United States: 1b. My virtual profile

Aug 9, 2017 by ciankondo

1. Ecological Footprint Calculator -Link

1. What part of your ecological footprint most surprised you?

I was surprised by the fact that if everyone lived like me, we would need 4.3 worlds. But after thinking about it, I realized that I live in one of the richest places in the world, silicon valley, meaning that I would use a lot of resources.

1. How did your footprint compare to your city’s average and your country’s average?

My country's’ average carbon footprint is 20 metric tons and my carbon footprint is 7.8 metric tons. I am surprised by how much lower my carbon footprint is compared to the average.

1. Find a location with a smaller carbon footprint from yours, within your own country if possible. What is different about this community from your own? What can you learn from this?

San Francisco has a smaller carbon footprint than Los Altos at 46.8 metric tons. While Los Altos is at 72.8 metric tons. I know that San Francisco has lots of public transportation like trains and busses. Because of that, less cars are used, meaning that they have a smaller carbon footprint.

1. What parts of your footprint do you feel is possible to reduce? What parts don’t?

I think that I could possibly reduce my footprint by using a bike more or carpooling more, which would reduce the amount of miles I would drive. I wouldn’t be able to change my shelter usage because I need to live in my house.

1. Read this article about large companies, individual actions, and climate change: http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/08/just-90-companies-are-blame-most-climate-change-carbon-accountant-says. What do you think are the limits and possibilities in affecting climate change by the reduction of individual footprints?

I think that an individual can only do so much to affect climate change on their own. However it is possible for that one individual to get others to change their footprint for the better. That one group could now make a difference in climate change and they might be able to stop glaciers from melting.

2. Climate Challenge - Link

1. What strategy did you take in Climate Challenge? Was it effective in reducing emissions?

The strategy that I took was to keep the public happy, even if it meant severe damage to the country. The rest of the policies only helped the country, regardless of the public’s opinion.

1. What did you think of how the strategy cards represented resources? Do you think some of the strategies/policies would have different impacts than the ones shown in the game?

I think the the strategy cards are fairly accurate in how they think that certain actions would affect the country and the public’s eye of the government. I don’t fully understand some of the ways that a policy would affect something, so I am not sure if that policy is correct or not.

1. How did you approach international negotiations? Was it better to lead by example, or attempt to encourage other nations by investing in their green economies?

I found it easy to originally pay people to encourage them, but later on it is easier to lead by example and have other countries follow me.

3. Water Footprint Calculator -Link (Global North Schools), Link (Global South Schools)

1. Where you surprised by how much water you consumed?

Yes, I didn’t think I used millions of liters of water per year. I thought that I only used a few hundred thousand liters per year.

1. How did your footprint compare to your country’s and the world's average? (You will need to research this.)

The global average for a water footprint based on the calculator was 1243 cubic meters per year. My footprint was more than that. However, I am below the U.S. average, which is 2842 m3.

1. What parts of your footprint do you feel is possible to reduce? What parts don’t?

I feel that I can reduce the part of my water footprint by consuming less meat. Meat is the main source of water I use, so if I don't eat it as much meat, I won’t have as high of a water footprint. I don’t think that I can stop eating vegetables because they are an important part of my diet and I shouldn’t stop eating them.

1. Do some research on a water-based conflict in your country. Which communities have access to water, which ones don’t, and who controls the resource use?

Some urban communities in the U.S. now have a hard time getting access to clean water, and if they can, it is expensive. A lot of the communities in California have access to clean water, and they can get it as easily as turning on the tap.  

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