

For atmospheric carbon dioxide levels to stabilize, this chart clearly shows, the world's major emitters and smaller countries will have to reduce emissions.

If you've ever wondered about how each nation contributes to the global carbon "footprint," take a look at this compelling graphic.

The left "footprint" displays recent data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The size of each circle - in some cases a "heel" or a "toe," is proportional to the carbon emissions estimated for each nation.

The right "footprint" shows the same data, but expressed per capita so that you can see individual contributions towards carbon emissions. It is a very different profile!

I am always looking for innovative ways to teach science, including new ways to present complex data. I believe that this graphic is a superb example. {I recommend that you view it in full screen.} Case in point - these "footprints" captured the attention of my 11 year old son for more than an hour, as he explored various regions around the globe. I highly recommend it as a teaching resource or simply as a point for discussion about how each region contributes to carbon emissions.

The better we understand the data, the more informed our public policies will be.

According to the article published in Miller-McCune:

As the international community tries to come to grips with climate change, the difficulties of reaching agreement on the regulation of carbon dioxide emissions worldwide are becoming ever more apparent. One sticking point involves the relative contribution of First and Third World countries to global warming. Developing nations have contended that industrialized countries caused climate change and ought to bear the brunt of CO2 regulation. The West points at exponential growth in China and India as a reason that regulation of carbon emissions must apply across the board. For atmospheric carbon dioxide levels to stabilize, this chart clearly shows, the world's major emitters -- China, the U.S., India, Japan, Russia and the European Union, among others -- will have to reduce their carbon footprints. At the same time, it's clear there is plenty of room for other, smaller countries to reduce their per capita contributions to a problem that threatens all.

This graphic is used with the author's permission. I would like to acknowledge Stanford Kay Studio; a version of this graphic first appeared in Miller-McCune. Thank you, Stanford! Copyright Stanford Kay 2010.