Research Methods And Design Assignment Sample

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Introduction

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This report assesses the questionnaire used by the interviewer Andrew Marr for interviewing Greta Thunberg, environmentalist. This report will analyze the structure of the interview which happened between them and would review the pattern of the interview which was carried out by Andrew Marr through themes. After part 1, in part 2, calculations will be provided based on the CO2 emissions and the initiatives taken by the countries to control it all across the world. The second part of the report would be dealing with statistical data and graphs to demonstrate a proper finding. In the last part of this report, a reflective statement would be provided on the self skills developed by the researcher while conducting this research paper. 

Part 1: Qualitative Methods and Design : Greta Thunberg interview with Andrew Marr 2021

Questions list asked in the interview

The following questions were asked by Andrew Marr Show to Greta Thunberg:

• Have you yet spoken to an elected political leader and looked them in the eye and thought, this person gets it?
• What about the Queen? The Queen here has said, ‘it’s really irritating when people say but they don’t do.’ Do you agree with her?
• The Pope is the leader of a billion Catholics around the world and has been quite outspoken now. Does that make a real difference do you think?
• You’re 18 now, you could stand for elected office in Sweden. Have you ever thought about doing that yourself?
• Maybe one day in the long future when you’ve won the battle and public opinion?
• We’ll see. Can I ask, have you been asked to speak at this climate change conference, COP?
• Why do you think that might be, because a lot of people say there are not enough young voices at COP?
• Do you think that’s what’s going wrong with COP already, there are enough of the more radical young voices being heard?
• Now this conference is all about keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees. At this stage do you think that’s going to succeed? Do you think that’s going to happen?
• Let me ask you about the most powerful person coming to COP in Glasgow which is President Biden, Joe Biden. He’s just announced a 500 billion plan to deal with climate change and he’s been working very very hard with Congress and so forth. How well do you think he’s been doing? Could he be a real leader on climate change?
• Was the act by Biden fair, in retrospect to say ‘blah, blah, blah’ about him?
• Let me ask you about something another American said, John Kerry who I interviewed and he said, 50% of the action against stopping climate change is going to come from new technology. What do you say to that?
• Just turning to Britain for a second. The UK government has just announced it’s going to halve taxes on domestic flights. What does that say about UK position on leading in the climate change?
• How do you mobilise people without angering them, without turning them off, without stopping them thinking?
• What would you say to those people in Scotland who are really worried that their own economic futures are going to be destroyed by these promises?
• To achieve a really, really big change in the kind of public atmosphere, the public mood about this you need to mobilise millions and millions of people, some of them watching the programme, sitting at home, wondering, you know they’ve got their jobs, they’ve got their bills, they’ve got their anxieties and their worries and so forth and you need to get them out onto the streets, you need to get them active. So how do you do that?
• China for instance is still building more coal fired power stations. Why should we be leading, what would you say to them?
• Do you talk at all to climate activists for instance in China about what they’re doing?
• What would be – if you were sitting in front - if it wasn’t me in front of you but it was Boris Johnson sitting here, what would you be saying to him?
• What do you think you got right and what would you say to the next generation about doing it differently?
• Do you think humanity can respond to the climate crisis in a way that’s proportionate and successful?

Analysis and extract of the questionnaire used by Andrew Marr

Andrew Marr in his interview with climate activist Greta Thunberg asked a few questions related to this climate and the disruptions it has been facing for a long time now. Without asking any general questions, Andrew directly started their behavioural interview with to-the-point questions:

Theme 1: Activist movement in Glasgow

Andrew Marr interviewed Greta Thunberg with the question of the activist movement that has caused environmental disruption through sound pollution (The Andrew Marr Show: Interview with Greta Thunberg, 2021). As this stands against the environment protocols, Greta Thunberg replied that although climate awareness has been spread worldwide, still people around are not getting concerned about it. The activists who have done sound pollution, as per Greta being an environmentalist commented that they have to protest as per their rules whereas all across the world, still, people are not becoming aware of the climatic conditions yet. Greta also added that no matter how many of the residents are becoming climate-conscious, a larger number of them are still walking in the wrong direction. 

