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Calculating Your Travel GHGs |
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In a Nutshell:
Students use the formula and data provided in this lesson for
determining the amount of greenhouse gases emitted as they travel
in their daily lives. They calculate emissions for various vehicle
sizes and other forms of transport on a per kilometer basis.
Each student calculates the resulting emissions from either a
family vacation, a sports event, travel to and from school, or
travel during the course of a week. The results are used to create
a class graph, and educational posters or brochures. |
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Goal:
To increase student awareness of how transportation contributes
to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. |
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Background Learning:
Teachers and High School Students should be familiar with the
basic science of climate change and its potential impacts as
reviewed in:
Teachers may also want to review solutions in:
Intermediate Students should be familiar with the basic science
of climate change and its potential impacts as reviewed in:
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Learning Outcomes:
Click on the icon for your territory to review the learning outcomes that are addressed by this lesson:
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Introduction to Lesson Plan:
Transportation accounts for 30% of our national emissions of
greenhouse gases; a statistic that is even higher in northern
areas.
Reducing the amount of driving and flying we each do, means
we are reducing the amount of fossil fuels burned. Reducing fuel
use means reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases that are
linked to climate change.
You will often hear people referring to carbon dioxide as the
main problem coming out of the tail pipe. This is because carbon
dioxide (CO2) is the main greenhouse gas emitted into our atmosphere
when we drive our vehicles. It makes up 98% of the greenhouse
gas (GHG) mix that is emitted when we travel. It is the main
greenhouse gas in our atmosphere that is causing climate change.
Just one litre of gasoline, which weighs 0.75 kg, can produce
2.4 kg of CO2 (in the engine carbon in the gas combines with
oxygen from combustion air). So each time you walk or bike instead
of drive, you reduce the number of litres of fossil fuel burned
and that means you help slow down climate change.
The government of Canada has issued the “One Tonne Challenge,” asking
each Canadian to reduce their GHG emissions by one tonne per
year. (Note: Students need to realize that one tonne = 1,000
Kg of GHGs.) This would represent a reduction of approximately
20% from our current emissions, which are running at five tonnes
per person per year. Taking a critical look at our transportation
habits and making some changes will, in most cases, be a major
way to meet this challenge.
This lesson involves students in calculations and graphs based
on their personal lives. It gives them the awareness of just
how much CO2 each one of us emits in our daily lives. It provides
a way to do something practical while still meeting the learning
outcomes in the curriculum. |
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Activity:
- Review the basics of climate change with students. (For
ideas on helping students engage interactively with the backgrounders,
review the lesson entitled Getting
Into the Backgrounders.)
- Discuss the relationship between driving and burning fossil
fuels, and greenhouse gas (GHG), CO2 and climate change
as provided in the introduction.
- The type of transport
and vehicle size will determine the amount of GHGs emitted.
With the students, review the
student handout: Calculating Your Travel GHGs. Help them
calculate some of the numbers in the blank right-hand
column, which will depend on the number of passengers in the
vehicle.
 Using the student handout, have students calculate
their personal greenhouse gas emissions for one or more of
the
following scenarios. Then work with the results to
create a graphic representation for the class. Submit the results
to the student exchange portion of the website. The
exchange
is an exciting way for students to compare the amount
of greenhouse produced in various communities across the
north. Select from the following:
- Determine what quantity
of greenhouse gases (GHGs) each student emits by going to
and from school emits. Create a
bar graph showing each student’s emission results in
each bar. Focus on the mode of travel and the distance, as
opposed to the student. Leave out the student’s
name and indicate the distance traveled, vehicle
size, and number
of passengers in the vehicle. Calculate the class
average, and the highest and lowest emission results
of the
class. Submit your class results to the student exchange.
- Determine what quantity of greenhouse gases (GHGs)
each student’s family emitted during their
last vacation. Decide if students will calculate
for the
entire family,
or just for their personal emissions. To calculate
individual emissions, divide the number of family
members by the total
GHG emissions. Air travel is not divided as the
figure provided in the chart is based on a per
person basis.
- Determine each student’s GHG emissions created
by transportation for the entire week. This should include
transport to and from school, visiting a friend, and going
to a sporting event or to a store. Graph each student’s
emissions along the bottom access. Calculate the
class average and the highest and lowest emissions
of the
class. Once you
have calculated the average emissions per student
in your class, take the number of students in the
school
and calculate
the approximate amount of GHG emissions for all the
students in your school per week. Do this by multiplying
the school
population by the average emissions you calculated
per student. Extrapolate this further by calculating
the average quantity
of GHGs per for your entire school. Submit your results
to the student exchange.
- Determine students’ GHG emissions for travel to
a school sport event. Use the chart provided in the handout
to determine the entire school team’s emissions
and/or those of each individual student. This may
require a combination
of air and vehicle travel. Include the emissions
while at the event as well as getting there.
- Discuss your
calculations and the facts about vehicle emissions
in the student handout. Ask students to list ways
we can reduce emissions. (Answers include: walking,
biking, or taking the bus whenever possible, and
if driving, using
carpools, driving smaller more energy efficient vehicles,
not idling, and keeping your vehicle tuned and maintained.)
- Put
this information into action: Ask students (either individually
or in groups) to design a pamphlet or
poster to distribute to parents and their community members.
Posters
can be hung in the school or local community building.
Letters written to your local newspaper discussing greenhouse
gas
emissions and how we can all reduce them can be
another excellent action activity.
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Handouts:
Click on the icon for the handout that supports this lesson:
Student Handout – Calculating Your Travel GHGs. |
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Student Web-Exchange:
On the student
exchange portion of the website, students and/or
teachers can post a summary of their calculations, summary, letters,
pamphlets or posters. Click on the icon for information on how
to post material. |
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Evaluation:
Students can be evaluated on: data analysis (collecting and
analyzing data, developing a graph, written or oral presentation
of results, evaluation, and inferences); a written assessment
of the effects of lifestyles on the environment; their letters,
posters, and other media produced. |
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Enrichment Ideas:
English Language Arts
Director’s Cut: Have students write the script for a “walk
more and drive less” commercial. The commercial might contain
some of the facts about climate change, driving a more efficient
vehicle, idling less and driving only when necessary. You might
consider videotaping it and submitting it to a local TV station
or showing it to other classes.
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About the Author:
Yukon Conservation Society Curriculum Team – The team
consists of teachers, writers, environmental educators and curriculum
specialists. We worked with teachers across the north, helping
them to create lesson plans for the website and gathering input
about website features, backgrounders and lesson plans that would
be useful in northern classrooms. |
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