dcf.cymru stimulus sheet · Science · GCSE Integrated Science · Year 11
Practice folder written for this lesson. It is not a WJEC pre-release Resource Folder. The post, the farm, the Price family, Sir Gwernant county, the company blog and the union statement are invented. Sources 2, 3 and 5 are real, and the facts in the fact card are real.
@TrueGreenCymru · posted 2 days ago · 48,000 shares · 3,100 comments
PROOF: one Welsh dairy cow does more damage to the climate than a car. A farm’s OWN figures show one cow = 3,080 kg of CO2 a year. So forget cutting car journeys, they don’t matter. Stopping farming is the ONLY way Wales will ever reach net zero. SHARE before they delete this.
No link. No name. The account was created 5 weeks ago.
| Gas | GWP over 100 years | GWP over 20 years | How long it lasts in the air |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carbon dioxide | 1 | 1 | Much of it stays for centuries |
| Methane | 28 | 84 | About 12 years, then it breaks down |
Figures from the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (2014). The newer IPCC report (2021) gives methane a 100-year GWP of about 27 to 30. Most carbon footprint figures, including the ones in this folder, use the 100-year GWP.
IPCC (2023) Climate Change 2023: Synthesis Report. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is a United Nations body. Its reports summarise thousands of peer-reviewed studies and are checked by scientists and governments. The report says human activities, mainly through emissions of greenhouse gases, have unequivocally caused global warming, and that deep cuts are needed in every sector: energy, industry, transport, buildings and land use, including agriculture.
https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/syr/
| Fferm Nant-y-Wern, dairy farm, carbon audit summary for the year (fictional) | |
|---|---|
| Number of dairy cows | 90 |
| Methane from digestion, per cow, per year (estimated by the farm’s adviser) | 110 kg |
| Milk produced in the year | 720,000 litres |
| Hedgerows and woodland planted in the last 5 years | 3.2 km of hedge, 4 hectares of trees |
| Note from the adviser | “Methane per cow is an estimate. Hedges and trees take in some carbon dioxide, which we have not yet included. Figures are for this farm only.” |
Welsh Government (2021) Net Zero Wales Carbon Budget 2 (2021 to 2025). The Welsh Government’s plan for cutting emissions. It sets out actions across the whole economy, including electricity and heat, transport, buildings, industry, agriculture, land use and waste.
https://www.gov.wales/net-zero-wales
MooClear Ltd blog · “Our feed additive cuts cow methane by up to 90%!”
“Farmers, don’t let the internet blame you. Just add MooClear to every feed and your herd’s climate problem disappears. Order today for 20% off.” No study is named. No author.
Undeb Ffermwyr Gwernant press release · “Welsh farms are part of the solution”
“Our members have planted hundreds of kilometres of hedgerow. Grassland and hedges store carbon. Welsh farms produce food that would otherwise be imported. Blaming farmers for climate change is unfair.” Gives no figures for emissions.
The Price family (fictional), one household in Sir Gwernant, for one year. Emission factors are rounded and simplified for this lesson. Real values are published every year by the UK Government.
| Activity | Amount in the year | Emission factor |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol car | 11,000 km | 0.17 kgCO2eq per km |
| Electricity | 2,700 kWh | 0.21 kgCO2eq per kWh |
| Gas heating | 11,500 kWh | 0.18 kgCO2eq per kWh |
| Flights (one holiday, 4 people) | 4,000 passenger km | 0.15 kgCO2eq per passenger km |
| Food for the household | 1,900 kgCO2eq (from an online food calculator) | |
Sir Gwernant county (fictional): total emissions 4.0 million tonnes CO2eq a year (1 tonne = 1,000 kg).