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Carbon Mitigation APES
Goal:

This is an extension activity designed to convey to scale of effort needed to address the carbon and climate situation
and the necessity of developing a portfolio of options to help mitigate the increasing about of carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere.
Objectives:
 Develop critical reasoning skills and negotiation skills in order to create a portfolio of strategies to reduce carbon
emissions.
 Verbally communicate the rationale for their selections.
AP Environmental Science Topics Covered:
I.
Earth Systems and Resources
D. Soil and Soil Dynamics (Soil Conservation)
II.
The Living World
E. Natural Biogeochemical Cycles (carbon)
III.
Population
B. Human Population
3. Impacts of Population Growth (resource use)
IV.
Land and Water Use
B. Forestry
V.
Energy Resources & Consumption
B. Energy Consumption
2. Present Global Energy Use
3. Future Energy Needs
C. Fossil Fuel Resources & Use (coal, oil, natural gas, demand, synfuels, environmental advantages &
disadvantages)
D. Nuclear Energy
F. Energy Conservation (energy efficiency, hybrid electric vehicles, mass transit)
G. Renewable Energy (solar energy, solar electricity, hydrogen fuel cells, biomass, wind energy,
environmental advantages & disadvantages)
VI.
Pollution
1. Air Pollution (remediation and reduction strategies)
VII.
Global Change
B. Global Warming (greenhouse gases and the greenhouse effect, reducing climate change)
Procedure:
 Part I: Carbon Dioxide & Climate Change~
o Graph Analyzation & Predictions
o Discussion of Causes & Effects
o What do we do?
 Part II: Carbon Mitigation & Stabilization Wedges~
o What is carbon mitigation?
o Explanation of the Stabilization Triangle/Wedges
o What technologies are available for carbon mitigation
 Part III: The Stabilization Wedges Game~
o Building your team’s portfolio of which technologies would best mitigate the growing number of carbon
emissions.
o Wedge Worksheet
o Reviewing strengths & weaknesses of your triangle.
 Part IV: Building your Presentation
o Creating a 5 minute presentation defending your solutions and wedge triangle.
 Part V: Presentation
o Present your group’s solution to a panel of judges representing different stakeholders.
Grades:
 Participation (see rubric)
 Stabilization Gameboard & Wedge Worksheet (completion)
 Stabilization Wedges Group Presentation (see rubric)
 Reflection (see rubric)
Carbon Mitigation APES
Part 1: Carbon Dioxide & Climate Change
Using the graphs below, published by the IPCC (International Panel on Climate Change), answer the following questions.
1.
Explain the relationship between global mean temperature and carbon dioxide levels.
2. What does the IPCC determine the cause of the 0.7˚C increase in global temperature is?
3.
The above graph shows prediction models for varying amounts of carbon dioxide emissions.
Summarize the variances below.
Carbon Mitigation APES
4. List causes of rising carbon dioxide levels.
5. List effects of rising carbon dioxide levels.
6. List any ideas on how to reduce carbon dioxide levels along with advantages & disadvantages of these
solutions.
Part II: Carbon Mitigation & Stabilization Wedges
Write notes from the Carbon Mitigation & Stabilization Wedges Explanation below:
Part III: The Stabilization Wedges Game
The goal of this game is to construct a stabilization triangle using 8 wedge strategies, with only a few constraints to guide you.
From the potential 15 strategies, choose 8 wedges that your team considers the best global solutions. Keep costs and impacts
in mind.
1.
Read the information on each of the 15 strategies in the Wedge Table. Costs ($, $$, $$$) are indicated
on a relative basis, and are intended to only provide guidance, not a numerical score. Feel free to argue
against any information presented and include alternative wedge strategies if you can support them.
2. Choose one strategy at a time to fill in the 8 spots on the wedge gameboard. Remember, each wedge
represent 1 billion tons.
3. The four colors of wedges indicate a major category: fossil-fuel based (blue), efficiency and
conservation (yellow), nuclear (red), and renewable and biostorage (green). Choose a red, blue, yellow,
or green wedge that matches the category for your strategy. Write your strategy in the blank area on the
wedge and add it to your wedge triangle.
4. Most strategies may be used more than once, but not all cuts can come from one energy sector (heat,
electricity, transportation).
 Of the 16 billion tons of carbon emitted in the 2060 baseline scenario, we assume electricity
production accounts for 6 wedges, transportation fuels account for 5 wedges, and direct fuel use for
heat and other purposes accounts for 5 wedges. Because biostorage takes carbon from the
atmosphere, biostorage wedges do not count towards an energy sector.
5. Costs and impacts must be considered. Each wedge should be viewed in terms of both technical and
political viability. Sectors judging your project will be taxpayers/consumers, energy companies,
environmental groups, manufacturers, industrialized governments, developing governments.
6. Complete the Wedges Worksheet.
Carbon Mitigation APES
Wedge Worksheet
Instructions: Complete the table below for your chosen strategies to reduce fossil fuel emissions by 8 wedges by 2060.
Reminders:
 1 Wedge = 1 billion tons carbon/year
 You may use a strategy more than once.
 Use only whole number wedges.
 You may only use a maximum of
o 6 electricity wedges (E)
o 5 transportation wedges (T)
o 5 heat or direct fuel use wedges (H)
 You may use an unlimited number of biostorage wedges (B)
Strategy
Sector (E, T, H, B)
Cost ($, $$, $$$)
Total Wedges
E=
T=
H=
B=
Total Cost
Advantages
Disadvantages
Make a guess as to the score each stakeholder would give your team’s triangle on a scale of 1 to 5 (5= best)
Stakeholder
Score
Taxpayers/
Consumers
Energy
Companies
Environmental Manufacturers Industrialized Developing
Groups
Governments Governments