Carbon cycle and footprint - Basics of the carbon cycle and how to calculate carbon footprint
- 1. Topic: What is a carbon footprint? Essential Question: What are the effects of having a large carbon footprint?
- 2. Review of the carbon cycle.... How does carbon dioxide ENTER the atmosphere? How does carbon dioxide LEAVE the atmosphere? Where is most carbon stored in our biosphere?
- 4. Carbon is found in 4 main places: 1. In the atmosphere as CO2 2. In the ocean as dissolved CO2 gas 3. On land in organisms, rocks, and soil 4. Underground as fossil fuels
- 6. Why is carbon important? • All living things on our planet are full of carbon • Carbon dioxide is required for plants to do photosynthesis • Having the right amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere helps keep Earth warm
- 7. But.... too much is a problem. As humans burn fossil fuels we release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which is contributing to climate change
- 9. Trees are important because they store carbon, yet we are cutting them down. Deforestation is the process of cutting down forests and converting it to other land uses.
- 10. Why are forests being cut down? • Use of lumber (housing, paper products, fuel) • Urbanization • Cattle grazing lands • Agricultural land
- 11. Nearly 80% of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon is due to cattle ranching. (Yale School of Forestry)
- 12. Effects of Deforestation • Habitat loss / extinction • Soil erosion and flooding • Increase in global warming • Drier climate (loss of transpiration)
- 13. It is estimated that... • We are losing an average of 18 million acres of forest per year, which is about 20 football fields every minute • Deforestation is contributing to 12-17% of greenhouse gas emissions
- 14. 20% of the world's oxygen is produced by the Amazon rainforest. 25% of the world's cancer fighting organisms call the Amazon home.
- 15. What's the current status of the Amazon? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iJZCXcmsfw
- 16. A carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions caused directly by an individual or product.
- 17. Who are the worst offenders? As of 2014. Map courtesy Global Footprint Network
- 19. We know excess CO2 in the atmosphere is a problem. What can we do about it? • Use less energy altogether • Use alternative energy sources • Plant trees • Eat less beef! • Improved land use planning • Chose products that require less packaging
- 20. Lets calculate your carbon footprint • Head to http://www.footprintcalculator.org/ • Complete the questions to the best of your knowledge • Answer the worksheet questions once you get to the end
- 21. Which countries have the largest carbon footprint? • Head to data.footprintnetwork.org (don’t put www. in front) • Go through each of the maps and analyze the data