Students from around the world calculated their class mean and standard deviations for their footprints and posted them on our world map.
Do you see differences across the globe? If so, why do you think those differences exist?
Did you use the calculator to try to reduce your footprint down to the average from a citizen of another country? What changes would you have to make to lower your footprint in this way? Are you going to try and take some of these actions in your daily life?
Student Footprints >
Come on, California!
My carbon footprint came out to be 8,728 kgs. I thought beforehand that my footprint was going to be higher than the average footprint from my state, California, but I was surprised to see instead that the average footprint was almost a full kilogram higher (at 9,727 kgs) than mine! What really surprised me, however, was the average carbon footprint worldwide. At 3,791 kgs, California's average footprint is over 2.5x the average footprint of the world! When comparing California to the rest of the world, it's easy to see why. We are the most populated state in the United States, and the 11th most densely populated state in the country (United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2015). Thus, we are more inclined to manufacturing and using a lot more products, which all contribute to the carbon footprint. Plus, America is known for being a rich country, so that also contributes to the lavishness of each American's life. I found this information interesting, so I just thought that I would share this interest.