Carbon Footprint

What does carbon footprint mean? a measure of the impact our activities have on the environment (climate change) It relates to the amount of greenhouse gases produced in our day-to-day lives through burning: – fossil fuels for electricity – heating (oil or propane furnaces) – transportation Measured in tonnes (or kg) of carbon dioxide equivalent. Developing/supporting renewable energy sources like wind power can help us reduce our carbon foot print

Why does it matter how much carbon I produce? Because there are 7 Billion “I’s” on Earth – In October 2011 the world population broke the 7 billion people mark If everyone says someone else will do it, we have 7 million people not helping to solve the problem Businesses alone can not solve this problem, but they do have a role

Why does carbon dioxide matter? It is a green house gas – This means that it helps to trap solar radiation in the Earth’s atmosphere Most scientists agree that the world’s temperature is going up Most scientists agree that the increase in temperature is melting ice caps—causing sea levels to increase

So? Why do I care about polar bears? They are cute We shouldn’t just kill them because we can Because melting ice becomes water…

Melting ice becomes water? So you don’t care about polar bears – You don’t think they are cute – You could care less if they become extinct – You think Coca – Cola will find a new mascot Then be selfish—if water levels rise because of the melting arctic ice fields…

We could all be sunk

Rising Ocean Level Predictions Some predictions estimate that if all of the sea ice melts ocean levels could increase by 61 m There is very little agreement about the rate of sea level rise, but there is agreement it is happening Many predictions suggest a 1 m increase in the next 100 years

If sea level rises about 1m in Halifax: - the blue area will be water - the yellow area is where storm surge will stop

What does that really mean? Over 600 million people live in coastal areas that are less than 10 meters above sea level Two-thirds of the world’s cities that have populations over five million are located in these at-risk areas Underwater cities could become a reality

The Lost City of Atlantis or Halifax?

Rising Global Temperatures Scientists do not agree on the rate of temperature increase, but most do agree an increase is happening IF global temperatures rise we could experience: -Stronger weather systems (Ex. Hurricanes) -More heat waves -Changes in seasonal weather patterns that could cause droughts—crop failure

An image from Hurricane Juan (Sept. 2003) Sailboat washed up in a yard along the Bedford Basin, NS.

The information doesn’t all agree yet, so we could wait to act… The issue is: What if we wait too long? There is a certainty in reducing our carbon footprint: It can’t hurt.

What do you think we should do? Task: Write a 1 page journal response that address: 1. What we should do to reduce our carbon footprint -What are 5 things the average person could do -Do you think individuals should bother? 2. If you think sea level rise is something we should worry about and why/why not 3. If you think temperature rise is something we should worry about why/why not

How you will be marked Main Goal: I want to see that you thought about it : Answer all questions and give excellent detail : Answer 2/3 of questions and give good detail : Answer 2/3 of questions with some detail : Minimum ½ page response that makes sense in relation to the topic questions.

Sources Image 1: Slide 1: Image 2: Image 3: Slide 8: Slide 8: Slide 9: Slide 10: Image 4: NOTE: This is not the “real” Atlantis, it is just a picture of underwater architecture. Image 5: Image 6: