Grade level:  4 – 5th grades

Skills: Bar graphs

Related environmental issues: Energy

It was reported that 13 of the 14 warmest years on record have all occurred since 2000. Scientists consider that such change of global climate is primarily a problem of too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. To stop climate change, many countries have been trying to generate their electricity from renewable resources as much as possible by using sunlight, wind, and water. By increasing the use of renewable resources and reducing the use of fossil fuels (oil, coal, and natural gas), we will be able to reduce a lot of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

The table below shows how much renewable energy capacity was added during 2011-2016 in 5 countries/regions.

1. Which country/region added the largest renewable energy capacity during 2011 and 2016?
2. How many countries/region added less than 100 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity during 2011 and 2016?
3. Which countries/region added about half as much capacity as China?
4. Which countries/region added about as much capacity as India and Japan combined?

Sources: International Energy Agency (IEA), 2017. Renewables 2017 & Center for Energy and Climate Solutions