Theme 2: Political leaders understand the need for climate awareness

Greta has described her view of politicians very distinctively. She said that to politicians, what matters the most is the vote they are gaining from the public. It is henceforth, a politician's responsibility, in a more refined way, a leader to lead their team to a positive pathway. Politicians should fulfil the wishes of their voters in order to be in their demand in future. Therefore, as per Greta, politicians should take on the responsibility of spreading climate awareness amongst their followers as it would spread the word amongst many within a short span of time (The Andrew Marr Show: Interview with Greta Thunberg, 2021). More of all, followers who have the tendency to follow their leader would obviously follow the guidelines the leader is providing and hence, climate awareness can be spread in a better way to many people.

Theme 3: Speaking offers at climate change conference

Andrew asked Greta about receiving an offer for speaking at the climate change conference as the young voices are required now. Greta commented that she was not asked officially for speaking at the conference therefore she was not sure about it. But when Andrew asked about her opinion on the fact of being not invited to speak at the COP, she said that many people, till today, do not like the fact that younger people are saying or lecturing on an important factor such as climate concern when such adults are living around. She also added that the movement she is leading is vague to many people but is validated by many as well (The Andrew Marr Show: Interview with Greta Thunberg, 2021). Therefore she thinks it is not at all important for speaking on an international platform to spread her own concept but it is necessary that people are contributing to climate safety.

Theme 4: Message to the next generation

Greta in this interview also shared her views about the next generation while protecting the environment. According to Andrew Marr, the revolution started by Greta actually stirred the thinkings of people across the world. Next generation is also trying to follow the footsteps of Greta to bring revolution in the society. As per Greta, they have not done enough for the environment yet. They have done whatever felt right at the moment to save the environment. The movement started by the activists was very random (The Andrew Marr Show: Interview with Greta Thunberg, 2021). The youngsters were outraged because of the fake promises delivered by the political leaders for their own benefit. As per Greta, the young generation may receive lots of criticism during the early days but at the same time, from these criticisms they will learn more about the society and environment and its norms. It will help the movement grow. These days people see activists in a different way with more focused goals.

Theme 5: Response of humanity towards climate crisis

As per the interviewer, human beings can easily achieve whatever they want in real life. They have discovered the cure for polio, a vaccine for coronavirus as well. As per Andrew Marr, possibilities are there to resolve the issues of climate crisis. When he asked the same question to Greta, her response was quite impressive. She believes in humanity. She thinks if human beings do not indulge themselves in excuses and lies, then it is possible to find a cure for such a climate crisis. The main focus is to combat the crisis and human beings should put emphasis on the focus for now. Greta also said that losing focus will not help people to combat such crises (The Andrew Marr Show: Interview with Greta Thunberg, 2021). In the meantime, she thinks that everything is not lost and still there are some hopes which will help to fight against such environmental issues. Human beings can try to do things which will help to prevent the worst things from happening.

Theme 6: Positions of various countries in climate crisis

In this interview, Andrew simply wanted to know the steps of various countries. For example, the government of the United Kingdom divided the taxes of domestic flights. Greta answered then, these policies may have a significant role to control the climate crisis in the country but no actual actions are taken by the government to mitigate the environmental issues (Bahagia et al., 2020). Then Andrew added that people of the country are also protesting in favour of climate conservation. He wanted to know if there was any way to mobilise people in a peaceful way without making any disturbance. Greta was confident enough to dodge the question with a proper comeback. In addition to that she replied that no people were hurt while protesting for the environmental changes (The Andrew Marr Show: Interview with Greta Thunberg, 2021). In the meantime, she believes that people need to be angry while dealing with such crises. Government is playing a dumb role here and to mobilise the government it is important to take necessary steps to save the climate. She gave an example of school strike focusing on environmental issues and it was a huge hit across the world. Without making people concerned and angry, the demands can not be met properly.

