Year 9 Science · Unit 3 · Lesson 22

Global Energy Consumption and CO₂ Emissions

Foundation Worksheet

Name

Date

Class

Learning Goals

Sort statements about energy and emissions into facts, opinions and predictions.
Calculate energy use per person from a country’s total energy use and population.
Explain why total energy use and energy use per person tell different stories.

Warm Up

1. What is the difference between a country’s total energy use and its energy use per person?

Recall 2 marks

Sort it: fact, opinion or prediction?

A fact can be checked with measurements. An opinion is a judgement about what is good or what should happen. A prediction says what might happen in the future. Write F, O or P next to each statement. There are three of each.

#	Statement	F, O or P
1	China emitted the most CO₂ of any country in 2023.
2	Rich countries should pay for solar farms in poor countries.
3	Electric cars will push up Australia’s electricity use.
4	Australia should stop exporting coal now.
5	Australia has no nuclear power stations.
6	At today’s emissions, the world will warm by 2 °C or more by 2100.
7	India will use more energy per person in 2040 than now.
8	Iceland makes almost all its electricity from geothermal and hydro.
9	Poorer countries have a right to burn fossil fuels to grow.

Your Turn

Real-world data: three countries in 2023

Table 1 gives the total energy used by three countries in 2023, and the number of people living in each.

Table 1. Total energy use and population, 2023

Country	Total energy use (TWh)	Population (millions)
Australia	1,510	26.5
China	42,800	1,423
India	10,290	1,438

Source: Energy Institute (2026) and United Nations (2024) figures, via Our World in Data.

2. Calculate the energy used per person in each country, to one decimal place. Dividing TWh by millions of people gives MWh per person (1 MWh = 1,000 kWh).

Apply 3 marks

Australia MWh

China MWh

India MWh

3. Which country uses the most energy in total? Which uses the most energy per person?

Apply 2 marks

Go Deeper

Data: energy use per person in India

Table 2 tracks India over two decades.

Table 2. Energy use per person in India

Year	Energy per person (MWh)
2000	3.4
2005	3.8
2010	4.8
2015	5.7
2019	6.4
2020	6.0
2021	6.4

Source: Our World in Data, 2026 release.

4. Plot Table 2 as a line graph. Give the graph a title, and label both axes with units.

Apply 3 marks

Graph 1. Title: ______________________________

5. Describe the overall trend. Which year breaks the pattern, and what world event from Lesson 22 explains it?

Analyse 3 marks

Show What You Know

Scenario: a class discussion

During a class discussion, Sam says: “China uses far more energy than Australia, so it doesn’t matter how much energy Australians use.”

6. Do you agree with Sam? Use your Table 1 results to explain the difference between total energy use and energy use per person, give two reasons from Lesson 22 why Australians use so much energy each, and finish with your own view.

Analyse 5 marks