This interactive resource allows students to explore a map, chart, and data table of the cumulative amount of CO2 emissions for various countries.
This takes into account the total emissions produced by fossil fuels and cement production, with data beginning in 1750.
Teaching Tips
Positives
This allows students to visually see the emissions build-up over time and see the relative change in emissions for various countries.
Additional Prerequisites
Note that this resource only provides data for fossil fuels and cement production, but if you include all sources of greenhouse gas pollution, different countries show up higher on the list in recent history, see the CO2 Data Explorer.
Students should know how to read a map and line graph.
Students should be familiar with the term relative change.
All of the data and visuals can be downloaded.
Differentiation
This resource could be incorporated into social studies classes when discussing economic resources for global climate solutions that take into account historic emissions.
Students can compare emissions from low, lower-middle, upper-middle, and high-income countries to explore issues of justice related to emission levels.
The resource contains historical cumulative CO2 data from 1751, although updated to 2019. It is relevant for students to explore and gain perspectives from different countries.
Standards
Science and Engineering
ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
MS-ESS3-3 Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.
HS-ESS3-5 Analyze geoscience data and the results from global climate models to make an evidence-based forecast of the current rate of global or regional climate change and associated future impacts to Earth’s systems.
Social Studies
Geography
Geography 1 (F1): Students understand the geography of the community, Maine, the United States, and various regions of the world, and geographic influences on life in the past, present, and future by using the geographic grid and a variety of types of maps, including digital sources, to locate and access relevant geographic information that reflects multiple perspectives.
