Extreme Ice
ASSIGNMENT: 1. Go to http://www(dot)footprintnetwork(dot)org/en/index.php/GFN/page/calculators/ to calculate your carbon footprint. Answer the questions as honestly as possible. If you live on campus you may not be able to answer all these questions, so ask a family member or friend for their energy usage. Consider the following once you calculate your carbon footprint: How do you compare to the “average” person in the United States who contributes 27 tons of CO2 eq/year? How do you compare to the world “average” person who contributes 5.5 tons of CO2 eq/year? Some experts believe to stabilize climate that it will require slashin?g worldwide carbon emissions by half or more! What if the world decides to do nothing and continues with its current addiction to fossil fuels? Then you can expect big changes to Earth’s climate. A recent photography project attempts to show the current impact humans are having on the planet and what to expect in the future. The Extreme Ice Survey documents retreating glaciers and polar ice sheets through time-lapse photography. Sometimes a single picture is worth a thousand words! 2. View the NOVA video Extreme Ice Survey documenting the rapid retreat of Earth’s glaciers as a result of increasing global temperature. The video is available to view on the course website in the “On Demand Video” folder. Think about the following questions as you watch the video: How do glaciers and polar ice sheets form? What types of changes have glaciers and polar ice been experiencing over the past 40 years? How does today’s rate of change compare to 30 years ago? What is causing of these changes to glaciers and polar ice sheets? What are the global consequences if these changes continue? 3. Respond to the following questions to post for the Extreme Ice assignment on TURNITIN by Friday April 11th. Write a paragraph explaining what the scientist meant when he said that, “this is one of these pivotal moments in human history, it is too important for us to continue to ignore it” in the Extreme Ice Survey video. What steps do you think you could make individually to reduce your carbon footprint to be a more responsible global citizen? How should current and future governments of the world move forward in planning? Give at least three specific recommendations to address the changing planet. -I have attached my carbon footprint if necessary.
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Extreme Ice
From the calculations done, I have found out that my carbon footprint is 24.4 tons of CO2 eq/year. An average person in the United States contributes 27 tons of CO2 eq/year. This is basically 2.6 tons of CO2 eq/year more than what I contribute as an individual yearly. However, my yearly CO2 eq/year contribution is substantially higher compared to the world average of 5.5 tons CO2 eq/year. In fact, my contribution is 18.9 tons of CO2 eq/year more than that of an average world person.
When the scientist made that statement in the video, he meant that the increasing global temperature is resulting in major changes in glaciers and polar ice, and people have to do something about it now to resolve this issue. Rapid retreat of Earth’s glacier is happening and people cannot ignore these significant changes anymore. The scientist wants action to be taken now to reduce the current impact of humans on the climate. Toward this effort, it is important to cut global carbon emissions by half or more and this will help to stabilize climate. If people do not do anything and continue with the present addiction to fossil fuels, there would be substantial alters to the climate of the earth.
There are a number of steps that I can make individually in order to reduce my carbon footprint and to be a more responsible global citizen. These include: (i) driving less – I can take mass transit, carpool, bike or walk since all these help in reducing consumption of gas and 1 pound of CO2 for every mile that I do not drive. (ii) Changing a light – I can replace a regular bulb with a...