09 Nov EARTH OPERATOR ACTIVITY
In this activity we are going to consider of some alternative ways for the world to address its energy needs. It includes an explanation of global warming and offers science to support the theory that it is caused by humans burning fossil fuels. This deserves our attention because our dependence on fossil fuels must change for economic and societal reasons.
Go to: hhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RyvpsIx47E and watch the video.
Questions:
- The video reports CO2 levels in the earth’s atmosphere as far back as hundreds of thousands of years ago. It reports that CO2 levels have steadily increased. What do the scientists do to get the evidence they use to support these data? What is the CO2 level they discovered? (Remember, this is an older video from 2011.) What are the latest estimate of CO2 concentrations in our atmosphere? (1-2 paragraphs).
- According to the video, what country of the world is currently the largest user of energy? How much money did this country invest in energy research in 2009? How does this amount compare to U.S., Mexican, and British governments investment in energy research in the same year? How much was the U.S., Mexican, and British governments’ investment in more recent years? (Report the amount for the most recent year you can find.) (1-2 paragraphs).
- An estimated 173,000 terawatts of energy from the sun reaches our planet. What percentage of that amount would be required to meet the world’s energy needs (assuming it could be captured and harnessed)?
- At the time the video was made (2009, updated 2011), a single state in the U.S. was producing enough energy from wind turbines to make it the sixth largest producer among the countries of the world. What state is that and how much energy (megawatts) was it producing annually? Is this state still the leading U.S. producer of wind energy? How does it rank among world producers? Where does the U.S., Mexico, and Great Britain rank among world producers? How much energy is the U.S., Mexico, and Great Britain producing and what are the future projections? (1-2 paragraphs).
- According to the plan proposed in the video, by the year 2030 the U.S. could reduce its reliance on fossil fuels to 13% of its energy needs. This plan projects that solar energy would satisfy ______% of our needs while wind energy would satisfy another _____%. What are Mexico and Great Britain’s plans to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels by 2030? (2-3 paragraphs).
