Transcript notes Nov. 17

Today’s Plan
• Logistics
– Email Announcements—be sure to check
– General Questions about Brochures
• I will be checking with groups during mentor session
• 7pm mentor session; please see me right after class HERE
– Extra Credit by Nov. 26 (week from Wednesday)
– Grades posted on Blackboard with attendance counts
– 1 on 1 meetings Wednesday and next Monday
• 5pm – 8pm when not in mentor session
• Go over all your work, set goals for rest of term and next term
• Go over Footprint grading and connection to book
• Kolbert Ch. 8 and 9
• Mentor session: Ways of writing: citations, APA format
Carbon Footprint: Writing
• The overall goal to communicate effectively: think
general reader (who hasn’t seen the assignment)
• Abstract is standalone summary of report—including
results!
• Intro sets context, gives motivation, and preview of what
is coming
• ASK if don’t know how to do something
– How to add or remove things from charts, etc.
• Level of detail hard to know—so ask us
– Need details on how you made estimates
– Do not need details on how you made charts, or how you added
information to website
– One gains experience with these things through practice
Carbon Footprint: Writing cont.
• Use of bullets in methods, headings
• Results section needs words that refer to graphs, tables
• Make sure B&W printing of graphs shows differences—
use different patterns (and colors if you want)
• Proofread—and read it out loud to yourself
• Do NOT combine sections; put what belongs in each
section in that section
• Caption and title on tables, graphs,
• Be clear on units, annotate pie chart with values (or at
least percentages)
Carbon Footprint: Issues
– Average in class from ~2.5 to 15 tons per year
(why all lower than average?)
– Possible explanations:
• Lifetime development: affluence = more impact
• University lifestyle
– Conclusion: “I’m doing better than US
average, so I’m done”?
• Kolbert cake analogy?
– Footprint is a ROUGH estimate
Carbon Footprint: Issues cont.
• Carbon Offsets: This is what these websites are selling
and why calculators are provided for free
– Choosing carbon offsets (not all equal)
– Carbon offset vendors that sell Gold Standard offsets
• Planetair, Less, My Climate, Sustainable Travel International,
Climate Friendly, Atmosfair, Pure
• How does burning a gallon of gas (weight 6.3 lbs)
produce 20 lbs of CO2?
– See: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/CO2.shtml
• Breathing ~ 1 kg of CO2/day
– http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080923091421
AA830QK
– http://www.null-hypothesis.co.uk/science/strange-but-true/profsprobings/carbon_virgin_earth_climate_breathing
The Day After Kyoto: Ch. 8
• 1992 Rio Earth Summit (Bush I signed)
• UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
– Common but Different Responsibilities
– Kolbert’s Cake Analogy
• Greenhouse gas “intensity”
• Scientific consensus
– 900 scientific articles, 0 disputed anthropogenic
warming (1993-2003)
– All G8 Countries Science Academies Joint
Communication (2005)
• “threat of climate change is clear and increasing”
U.S. Obstructionism
• How much power should one president have in
setting the global warming agenda?
– Frontline: Hot Politics: Censorship
• Small Groups
– Will things change with Obama presidency? If so,
how?
• Will economic considerations impact this?
– What should the role of government science be in a
democracy?
• How separate from the administration in power?
– What is the responsibility of individuals?
• Individual behavior vs. collective behavioral change
mechanisms?
• Groups report