Findings from the interview

Greta and her open-minded opinions

Greta Thunberg was interviewed by Andrew Marr about the activist movement that has created environmental damage through sound pollution. Because this violates environmental standards, Greta Thunberg said that, despite global climate awareness, many are still unconcerned about it. According to Greta, who is an environmentalist, the activists who have caused sound pollution must protest according to their laws, but people all over the world are still unaware of the climatic circumstances. Greta further stated that no matter how many citizens are becoming environmentally concerned, a substantial portion of them are still going on the wrong path (Brito-Morales et al., 2018).

Greta identifies political leaders as messengers of climate awareness

Greta's perspective on politicians is really distinct. She stated that for politicians, the most important thing is the public's vote. It is now the role of a politician, or more precisely, a leader, to guide their team along a beneficial route. Politicians must fulfil the demands of their constituents in order to remain in their favour in the future. As a result, Greta believes that politicians should take on the task of raising climate awareness among their constituents, as this will spread the message quickly (Prober et al., 2019). More importantly, followers who have a predisposition to follow their leader will undoubtedly follow the rules provided by the leader, allowing climate awareness to be transmitted to a greater number of individuals.

Speaking internationally is not important, says Greta

Andrew inquired of Greta about gaining an invitation to speak at the climate change conference since youthful voices are desperately needed right now. Greta stated that she had not been officially invited to present at the conference and hence was unsure. While Andrew questioned her about not being invited to speak at the COP, she stated that many individuals still do not like the idea that younger people are discussing or lecturing on an essential matter such as climate concern when such adults live nearby (The Andrew Marr Show: Interview with Greta Thunberg, 2021). She also stated that the movement she is heading is ambiguous to many people, but it is also validated by many.

People are going in the wrong direction to date

Andrew Marr interviewed Greta Thunberg on the activism movement that has caused environmental damage through sound pollution. Greta Thunberg stated that, despite global climate awareness, many people are indifferent about this since it breaches environmental regulations (Brito-Morales et al., 2018). According to Greta, an environmentalist, activists who have generated sound pollution must protest in accordance with national regulations, but people worldwide are still oblivious of the climatic conditions. Greta went on to say that no matter how many folks become environmentally conscious, a sizable number of them continue to make poor choices.

People are being conscious

The entire focus of the interview was on the reactions of human beings to these environmental problems. These days people have actually started being very conscious about their surroundings. It is actually helpful for the environment. Consciousness of the people can actually conserve the environment. Greta has mentioned often that people need to express themselves while fighting against some authority. It is okay to make them angry while their anger can help them to achieve their goals (Maxwell et al., 2019). The consciousness of people actually has made them join various climate conservation ventures all across the world. At the same time, they are bringing revolution in this world.

Sharing optimistic views

At the end of the interview, Andrew Marr was very much interested to share the optimistic views of Greta. Andrew totally agrees with Geta’s point that the government only were upto making promises. Whenever a new campaign is being launched , more people are trying to join and finally to get more attention. He also asked if Greta ever felt to give up. In response, Greta actually mentioned that she never ever changed her mind before. There is no way that new changes will not be able to bring revolutionary steps to conserve the environment. Greta always is full of hope and she admitted in the interview that without hope, no activist can work for long (Scoville et al., 2021).

Encouraging new technologies

In this interview, Greta also showed her enthusiasm to use new technologies. When Andrew Marr mentioned that 50 percent of ideas and processes to stop climate change will be enhanced by the latest technology as per John Kerry, Greta supported that enthusiasm. She thought that it would be great if technology and human beings work together to stop the coming crisis of the environment. Activists are not against technology in fact they want to help humanity in a more scientific way (Maxwell et al., 2019). She also shared the fact that right now only a few prototypes are there working in the industry. These prototypes are so new that it will be a very naive decision to put all hope for them. But certainly, there is a chance of technologies to help humanity to save the environment.

