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Which Countries Are the Top 5 Carbon Emitters?

Provided by: Council on Foreign Relations |Published on: April 27, 2021

Videos Grades 6-8, 9-12

Synopsis

This short video uses compelling images of climate change impacts to present the top five nations in 2018 contributing to global carbon emissions.
The video lists a few reasons for each country's large contribution to annual carbon emissions.

Related Teaching Resources

Subjects: Earth and Space Sciences, Geography

Authors: Thamine Nayeem, Council on Foreign Relations

Region: Global

Languages: English

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Teaching Materials

Positives

This video could be a great introduction to discussing the human causes of climate change.
The images are striking.

Prerequisites

Students should be familiar with the concept of fossil fuel-driven economic growth.

Differentiation & Implementation

Consider having students guess which countries are the top five emitters before watching the video. Have them explain their thoughts and reasoning behind their predictions.
Have students generate a list of questions they are curious about as they watch the video (watching a few times through may be helpful). Then have students work in pairs to research and answer the questions.
Other resources related to this topic include Which Countries are Historically Responsible for Climate Change? and Energy Use Per Person.
Some students may benefit from having the text read out loud to them.

Scientist Notes

Teaching Tips

Standards

Resource Type and Format

About the Partner Provider

CFR Education from the Council on Foreign Relations

CFR Education provides accurate, accessible, authoritative resources that build the knowledge, skills, and perspective high school and higher education students need to understand and engage with today’s most pressing global issues.