Quite a few interesting links in this piece in today's Guardian
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, published last week, reinforces human responsibility in tackling global warming. Well-known companies such as Tesco, M&S and Wal-Mart, the owners of Asda, have announced measures to prove their green credentials. The education secretary, Alan Johnson, now wants to put energy saving and recycling into the curriculum. And every secondary school is to receive a copy of An Inconvenient Truth, the film made by former US vice-president Al Gore about global warming. What better time to unravel some of the jargon of carbon footprinting and what it means for companies and individuals alike.
Pumping out carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases is poisoning the atmosphere. Your carbon footprint indicates how much of it is down to you. It's a powerful message for the young: know the size and effect of your footprint.
The average British carbon footprint is just under 11,000kg of CO2 a year, but scientists warn this must be reduced to 2,500kg to stop global warming. Show students the Wikipedia table and map comparing emissions from different countries (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...ns_per_capita).
The science behind CO2 in our life cycle is fascinating. Earth has developed a delicate juggling act whereby the amount of CO2 entering the atmosphere through respiration and
more -
http://education.guardian.co.uk/egwe...006238,00.html