Your Carbon Footprint

Over an average life time each American will…..........• Use 1.8 million gallons of water

Read 5,054 newspapers = 43 trees

Burn 31,350 gallons of gasoline

Discard 64 TONS of garbage

Humans have influenced 83% of Earth’s Surface

Question?

• Does this number seem like a lot or a little?

• Some areas are more vulnerable to human influence than others? Why might that be?

Food for thought..

• 83% is just over 4/5 ‘s of the Earth’s surface

• Areas that are highly vulnerable are those that are easily accessible to humans.

• Added to that is the demand for natural resources in those areas.

Here is the world footprint..

Our footprint varies around the world…• Americans make up 5 % of world’s

population

• We own 30% of world’s cars

• And consume 25% of world’s energy

• By an American’s first birthday we consume more energy than Tanzania generates in a lifetime.

Question?

• Why do different cultures use and consume things at different rates?

• What do these numbers indicate about contemporary American culture?

Do they relate to…

Average lifespan

Diet

• Is everything equal?

Income

Countries based on World Bank income groupings for 2006 (calculated by GNI per capita, Atlas

method).██ High income blue

██ Upper-middle income green██ Lower-middle income purple

██ Low income red

Access to goods

Culture

Climate

Global Trends Impact Our Footprint

• Today’s global population is 6.6 billion people

How will a growing population affect people’s access to food,

potable water, and fuel ?

The choice will be yours..

• Increase demands for water, food and fuel worldwide.

• Pollution and habitat loss will likely increase

• Population demands will continue to expand unless we act to diminish this affect.