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 >
Why try not to use fossil fuels?
Fossil fuel is a fuel formed by natural processes, such as anaerobic decomposition (a collection of processes by which microorganisms break down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen) of buried dead organisms, containing energy originating in ancient photosynthesis. When any fossil fuel is burned, one of the combustion products is carbon dioxide. As a greenhouse gas carbon dioxide will cause the greenhouse effect and higher the earth temperature.
I agree. One of the ways not to use as many fossil fuels is by finding better ways of transportation to and from school. It could be something simple like carpooling with another student or something a bit more challenging like convincing parents to buy or lease a car that has zero emissions. Both ways can help out the environment by emitting less carbon dioxide into the air and slowing down climate change.
The sad thing about this plight is that fossil fuels quite literally fuel many economies around the world, meaning that oil companies hold colossal amounts of political power in almost every country around the world, including the U.S. If people can help to reform society in which corrupt capitalist fat-cats have as much voice as every other person, then the issue of fossil fuels, among others, can be truly solved.