Solving Inequalities
Carbon
Emissions
Lesson
Students create connections
etween individual actions and climate change.
b
They work with algebraic inequalities to
consider how many and what types of activities
can be performed while staying within a
limited carbon budget.
9 Solving Inequalities: Carbon Emissions 79
Real World Math: Engaging Students through Global Issues
Critical Thinking Questions puters, and paper and pencil, depending on
• What are some personal choices that can the situation, and apply the selected methods
contribute to or lessen the impacts of cli- Algebra: Develop an initial conceptual un-
mate change? derstanding of different uses of variables
• How do the choices of some affect every- Algebra: Use symbolic algebra to represent
one regarding climate change? situations and to solve problems, especially
those that involve linear relationships
Objectives
Problem Solving: Solve problems that arise
• Graph an inequality on a number line
in mathematics and in other contexts
• Solve inequalities using multiplication and
Communication: Communicate mathemati-
division
cal thinking coherently and clearly to peers,
• Work with decimals
teachers, and others
• Recognize that certain activities release
Connections: Recognize and apply math-
CO2 and other greenhouse gases
ematics in contexts outside of mathematics
• Understand how CO2 is related to global
Representation: Use representations to
climate change
model and interpret physical, social, and
• Investigate actions to reduce our contribu- mathematical phenomena
tions to climate change
Materials/Preparation
Key Concepts
Student handout: Carbon Footprint Survey,
• Solving inequalities
1 per student
• Graphing inequalities
Student handout: Budgeting for Climate
• Greenhouse gas emissions
Change, 1 per student or pair
• Carbon footprint
Teacher master: Budgeting for Climate
• Climate change Change
NCTM Standards and Expectations Background and Practice
Number and Operations: Work flexibly
Background reading: Carbon, Carbon
with fractions, decimals, and percents to
Everywhere!
solve problems
Practice worksheet: Practice with Inequalities
Number and Operations: Select appropri-
ate methods and tools for computing with
fractions and decimals from among mental
computation, estimation, calculators or com-
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9 Solving Inequalities: Carbon Emissions
Teacher Instructions 6. Students may ask what is wrong
with warmer average temperatures.
1. Pass out 1 Carbon Footprint Survey to
Brainstorm what might happen if there
each student. Have students administer
were changes in temperature. Severe
the survey to each other in pairs. Give
floods, changes in weather patterns, melting
students a couple of minutes to interview
glaciers, a decrease in wildlife, and possible
each other and record their answers.
health-related issues.
2. In a think-pair-share activity, ask
7. Go through the survey 1 question at a
students what they think a carbon
time, asking students how they think
footprint might be (based on the survey
each choice directly connects to climate
they just took). Has anyone heard of
change. Any transportation and electricity
carbon (or carbon dioxide)?
choices that involve fossil fuels such as
3. Tell them that each of us has a carbon coal and oil contribute to climate change.
footprint, which is a measure of all the Meat production has a larger impact on
activities we do that release, or cause Earth’s climate than vegetable production.
emissions, of carbon dioxide. Recycling generally is more energy efficient
4. Ask students what they have heard about than manufacturing from raw materials.
carbon dioxide. If nobody mentions the Turning off appliances, electronics, and
connection to climate change, ask the lights when not in use is a good way to
class what comes to their minds when reduce our carbon footprint from electricity.
they hear the words “climate change.” 8. Ask students to brainstorm some other
5. If students are not at all familiar with activities they do everyday that they think
climate change, you may want to are related to climate change. Anything
introduce the term greenhouse gases. that requires energy from fossil fuels releases
Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases. Cutting down trees and
methane are released during the combustion other plants results in more carbon dioxide
Facing the Future
of fossil fuels such as coal and petroleum. We in the atmosphere. Livestock production is a
often use these fuels for transportation and source of methane.
electricity. Greenhouse gases accumulate in 9. Now ask them to brainstorm activities
Earth’s atmosphere and act like a blanket, they do that they do not think contribute
trapping energy from the sun near Earth’s to climate change, or activities they do to
surface, which results in warmer average help reduce the effects of climate change.
temperatures. On the Carbon Footprint Survey, have
80
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9 Solving Inequalities: Carbon Emissions 81
Real World Math: Engaging Students through Global Issues
each student write 1 way in which he Extension Ideas
or she can help reduce the impacts of
• Have students research the carbon emis-
climate change.
