The One Degree Factor
Strange Days on Planet Earth
Name ________________________ Date ______________ Block_____
Student Handout: Carbon Dioxide In the
Atmosphere— Who Contributes and How Much?
SOURCES OF CARBON DIOXIDE
The top graph on the next page shows how much carbon dioxide different countries of
the world contribute to the atmosphere each year. The amount is given in millions of
tons of carbon contained in the carbon dioxide, and in percentage of the total carbon
dioxide produced worldwide. The bottom graph shows how many people live in each
country and what percentage they are of the world population.
A. Which country produces most of the world’s carbon dioxide?
_______________________
B. What percentage of the world’s population lives in that country?
____________________
C. Which other countries with low populations produce a lot of carbon
dioxide?______________________________
D. Why do you think these countries produce so much carbon dioxide?
E. To find the average amount of carbon (as carbon dioxide) that each person in each
country adds to the atmosphere, divide the number of millions of tons of carbon by the
number of millions of people in each country. Complete the table.
Country
United States
China
Russia
Japan
India
Germany
Canada
United Kingdom
South Korea
Italy
Australia
France
All Other Countries
Average carbon dioxide per person
5,700 ÷ 288 = 19.8 tons/person
= _______ tons/person
= _______ tons/person
= _______ tons/person
= _______ tons/person
= _______ tons/person
= _______ tons/person
= _______ tons/person
= _______ tons/person
= _______ tons/person
= _______ tons/person
= _______ tons/person
= _______ tons/person
F. Which country produces the least carbon dioxide per person? Why do you think it
produces so little carbon dioxide per person?
G. What do you think are the differences in how people live in countries that produce
little carbon dioxide compared with countries that produce a lot of carbon dioxide?
H. In what ways do you think the people who produce a lot of carbon dioxide can reduce
the amount they add to the atmosphere?
http://www.pbs.org/strangedays/
Sources of Carbon Dioxide
The One Degree Factor
Strange Days on Planet Earth
SOURCES OF CARBON DIOXIDE
http://www.pbs.org/strangedays/
Sources of Carbon Dioxide