Carbon Intensity of Electricity per kWh
Data, Graphs, and Maps
Grades6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12Physics, Mathematics
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 →
Provided by Our World in Data
What it is
- This resource from Our World in Data includes an interactive map, table, and graphs that show the carbon intensity of electricity per kWh for countries in different parts of the world, starting from the year 1990.
- Students will see how many grams of CO2 equivalents are emitted for each country.
Teaching tips
Positives
- Students may be inspired to see countries that are on the lower end of the emissions scale.
- The downloadable table allows students to use tools to visualize the data in whatever way is most relevant to their needs.
Prerequisites
- Students should understand climate change, the greenhouse effect, and the carbon cycle.
- It may also benefit students to understand the sources of energy that emit the most CO2.
Differentiation & Implementation
- Students can select countries that have low emissions and look at other data to see their energy landscape. Students can also research the infrastructure the countries have to implement cleaner energy, if applicable.
- After looking at the emissions data and understanding the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, students can also look at carbon sinks and discuss the necessary usage of both emission reduction efforts and sinks.
- Teachers can pair this resource with the video Fossil Fuels and CO2 to create a lesson about the connection between energy sources and carbon dioxide emissions.
From the scientist review
The resource contains the carbon intensity of electricity in specific countries. The datasets available for a variable time span from 1990 to the present. The data output is accurate and students can visualize to understand countries that emit more CO2 in the course of generating electricity.
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Hosted on ourworldindata.org
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