How much CO2 does a global tour flight generate?

Grade level: 3rd-4th grades

Skills: Addition / Number Comparison (3 digit)

Related environmental issues: Climate Change

 

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The British band Coldplay, a performer of the 2016 Super Bowl halftime show, has decided not to launch a global tour because going on tour generates more carbon dioxide than they want.  The band thinks having a global tour is not beneficial to the environment.

To have a global tour, band members need to take a flight. The table below shows the amount of CO2 a flight generates per person.

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Suppose a British band A had a global tour and had a concert in London, New York, Los Angels, and Tokyo, and wend back to London.

  1. Which flight generated the largest amount of CO2 per person?
  2. Which flight generated the least amount of CO2 per person?
  3. How much CO2 did the global tour generate per person by flying from London to New York, New York to Los Angeles, Los Angeles to Tokyo, and Tokyo to London?
  4. The United States generates 1,333 kg of CO2 per person a month. Which generates more CO2, the average American in a month or a member of the Band A who went on the global tour?

 

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Source) Niko Kommenda, 2019, How your flight emits as much CO2 as many people do in a year, The Guardian.


Answer keys

1. Tokyo to London

2. New York to Los Angeles

3. 2,516kg of CO2 (493 + 349 + 776 + 898 = 2,516)

4. A member of the Band A