CFR Education: Who Releases the Most Greenhouse Gases?
Provided by: Council on Foreign Relations|Published on: September 12, 2023|Last updated: September 26, 2026
Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12, AP
Type: Lesson Plans
Subjects: Earth and Space Sciences, History
Authors: CFR Education
Location: Earth
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This section from the Council on Foreign Relations explores global greenhouse gas emissions analyzed by country, company, economic sector, and per capita, including an animation of global emissions from 1750 to 2021 and helpful charts and graphics.
- There is a linked lesson plan for the policy-related sections of the entire module and a linked discussion guide for higher education classes.
- This is the seventh section of the World 101 Climate Change module.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- This section provides information for most greenhouse gases, not just carbon dioxide.
- The charts are easy to comprehend and reasonably scaled.
Prerequisites
- If you click the words "Get the data" under the charts, you'll download a CSV file that can be used in a number of spreadsheet programs.
- If you click on the underlined words in this section, a definition will pop-up on the screen.
Differentiation & Implementation
- Teachers can create a formative assessment based on the main concepts of this section to complete in class.
- This section can enhance a lesson on how the energy sector contributes to greenhouse gas emissions.
- Students can use this section for an informative essay on how and why greenhouse gas emissions vary by continent.
- This section can supplement a classroom discussion on how governments should regulate companies who are most responsible for greenhouse gas emissions.
- Have students investigate the other ways to categorize greenhouse gas emissions using this resource about food production and this resource about food waste.
This website from World 101 and the Council on Foreign Relations provides a great resource for teachers looking to teach their students about greenhouse gases, specifically which populations release the most greenhouse gases. The site provides an informative ~1 minute video that illustrates emissions data around the globe. There is also a very informative article with great infographics and graphs that illustrate where the majority of emissions are coming from. This resource includes a lesson plan, discussion guide, handouts, and a presentation. This resource is well researched and encompasses everything a teacher would need to give a lesson on the effects of climate change.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
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