ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE PUBLISHED FOR EVERYBODY ROUND THE EARTH

Worksheet 1

1. Have a look at the diagram

This figure shows profiles of CO₂ concentrations and temperature over the last 400,000 years.

1. Temperatures and CO₂ concentrations over the last 400,000 years. Data reconstructed from measurements made in ice cores from the Vostok station in Antarctica. Source: UNEP/GRID-Arendal, Norway

Describe the patterns you can see. How do the two profiles vary? What has happened to the CO₂ concentrations in recent time?

2. Check out your own country!

a) Classify the energy sources in the bar diagram as fossil fuel or non-fossil fuel ("alternative") energy sources.

b) Find out which sources of energy are used in your country. Classify them as fossil or non-fossil fuel energy sources.

c) Try to make a diagram similar to this bar chart for the energy consumption in your country.

2. World energy consumption by primary energy source
Source: UNEP/GRID-Arendal, Norway

3. Check out your local environment!

a) Find out if there are buildings in your local area which use other sources of energy than those you listed in your answer to Question 2.

b) Write a little bit about alternative sources of energy that could be used in your country or local area in the future.

3. Photo: National Renewable Energy Laboratory http://www.nrel.gov/data/pix/

4. Do research in your local area and on the Internet!

a) Go to the page http://www.climatehotmap.org/. Here you will find a map showing signs of change that may be caused by the increased greenhouse effect in different parts of the world. Have any such changes been recorded in your country?

b) Talk to some adults (for instance your grandparents) about how the climate was when they were young. When did the flowers come out in spring? Did it snow in the winter? Do they think the climate has changed since they were young?

c) What might be the problems with using people's memories of past climate to assess climate changes?

4. This map at http://www.climatehotmap.org illustrates the local consequences of global warming

About this page:

Authors: Ellen K. Henriksen and Camilla Schreiner - University of Oslo - Norway.
Scientific reviewer: Andreas Tjernshaugen - CICERO (Center for International Climate and Environmental Research - Oslo) - Norway - 2004-01-20
Educational reviewer: Nina Arnesen - Marienlyst school in Oslo - Norway - 2004-03-10.
Last update: 2004-03-27.