Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a transparent and odourless gas generated when we burn fuel. A carbon credit represents a tonne of CO2 that has been removed from the atmosphere or not been emitted in the first place, but because it's a gas, it's hard to imagine. We can think of balloons easily enough however, and a fully inflated party balloon holds about 50 g (2 oz) of CO2. There are 20,000 balloons for each tonne of CO2. The nice feature of balloons is that we can easily see our emissions from everyday actions, as this video shows. The performers are students from Li Po Chun United World College for a presentation Teng Hoi was invited to deliver by the American Club in Hong Kong.

Ballooning emissions

Our use of electricity produces significant carbon emissions. Getting a feel for quantities of electrical power is important, so that we can all make more sense of the unit of measurement, the watt. A great way to get a feel for electrical power is to generate some yourself. The video here is from a short performance by students from Li Po Chun United World College of Hong Kong, and helps get a little feeling across about just how much effort is required to power some lights.

Emergency Lighting