Part 2: Quantitative Analysis

10 countries are reported as producing the most CO2 (total) in 2016

From the data set ten countries are producing the most CO2 in 2016; for instance, in China in 2016 CO2 emissions of 10,432,751,400, -0.28% change in the year can be identified (Worldometers.info, 2022). For that reason, it holds the number one position in terms of CO2 emissions. Furthermore, in 2016, the population range was 1,414,049,351 and the range was 0.51% and the share of the World's CO2 emissions was 29.18%. In the United States in 2016 5,011,686,600 was fossil CO2 Emissions (tons) changed the CO2 emissions by -2.01%, 15.52 was the CO2 emissions per capita. Alongside, Qatar in 2016, the CO2 emissions were 98,990,085, and the population were 2,654,374of 37.29 per capita and a share of the global 0.28%. In addition, 16,249,039 were the CO2 emission,2.27% changed within the one year, the populations were 627264 per capita 25.90 and the global share was 0.05% in Montenegro.

 (Worldometer, 2022)

Even so, Kuwait's CO2 emissions were 101,492,225 tons in 2016 and they increased from 2015. Since 2015 the CO2 were 1,358,741 tons when CO2 emissions were 100,133,485 tons.The Kuwait CO2 emission per capita were decrease by 25.65 tons per person and 0.46 over the figure of 26.11 CO2 tons per person. India was fossil CO2 emissions were 2,533,638,100 tons in 2016 and from 2015 it increased 4.71% from the previous years to 114,000,900 tons when CO2 emissions were 2,419,637,200 tons.Russia's CO2 emissions decreased by -2.13% since 2016 and it was -36,108,200 tons over 2015, when CO2 emissions were 1,698,007,500 tons (Worldometer, 2022). Even so, in Russia where the CO2 emissions were 1,661,899,300 tons in 2016. Japan had 1,239,592,060 tons in 2016 and it decreased from 2015, when 2015 it was 1,254,799,850 tons. The fossil CO2 emissions in Germany were 775,752,190 tons in 2016 and they increased from 2015. Since 2015, it has been 765,922,900 tons. Canada had CO2 emissions of 675,918,610 tons in 2016 but it decreased from 2015 and CO2 was 682,765,340 tons. Since 2016, the fossil CO2 emissions in Trinidad and Tobago were 34,974, 263 tons and it decreased from the previous year's 2015, which was 37,176,615 tons. The United Arab Emirates had a CO2 of 218,788,684 tons in 2016 (Worldometer, 2022).

10 countries are reported as producing the most CO2 per capita in 2016 and rank these

The data set has shown that Qatar had the highest per capita in 2016 at 37.29 among the total population of 2,654,374. Montenegro CO2 had ranked in the second position in terms of per capita. If the top 10 countries are arranged accordingly from the highest per capita to the lowest, it can be respectively Qatar, Montenegro, Kuwait, Trinidad and Tobago, UAE,Oman, Canada, Brunei, Luxembourg, and Bahrain. Therefore, in the top 10 list Barend stands in the last position with a significant good amount of per capita at 17.15 (Worldometer, 2022).

 (Worldometer, 2022)

Comparison of the two metrics of the data set Per capita and one year change

(Created by author)

In the above graph, the two metrics of the data set per capita and one year change have been compared with each other for all the countries in the dataset. The orange highlighted lines stand for the ups and downs of the one year change and on the other hand, the Blue lines are for the per capita of the different countries. In terms of one year change, from the above graph it can be seen that Peru has the most percentage of change in one year. On the other hand, in terms of the per capita, the highest per capita can be seen for the Czech Republic (Worldometer, 2022). On the basis of the above diagram, it can be stated that there are certain ups and downs for both the metrics and it is clear that per capita cannot decide the overall change level in one year for any particular country.

Correlation between the size of population and the total CO2 produced in 2016

Carbon Dioxide is considered the main component contributing to the rise of climatic hazards. The correlation which can be driven out of the size of population and carbon dioxide emission is the emission of the gas depends on the rectangular sizing of the residents. It is important to know how the emission of carbon dioxide is related to the populational size. It has been analysed that with the rise of the population all across the globe, the rise of carbon dioxide emissions is also increasing which has been a cause of climate hazards. Although, as per 2016’s analysis and evaluation of CO2 emissions, no valid mitigating strategy against the cause could have been evaluated to date (Worldometer, 2022).

