The purpose of this unit is to enable students to use statistics and data representation to make observations in trends of data, and to use these observations to make predictions, comparisons, and inferences about the world around them, both on a large scale and a small scale. The ultimate goal is for students to be aware of and have an appreciation for local and global aspects of environment and economy. This appreciation is particularly useful for students to be more economical consumers, and thus maintain a comfortable standard of living, while being as efficient as possible with their consumption.
With global warming and severe weather disasters regularly making the news, students may wonder how their lives affect the larger picture. They should be made aware of what they can do to curb any ill effects humans have witnessed as a result of the exploitation of natural resources. “The global population is precariously large …. Homo sapiens is reaching the limit of its food and water supply. …. The emulation cannot be sustained, not with the same levels of consumption and waste” (Wilson, 1998). The comparative exploration of data from other geographic regions may help students empathize with the general human condition, particularly environmental and economic crisis throughout the world.
