Many people attribute hurricanes and heat waves to climate change. But those are not the only effects. Climate change can cause more precipitation than usual in some places. This extra rain or snow can lead to flooding and the need to strengthen buildings and shorelines. Other areas receive far less precipitation than normal. Areas experiencing drought, the prolonged absence of water, may have famines (lack of food) that force people to relocate to other areas. Experts project that severe droughts will get worse in the coming years, making water conservation more than just a national interest, but an international priority.

Option 1:

As of 2016, about one-quarter of home water usage could be attributed to toilet flushes. Toilets installed before 1992 use about 5 gallons of water per flush. Newer toilets use about 1.5 gallons per flush. If people flush the toilet an average of 5 times a day, about how many gallons of water could one person save in one year by using a newer toilet?

A. 800

B. 2,700

C. 6,400

D. 9,100

Option 2:

Statistics show that it takes 1,000 gallons of water to feed one American for one day, which is much higher than the global average. The high water use can be largely attributed to meat production. Consider this fact: Between feeding the growing cow and processing the meat, about 630 gallons of water go into one hamburger.

Develop a quantitative question that interests you about your classmates’ meat consumption. For example, your question could be, “How many hamburgers do you eat per week?” Record your classmates’ responses on a line plot and describe the range, median, and mean of your data set.