Climate Change and You

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"Climate Changeand You"

• Introduction
• Summary Lesson
• In More Detail I
• In More Detail II
• Conclusion

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"Climate Changeand You"

• Climate Change The increase in the
  planet's temperature due to "greenhouse
  gas emissions" that come from fossil fuel
  burning and deforestation.
• The main "greenhouse gas" increasing the
  planet's temperature is carbon dioxide (C02).

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• "Climate Change and You"
• America's link to climate change is through
• - the number of people and rate of
  population growth in the U.S.
• - where and how people live and consume
  natural resources
• - how much and what type of energy is used
  by people

When these factors are combined, they contribute
significantly to global climate change.
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U.S. "Population" Factors Linked to Climate
Change

• The four population factors in the U.S. most
  closely associated with climate change include
• Population size and growth rate
• Population density where the U.S. population
  lives (Metropolitan areas, Coast, South, and West
  regions)
• Per capita resource use how the U.S. population
  lives (Land use, Vehicles, Households)
• Population consumption (Age, Baby Boomers,
  Income)

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Population Size and Growth Rate

• The U.S. is the third most populous country in
  the world
• It is the only developed nation experiencing
  significant population growth
• its population has more than doubled since 1950
  and will double again in 70 years

The high number of people in the U.S. as well as
the rapid growth, will inevitably lead to higher
energy consumption.
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Population Density Per Capita Resource Use
are linked to climate change on a day-to-day
basis because these factors

• Intensify land use changes that directly affect
  climate change
• Transform carbon sinks into carbon sources
• Think land that could have once been used for
  trees vegetation is now needed for building
  development. The carbon sinks of vegetation now
  hold people that consume energy and are carbon
  sources
• Increase per-capita energy use or each persons
  carbon footprint
• Think there are more people that can fit into
  a given area that will consume resources and
  energy
• Create heat islands
• Think these people living densely in a small
  area all emit greenhouse gases that cause warming
  specifically over that area

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Other Key Issues

• Metropolitanization - growth in cities and
  surrounding areas
• Land in the U.S. is converted for development at
  about twice the rate of population growth
• sprawl development - spread out, rather than
  clustered land development

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Other Key Issues

• Households - and what is used within them
• There has been a major increase in
• The number of households
• (fewer people per house increase in the number
  of second homes)
• House size
• Amount of land around each
• Each of these factors translate into MORE energy
  use and CO2 emissions per person

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Other Key Issues

• Densely populated U.S. coasts
• The people in these areas are more susceptible to
  the effects of climate change
• Over half of all U.S. residents now live within
  50 miles of the coast
• What major effects of climate change could they
  be most vulnerable to?
• SEA LEVEL RISE
• SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS

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Other Key Issues

• The South and West
• The nations most heavily fastest growing
  regions
• Contain population-climate change hotspots
• Combination of population numbers growth as
  well as ecological vulnerabilities
• What are some of these vulnerabilities?
• Coastal areas in South
• Freshwater resources in West

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Population Composition
the make-up of a population - its age or income

• Determines where and how people live, move,
  vacation, and consume resources energy
• Baby Boomers - use more energy per capita than
  any generation before them
• The Youth of Americas population- make key
  choices regarding the effect they can possibly
  have on climate change
• Income- generally the more affluent a person is,
  the more resource energy consumption and
  pollution they are responsible for

BUT- affluence can facilitate positive trends
that make expensive energy-efficient technologies
more accessible
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What is your Carbon Footprint??
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U.S. Energy Use, Population, Climate Change

• Two main factors link U.S. energy issues to
  population climate change
• The nations energy use, relative to its
  population size
• The greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions
  per capita

The U.S. is the single largest CO2 emitter of the
industrialized nations in the world. With about
5 of the global population, the U.S. consumes
approx 25 of the worlds energy.
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U.S. residential sector is the largest of that
type of energy use worldwide
Commercial residential sectors are the fastest
growing U.S. energy sectors
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The Effects Climate Change and Population
These effects are occurring in some of the most
heavily populated fastest growing areas in the
U.S.

• Increased severity and frequency of major storms
• Increased droughts
• Altered weather and seasonal patterns
• Rising sea levels
• Less available freshwater
• Habitat and biodiversity loss
• Human health threats

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Discussion Questions

• The U.S. is the third most populous country in
  the world and is the only developed nation
  experiencing significant population growth - its
  population has more than doubled since 1950 and
  will double again in 70 years. How do these
  factors illustrate the importance of the United
  States in global climate change?
• What could be a result of sprawl development in
  suburban areas?
• What are other factors within households that
  could add to an increased carbon footprint?
• How do the choices of Americas youth affect
  their impact on climate change?
• How does a persons affluence affect their energy
  and resource consumption and their contribution
  to pollution?
• Critical Thinking Think about your carbon
  footprint and the possible ways your daily
  actions may contribute to climate change.
• The commercial and transportation sectors are
  projected to be the fastest growing U.S. energy
  use sectors. What implications does this have in
  terms of global climate change?
• Critical Thinking Think about the numerous
  effects of climate change. What ramifications can
  this have on the people living in the United
  States?

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"Climate Changeand You"

• See the companion book "US Population, Energy
  Climate Change" for more detail. To download or
  order the book free, contact www.cepnet.org

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Produced by Briane Sorice, CEP School Curriculum
Advisor