How do greenhouse gases contribute to climate

change?
SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT CRITERIA A (one
world), B (communication) AND E (data
processing)
INTRODUCTION
You have watched the movie An Inconvenient Truth and have heard
the words global warming, green house gases, and CO
2

emissions. But what do they really mean? Well it has become your
job to become experts and explain the problems of climate change to
the general public. You will become a scientist and reporter. You will
research these concepts and then present them as a newspaper
article.
THE TASK
You will need to assume the role of a scientist, who explains global
warming to the general public. You are writing an article to a
newspaper. Specifically, you will need to explain the following:
1. What is a greenhouse gas? List a few.
2. The normal role of CO
2
in the Earths atmosphere,
3. What factors contribute to excess carbon dioxide emissions?
4. The variations and trends in CO
2
emissions over time (are
current levels higher than in the past?), using graphs to
explain,
5. The different ways scientists have used to determine CO
2

levels of the past and present,
6. The global effects that will occur if CO
2
levels continue to
rise, focus on two of the following: environmental, social,
political or economical.
7. And reasonable changes suggested by scientists that can
limit CO
2
emissions. First focus on changes that should be
implemented by industry (factories, mines etc.) and then end
with specific things that every person reading the article can
do to limit their carbon dioxide emissions.
How will you present this to me?
1. You will create a newspaper article in Word, explaining your
findings to the general public. Each concept (the list above)
should be discussed in a short paragraph. Include labeled
diagrams, pictures or graphs to enhance your explanations.
Please remember to quote the source of these, in the text.
2. End your newspaper article with your own personal conclusion.
3. Include a bibliography. List format and MLA style. Use
easybib.
Here are some useful links, but there are many more available
on the Internet:
Carbon dioxide information analysis centre:
http://cdiac.ornl.gov/
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
http://www.ipcc.ch/
Trends in atmospheric carbon dioxide
http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ccgg/trends/
Carbon dioxide emission charts
http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ccgg/trends/
CO2 emissions by country
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/env_co2_emi-environment-
co2-emissions
A page with many links, just scroll down
http://www.mathgoodies.com/webquests/climate/
Atmospheric carbon dioxide
http://www.john-daly.com/bull120.htm
Important: Use the data in this link to plot your carbon dioxide
graph. Please just use the annual average for each year.
http://co2now.org/index.php/Current-CO2/CO2-Now/current-data-
atmospheric-co2.html
Very good website to give you an overview of carbon dioxide in
the atmosphere
http://co2now.org/
One last website
http://cdiac.esd.ornl.gov/epubs/other/Sicilypaper.pdf
Please contact me with any questions you have regarding this
project.
Have fun!
Mrs. Sonja
How to use excel to construct a graph:
Use the link above which will take you to a table with annual carbon dioxide levels since 1958.
Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is measured as parts per million (ppm).
1. Construct a table in xcel. !ake a column o" the dates "rom 1988. #abel it $%ates& in
the "irst cell. 'i(ht next to it in the second column) make a column with the levels o"
carbon dioxide. #abel it $*tmospheric Carbon %ioxide ppm& in the "irst cell. +hen
make sure that the carbon dioxide that you enter corresponds to the date.
,. -i(hli(ht the whole area) but ./+ !/'.
0. Click on the $chart wi1ard& in the toolbar.
2. 3ick the $x4y scatter& chart type) then $data points connected by lines&.
5. Click $next&. .ow you are in the chart wi1ard. 3lease make sure that you name the
chart) and that you label the x and y axes. 'emember to include the unit (ppm) that C/,
is measured in.
5. /nce you are happy with your (raph) hi(hli(ht the (raph and copy and paste it into your
word document.