on your student answer page.

PREDICTION



DATA AND OBSERVATIONS


Table 1. CO2 Production

Category Estimated Household Amount

CO2 Emitted (lbs per year)

Waste disposal (percentage of waste you recycle)

Transportation (miles per week)

Home heating/water heating ($ per month)

Electricity use ($ per month)


Table 2. Savings Potential

Category Actions You Can Take

CO2 Saved (lbs per year)

Waste disposal

Transportation

Home heating/ water heating

Electricity use



ANALYSIS


Table 3. CO2 TotalsYearly Household Total

(lbs of CO2)Number of People

in HouseholdYour Individual Total

(lbs of CO2)


Table 4. Savings SummaryYearly Total Saved

(lbs of CO2)Number of People

in HouseholdYour Individual Savings

(lbs of CO2)

CONCLUSION QUESTIONS

1. How does your yearly household total compare to the total carbon dioxide emissions as recommended by the Kyoto Protocol?

2. What category produced the most CO2 in your household? List ways you could reduce this total.

3. How much were you able to reduce your emissions by making the changes recommended by What Can You Do?



CONCLUSION QUESTIONS (CONTINUED)

4. Individuals in developing countries produce much less CO2 than individuals in the United States. Why?

5. Why is it still important for developing countries to work on reducing emissions?

6. The United States has signed the Kyoto Protocol but does not follow or enforce the agreement. What recommendations would you make to the government about this treaty? Should it be modified for the United States?

7. In your opinion, is there any hope for agreements like the Kyoto Protocol, or will countries of the world never be able to reach such accords?

8. Why would countries not want to sign or ratify an agreement such as this?




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Are You Meeting the Kyoto Protocol? - birdvilleschools.net You...Are You Meeting the Kyoto Protocol? – Environmental Science Environmental Science – Are You Meeting the Kyoto Protocol?