sions savings that would result over 1 year
10. Pass out the handout, Budgeting for for a single lifestyle change (for example,
Climate Change. Allow students to work keeping the house cooler in the winter, or
with a partner or independently. Tell biking to school once a week). How many
students that they should carry out their fewer emissions would result if everyone in
answers to 2 decimal places. the United States made the same lifestyle
11. After students have worked through the change?
problems on the worksheet, lead a class • Have students research cost-effective ways
discussion using the following questions. of reducing greenhouse gas emissions (e.g.,
compact fluorescent light bulbs, sealing
Discussion Questions cracks around windows and doors, unplug-
1. Do you think setting a maximum ging appliances when not in use). Give
amount of carbon emissions (for a students a “budget” of $50 and challenge
person, a country, or a business) is a good them to find the most effective ways to
way to reduce the impacts of climate reduce CO2 emissions within that budget.
change? Are there other climate change How many pounds of CO2 can their $50
solutions that you think would work prevent from entering Earth’s atmosphere?
better?
2. Do you think it will be difficult for
people in the United States to reduce
their daily carbon emissions? Why or
why not?
3. Do you think all people should be
required to reduce their emissions
equally? Explain your reasoning.
4. What actions do you think would be the
easiest for us to reduce our greenhouse
gas emissions? What actions do you
think could reduce our carbon footprint
the most?
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9 Solving Inequalities: Carbon Emissions
Additional Resources Action Project
• [Link]—The Zero- Have students interview an adult using the
footprint KidsCalculator allows students questions from an online carbon calculator
to measure their impact on climate change. such as the Zerofootprint KidsCalculator
Results are given in 4 units of measure- ([Link]) or the EPA
ment: carbon, land, water, and total foot- greenhouse gas emissions calculator (www.
print. Individuals can compare their results [Link]/climatechange/emissions/ind_calcu
to average results for a variety of countries. [Link]). After the adult has answered the
• [Link]/initiatives/climatechange/ questions, the student can enter the informa-
calculator —The Nature Conservancy’s tion into the calculator to find the adult’s
carbon calculator starts with an average carbon footprint. Then, have students come
carbon footprint and subtracts CO2 emis- up with ideas for specific ways to reduce their
sions for actions that reduce emissions. interviewee’s carbon footprint. Encourage
students to present their footprint results and
• [Link] —Download the
ideas to their interviewees.
Facing the Future curriculum unit, Climate
Change: Connections and Solutions. The
2-week interdisciplinary unit encourages
students to think critically about climate
change and to collaborate to devise solu-
tions. Students learn about climate change
within a systems framework, examining
interconnections among environmental,
social, and economic issues.
Facing the Future
82
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Carbon Footprint Survey
1. How do you get to school?
2. Do you fly on a plane often?
3. Do you eat mostly vegetables or mostly meat?
4. Do you recycle?
5. Do you turn off your computer when you’re not using it?
6. Do you turn off lights when you leave a room?
Carbon Footprint Survey
1. How do you get to school?
2. Do you fly on a plane often?
3. Do you eat mostly vegetables or mostly meat?
4. Do you recycle?
5. Do you turn off your computer when you’re not using it?
6. Do you turn off lights when you leave a room?
Carbon Footprint Survey
1. How do you get to school?
2. Do you fly on a plane often?
3. Do you eat mostly vegetables or mostly meat?
4. Do you recycle?
5. Do you turn off your computer when you’re not using it?
6. Do you turn off lights when you leave a room?
9 Solving Inequalities: Carbon Emissions © FACING THE FUTURE [Link]
Name Date
Budgeting for Climate Change, page 1
Investigations 2. Using information from the following table,
write an inequality that would allow you to
1. One way that we contribute to climate change
calculate the number of miles you can drive
is by doing things that release CO2 into the air.
in an average car and remain below 24.80
The Kyoto Protocol is an agreement among
pounds of CO2. Use the variable m to represent
nations that sets a target for maximum CO2
number of miles.
emissions for each nation. The U.S. emissions
target is 24.80 pounds per person per day.1 CO2 Emissions per Activity
Graph the following inequality on Activity Emissions (lbs)
a number line: x # 24.80 Drive 1 mile in an average car 1.10 *
Drive 1 mile in a SUV 1.67 *
Eat 1 cheeseburger 6.78 **
Eat 1 PB&J sandwich 2.50 ***
Read and throw away a 0.50 ****
newspaper
Use and throw away an alumi- 0.45 ****
num can
Take hot shower for 1 minute 1.10 *****
Leave appliances plugged in 0.27 *****
when not in use
3. Now solve the inequality you wrote for
question #2 to determine the number of miles
you could drive in a day without exceeding
24.80 pounds of CO2 emissions.
