Per Capita Electricity from Fossil Fuels, Nuclear and Renewables
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Provided by: Our World in Data|Published on: July 20, 2021
Data, Graphs, and MapsScientist Reviewed
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Scientist Reviewed This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This interactive chart and table from Our World in Data shows the per capita use of electricity from fossil fuels, nuclear, and renewables from the year 1985 to the present.
- Students can toggle between the chart and the table to easily see the data in the way that works best for them.
Subjects: Science, Social Studies, Mathematics
Authors: Hannah Ritchie, Max Roser
Region: Global
Languages: English
Teaching Materials
Positives
- Students can easily highlight the energy source they want to focus on.
- Students can even split the data by metric if they are only interested in comparing one of the energy sources.
Prerequisites
- Students need to be familiar with fossil fuels, nuclear, and renewables.
- Students may need additional instruction about why nuclear is in its own category.
Differentiation & Implementation
- Students can discuss the necessity for switching from fossil fuels to other clean energy sources like renewables and nuclear. Using this data in conjunction with Fossil Fuels and Climate Change teachers can implement a well-rounded lesson in the prevalence and implications of fossil fuel use.
- Math students can use the download feature to organize the data in a different way using Excel or Google Sheets. Teachers can also use this to practice storytelling with data and data analysis.
- Language arts students can practice informative and persuasive writing by using the data to support a claim, evidence, and reasoning structure.
Educators should note the stack percentages in the 3 energy sources (fossil fuel, nuclear, and renewables). For instance, the percentage of energy production in the chart from South Africa is fossil fuel (89%) and nuclear (no value); yet there is a graduation: renewables (6.2%). Thus, nuclear should have had a value of 4.8%, but this is missing in the content. It is not out of place for educators to sort the missing values for other countries since the chart has the graduation already. The resource is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
Learn about our review process →
