Global Climate Change

Assignment Details
When we think about how humans are impacting the environment we often think of global climate change, resulting from increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. We know that over the course of the year the atmospheric carbon dioxide goes up and down. In the fall and winter there is little photosynthesis occurring and there is a lot of decomposition because the leaves have fallen off the trees. Decomposers perform cellular respiration, resulting in increased CO2 levels in the winter. In the spring, plants start to grow, performing photosynthesis. Photosynthesis takes carbon dioxide out of the air and stores the carbon in the plants body. This means that from May to October the atmospheric CO2 levels are decreasing. This pattern of increasing CO2 in the winter and decreasing CO2 in the summer has been observed for many years. 

However, while atmospheric CO2 changes over the seasons what we have seen is that on the whole, CO2 levels in the atmosphere are on the rise. When we compare the CO2 levels in one month to the same month the following year, we can see an overall increase in global atmospheric CO2. 

Scientists have concluded that human activities are the cause of this global increase in atmospheric CO2. Activities like deforestation, bring fossil fuels, driving cars, building cities and towns, heating our homes, all impact atmospheric CO2. While we can reduce our impact by planting trees, limiting use of fossil fuels, and increasing our use of renewable resources, there are other impacts to consider. 

Renewable resources also can impact the environment. In our study of the Mekong river we will be looking at the impacts of of increasing hydroelectric power along the Mekong Valley. The people in the area need electricity in order to access clean water and the technological resources we have available. 

Use the websites linked below to learn more about the pros and cons of damming the Mekong river. 
You are tasked with creating an infographic explaining your position on damming the Mekong river. You will make an infographic that answers the following question:

SHOULD WE DAM THE MEKONG RIVER TO PROVIDE ENERGY TO THE SURROUNDING AREAS?

For this assignment you can chose to work individually or in pairs. You can choose your own partner. 

Piktochart is an online program that will help you make your infographic. However, you should have a sketch of what you want your infographic to look like before using the program. 
Requirements for your infographic:
  • be easy to understand
  • include images or symbols
  • have at least one graph
  • use data to support the claim (5 reasons)
  • cite sources by listing the urls used
​
To go Above and Beyond:
  • include both sides of the argument
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Suggestions:
  • Limit the number of words you use
  • Make a rough draft on paper so you know what your design looks like
  • Try to make the layout flow, perhaps divide the infographic in half with pros of damming on one side and cons on the other

Grading

Resources:

Mekong Flows is a website that "is dedicated to  providing information on potential flow changes in the Mekong River and its tributaries.  Outcomes of on-going research  on  the expected  environmental and economic impact of these changes are also presented.” They published the following report:

The Mekong region is rapidly developing and  energy to support economic growth is in high demand.  Current instability of oil and gas prices,  concerns about the future of fossil fuel energy, and the availability of private financing  are making hydropower more attractive and accelerating its development in the Mekong River Basin (MRB). 

The potential of hydropower in the MRB is about 53,000 MW consisting of 23,000 MW in the Upper Mekong Basin (China) and 30,000 MW in Lower Mekong Basin (Lao PDR, Thailand, Cambodia and Viet Nam). Locations current and proposed hydropower projects are shown in the map.  locations and current stage of the projects (26 projects are locate in the mainstream and the remaining 126 projects are in the tributaries). 

There are 4 operating hydropower facilities in the mainstream of Mekong River in Yunnan Province of China with install capacity of 8,850 MW. Another3 projects are under construction. Two of these, -Xiaowan and Nuozhadu, have large storage reservoirs (> 27 km3) which could cause significant changes in flow regimes, water quality and sediment transport.

The tributaries in the LMB are currently producing 3,225 MW (10% of its potential) and a further 3,209 MW are under construction. Thailand and Viet Nam have developed most of their potential tributaries sites. Lao PDR has the largest remaining potential for hydropower and is currently striving to accelerate development. 

The mainstream of the LMB has a potential to produce over 13,000 MW of hydropower.  Over the past few years, investors and developers mostly from China, Malaysia, Thailand and Viet Nam have submitted proposals for twelve hydropower projects for the LMB mainstream. Those proposals are among the largest and most significant developments ever considered by LMB countries in terms of benefits and risks. 
​Map design:  University of Canterbury, Data source: MRC Hydropower database
References: 
MRC (2010), State of the Basin Report 2010  
MRC (2010), Summary of the final report, Strategic environment assessment of hydropower on the Mekong mainstream.

Example Infographic

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Things you could graph:

  • Number of fish species in the five largest rivers of the world (compare to the Mekong)
    • ​139 fish species will not be able to migrate if the dams are put in the lower Mekong basin
  • Population of people living in each of the countries that the Mekong river runs through
    • 70 million people will be directly effected by the dams
  • Amount of energy currently provided by hydropower and the potential energy from hydropower.
  • Wealth of the different countries (GDP) along the Mekong
  • Loss of fishing due to the building of the dams
  • Amount of energy used by each country surrounding the Mekong