Authors: Jeremy Reynolds, Ellery Gresham, and Luke Schreiber
Our Process Book: Climate Change: Factors and Rates - Process Book
Virtual Presentation of Our Project: Project Video Explanation
The project 'Climate Change: Factors and Rates' is a project that investigates the top three factors of climate change and the correlation they have to the global temperature anomaly. The three factors that are investigated are: CO2 Emissions, Methane Emissions, and Deforestation Rates. The project also investigates the rate of the global temperature anomaly rising due to the three factors listed above.
The term climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. It can also be referred to as 'The Climate Crisis'.
The climate crisis being an universal issue between countries and continents. This topic has been discussed among scientists and environmentalists for years and will continue to be discussed for many more...
The effects of climate change will become irreversible if something is not done soon to reverse the effects. Since 1880, Earth’s temperature has risen by an average of 0.14° F. per decade (Lindsey and Dahlman).
The 10 warmest years that exist in the historical record have all occurred since 2010.
There are several different factors that play into climate change. These factors include: CO2 Emissions, Methane Emissions, and Deforestation.
Our final project investigates a deeper analysis of the top three factors of climate change and the effects they have on the global temperature.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the top greenhouse gas that is emitted naturally through the carbon cycle, and through activities such as: the burning of fossil fuels, solid wastes, wood products, and can also be a result of chemical reactions.
The dataset used for this project was: CO2 Emissions.
Methane emissions stem from the production and transportation of coal, natural gas, and oil. Methane emissions can also be a result of livestock and other agricultural practices that are done. Methane is the second most important greenhouse gas, coming in more potent than CO2 emissions. This being said , there exists less methane emissions than CO2 emissions in the atmosphere.
The dataset used for this project was: Methane Emissions Across The World (1990-2018).
Deforestation can also be a causing factor to producing CO2 emissions and methane emissions. Deforestation and forest degradation is responsible for 15% of all greenhouse gas emissions (WWF). The number one cause for deforestation comes from expansions in agriculture.
The dataset used for this project was: Deforestation and Forest Loss.
Earth’s temperature has risen by an average of 0.14° F. per decade. The global temperature is the average temperature of the Earth’s surface air and oceans. The global temperature is constantly chagnging due to the three factors listed above. There are many other factors that can play into climate change, but this project looks at the top three factors.
The dataset used for this project was: Global Warming Trends (1961-2022).
This interactive map shows a global visualization of the factors of climate change. The map ranges from the year 1990 to 2015. This visualization does represent the country per capita.:
To view a line chart of each country's factor, click on the country of interest. The line chart will show.
When looking at the trendlines for any country under Deforestation, a postive trendline is a good thing. This represents an increase in forest area.
There exist a few key takeways that were found in the anaylsis of the project 'CLimate Change: Factors and Rates'. It was found that when a user increases the yearly slider, the variables (CO2 Emissions, Metha Emissions, and Temperature) fluctuate over time, but have a consistency to increase. This conclusion was made based off of the data that was collected and the color scale that was used in the visualization.
The following list ranks how much each factor contributes to the rise in global temperature:
During the creation of the project, a question was asked: What rate is the temperature rising due to the following factors: CO2 emissions, methane emissions, and deforestation? This question was answered by the creation of the line chart. The line chart shows the rate of the temperature rising over time. The line chart also shows the rate of the CO2 emissions, methane emissions, and deforestation over time. The line chart shows that the rate of the temperature rising is increasing at a faster rate than the CO2 emissions, methane emissions, and deforestation. This conclusion was made based off of the data that was collected.
The cited works that exist on this page can be found on the 'Works Cited' page of our process book: Climate Change: Factors and Rates - Process Book