4. Do you think it would be easy or difficult for
most people to drive less than that number of
miles on a daily basis? Why or why not?
5. How could people travel without using cars?
ANSWERS
1.
24.8
2. 1.10m # 24.80
3. 1.10m 24.80
1.10 # 1.10 Divide both sides by 1.10
m # 22.54
You can drive up to 22.54 miles per day and remain at
or below your maximum allowed emissions.
4. It depends on where people work and where they go to
school.
5. bike, walk, bus, train, carpool, etc.
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Name Date
Budgeting for Climate Change, page 2
6. The following equation allows us to determine 9. Approximately what fraction of the maximum
how many miles a person can drive in a day CO2 emissions (24.8) is represented by the
and how many 5-minute showers a person can total emissions from question #8?
take and still remain below 24.8 pounds of
CO2 emissions. Hint: Round each number to the nearest whole
number.
5.5s 1 1.1m # 24.8
If you take 2 showers (that is, s = 2), what is the Bonus
maximum number of miles you can drive? The annual carbon footprint of the average person
living in the United States—20.4 tons of CO2—is
7. Approximately how many PB&J sandwiches around 2,000 times that of someone living in the
could you eat before you created more African nation of Chad.2
emissions than 1 cheeseburger?
What is the annual carbon footprint (in pounds of
8. If you throw away newspapers, throw away CO2) of the average person living in Chad?
aluminum cans, and leave appliances plugged
What is the minimum number of individual car-
in when you are not using them, how many
bon footprints in Chad that would be required to
emissions would be produced from those
exceed the average CO2 emissions of 1 person in
activities in a single day?
the U.S.?
ANSWERS
6. 5.5(2) 1 1.1m # 24.8
11 1 1.1m # 24.8
1.1m # 13.8
m # 12.54 miles
7. 6.78 4 2.50 ≈ 3
8. 0.50 1 0.45 1 0.27 5 1.22 lbs
1
9. 25
Bonus
1 ton 5 2,000 pounds
The U.S. footprint (20.4 tons, or 40,800 pounds) is 2,000
times greater than the Chad footprint.
40,800 pounds 4 2000 5 20.4 pounds
If 2000 Chad footprints 5 1 U.S. footprint, then 2001
Chad footprints . 1 U.S. footprint.
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Name Date
Practice with Inequalities
There are 4 inequality symbols to remember: If you multiply or divide both sides of an inequality
x , 5 means x is a number less than 5 by a positive number, the inequality sign remains
unchanged.
x # 5 means x is a number less than or equal to 5
3x $ 27
x . 5 means x is a number greater than 5
3 3
x $ 5 means x is a number greater than or
x$9
equal to 5
0 3 6 9 12 15
Solving an inequality using addition or subtraction
is similar to solving an equation. Any operation
(addition or subtraction) that you do on one side of When you multiply or divide both sides of an
the inequality must also be done on the other side. inequality by a negative number, the inequality
x 1 5 , 20 symbol reverses.
25 25 22x 1 5 . 25
x , 15 25 25
22x . 20
25 0 5 10 15 20 22 22
x 210
225 220 215 210 25 0
1. Suppose a person uses nearly 3,000 more
kilowatt-hours of electricity in a year than the
average American household. If the average
Solve the following inequalities for x. Graph each
American household uses 10,656 kilowatt-
solution on a number line.
hours of electricity,1 solve the following
inequality to find that person’s electricity usage: 4. (2 13 )x . 30
x 2 3,000 , 10,656
5. 23 1 5x . 25
2. Write a sentence explaining your answer for
problem #1. 6. 25 # 2x
3. Suppose a city institutes a water restriction
to conserve fresh water resources during hot
summer months. The city will allow each ANSWERS
resident to consume no more than 85 gallons of
1. x , 13,656 kWh
water per person per day. Write an inequality
to represent this scenario. 2. The person uses less than 13,656 kWh per year.
3. x # 85
4. x , 290
290
5. x . 5 35 or 5.6
5.6
6. 225 $ x
225
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