Megan Blackburn

9/8/14
Pre-Cal
Global Carbon Emissions
Carbon dioxide is something humans cannot live without. In fact,
humans have so much of it that the ozone is taking a harsh beating by the
amount of CO being produced worldwide. Everyone contributes to carbon
emissions in some way either by riding in a car or buying petroleum based
products. By everyone being aware of their actions, they can make a
difference and help contribute to the effort to decrease carbon emissions
worldwide.
The attached graph shows the carbon dioxide emissions in the world
from 1870 to 2010. The line going down the middle is the regression line. A
regression line represents the trend that is shown by the data points. The
regression line is calculated using an equation. This equation shows the
relation between the year and the amount of carbon dioxide emitted. This
equation can also be used to predict future points on the graph. On the
Global Carbon Emissions graph, the regression line represents that there is a
positive exponential correlation. The regression line is expressed by .984
which shows how close the regression equation follows the amount of carbon
dioxide emitted since 1870. The regression equation y = 196.1(1.33x )
represents the function for the graph below. The 196.1 is the initial amount
of carbon dioxide. The 1.33 represents the exponential growth of carbon
dioxide that the world has experienced in the last 140 years.
In 1870, there was little to none carbon emissions in the world. The
only major cause of carbon emissions during this time period was caused by

Megan Blackburn
9/8/14
Pre-Cal
burning fossil fuels. As time went on, people began to find more use for fossil
fuels such as gas for transportation, electricity and agriculture ("Overview of
Greenhouse Gases"). More and more nations have begun to use fossil fuels
and as they contribute to the emissions, they only grow exponentially.

Global Carbon Emissions Since 1870

10000
8000

f(x) = 0 exp( 0.03 x )

R = 0.98

6000
Global Carbon Emissions (mmt)

4000
2000
0
1850 1900 1950 2000 2050
Year

Using the data from the equation, it can be predicted that by 2015,
there will be 58,324 million metric tons of carbon. In 2030 there will be
4,180,000 million metric tons of carbon and by 2045 there will be
299,000,000 million metric tons of carbon emissions globally. The equation
also does not incorporate global population. With a higher population comes
a higher carbon emission. The population in the world is expected to hit its
peak in 2075 at 9.22 billion people and then only slowly increase due to
outside factors such as fertility rates and geography ("World Population to
2300"). All of these people will contribute to the carbon emissions, yet there
can be no guarantee about what the future will bring.

Megan Blackburn
9/8/14
Pre-Cal
Carbon dioxide moves in a carbon cycle all around the world. There is a
continuous flow between animals and plants, rocks, water and the
atmosphere ("Carbon Cycle Science"). Most of the carbon in our world is
released from the search for fossil fuels by humans ("National Greenhouse
Gas Emissions Data"). Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases cannot
escape the atmosphere because of the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse
effect occurs when Earths rays enter the atmosphere and then the wave
length is changed. When it reflects back up off the Earths surface and back
through the atmosphere, it cannot leave because the wave length has been
changed ("The Greenhouse Effect"). This means that the heat is trapped
inside the Earth's atmosphere and causes the melting of ice caps, and harms
the health of the human population. People who work as car designers can
look at this data and try and create cars that release less carbon in to the
atmosphere. But it is not only this career that can use this data for their
benefit because everybody drives cars. Everybody is at fault for increasing
carbon emissions across the world. Every choice that a person makes affects
the amount carbon released in to the atmosphere. Most people drive cars
and use petroleum products that could be greatly reduced to benefit the
planet and the health of everyone else on the planet.
The world has a great future ahead for itself. The regression equation
only accounts for the emissions based off of today's standards and
population. By looking at the population growth in the world and the overall
regression of CO emissions for many years, the emissions are sure to

Megan Blackburn
9/8/14
Pre-Cal
increase, but no one can tell for how long. To keep these emissions at bay it
is important for people to be cautious of the choices they make and how it
can affect the planet.

Works Cited
"Carbon Cycle Science." n.d. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA). 7 Sep. 2014. <http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/research/themes/carbon/>
"The Greenhouse Effect." n.d. National Geographic. 7 Sep. 2014.
<http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/globalwarming/gw-overview-interactive/>
"National Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data." n.d. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA). 7 Sep. 2014.
<http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/usinventoryreport.html>
"Overview of Greenhouse Gases." 9 Sep. 2014. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA). 7 Sep. 2014.
<http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/gases/co2.html>
"World Population to 2300." United Nations. United Nations Publication, 2004. Web.
9 Sep. 2014.
<http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/longrange2/WorldPop2300fin
al.pdf>