This week’s guided exercise will look at carbon emissions using the Global Carbon Atlas. This tool can be used to explore, display and download data and figures on carbon dioxide emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels, cement production and land use change over multiple decades, including their drivers.

Task

1. Visit the Global Carbon Atlas

2. Read the numbered instructions and click on the ‘Ok, I get it’ button once you are done.

3. On the left-hand panel click ‘All’ then at the top click on ‘deselect all’. Now in the search box on the left panel search for your country or a country of your choice and tick the box so that only data for that country is showing.

4. Press the play button on the timeline at the bottom and watch the circle size and amount of MtCO2. Does the amount of carbon decrease or increase from 1960 until 2016? What is the difference? Does it fluctuate a lot of the 50-year period?

5. Now reselect every country again and play press the play button again. Is the data for the world similar to your country? Or is it the opposite?

6. You can also look the ‘Focus’, ‘Time series’ or ‘Ranking’ information by clicking on the buttons on the right, and play around with the data. If you find anything interesting or shocking share in the discussion.

You can take the end of week test by clicking on the quiz button located on the top-right.