Identification and analysis of the G7 countries

Naming the G7 countries are Japan, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, The UK and The US. Known to be the Group of Seven, this cluster was formed in order to mitigate global challenges related to International business, global security, international economics as well as climate changes. The purpose of these G7 countries is to ensure harmony within the residence of the countries as well as internationally (Worldometer, 2022). The Parliament of this G7 is formed with members who own powers for handling global affairs and is extremely mutual when it comes to politics, economical balance, legal activities, environmental issues, secularity in religious views, military and diversification in culture and relations related to diplomacy. Formerly, it was the G8 countries Russia was a former member back in the year of 1997 to 2014 (Worldometer, 2022). Afterwards, it became a group of seven excluding Russia as they could not maintain a secular mentality while being in the group of seven. As the group of seven forms an intergovernmental forum which is basically based the on political views of all the seven countries and establishes the views of other countries as well for maintaining international balance in all aspects (Worldometer, 2022). G7 plays a huge role in balancing and mitigating climate hazards as it continuously analyses the CO2 emissions happening all across the world. It was the G7 who first analysed that the rising population is the main cause of CO2 emission and proper mitigation strategies related to the situation are still identifiable.

Comment on any other aspects of this data you find interesting

The other aspects should be concerned about the other sources of emissions and this could include the natural carbon dioxide emissions as well like the volcano. The natural sources of carbon dioxide emissions can provide a more compact idea of the countries producing carbon dioxide both naturally and by the human.

Original sources of data and Data collection technique

The major original sources for the provided data set are Emission Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR), CO2 Emissions from Fuel Combustion - IEA and World Population Prospects: The 2019 Revision - United Nations Population Division. These online databases provide a critical measurement of statistical information to the website and after that, it categorises the different results in a dataset form. The first source emission database for global atmospheric research provides from time to time anthropogenic emissions data of different types of air pollutants and GH gases in a form of 0.1o x 0.1o grid or it might be country based (Solazzo et al., 2021). The second source IEA provides fundamental information of energy related environmental issues and information regarding specific fuels and sectors related to GHG emissions. The last source provides the population division and all the data are collected from the online database and it is collected by the United Nations organisation to analyse population levels and demographic indicators (Collins, and Page, 2019).

Ethical issues in drawing conclusions from this analysis alone and areas of improvement

As this part of this report writing is associated with the emission of CO2 and the ranking of countries per capita as per their CO2 emissions, various ethical issues are related to the data extraction process which has been conducted for drawing the findings for this assessment. And it is very much confidential for a country to save its personal data which has been used in this assessment for assessing the emission of carbon dioxide. It can be said that the confidential data is included the population ratio of the country, the unemployment rate of the country as people are staying more at home rather than at the workplace, and the development of industrial belts of the country which is also contributing to this year to a mission of that particular population of the country (Worldometer, 2022). Apart from the ethical issues the reliability of this data is not assured to be exact and in order to improve its reliability, the census reports of the countries should be undertaken and cross their furcation along with the residents of the country through survey or interviews by following a particular questionnaire should be carried out so that the data is collected from the second method will be verified through primary data collection method.

Need of additional measurement and suggestions for the existing data

There is no need to add any further measurement technique for the dataset. In terms of suggestions for the existing data, in a two year gap, the data should be updated because in the recent years the pollution level is increasing consistently and updating the dataset more quickly can provide more accurate information.

Reflective

• The major skills that helped me to complete the report were research skills, data interpretation skills, presentation skills, academic integrity and also time management. Most of the research material is from surveys, data sheets, and prominence on objective quantity, statistical data, and mathematical and numerical estimations. Quantitative research methods are very helpful for the research because they can use pre-existing numerical data for computational and figuring techniques (Loewen and Godfroid, 2019). This is the third part of the report, where I will demonstrate how I completed the whole research and share my thoughts about it, which results from valuable learning.
• The first part of the research has analysed the Greta Thunberg interview hosted by Andrew Marr and organised by BBC international in 2021 as part of the COP26 discussion. I am using a draft transcript of the interview, which is available on the BBC online platform Andrew Marr's website (Thunberg, 2020). Most of the interview parts in the transcript paper were very helpful to my research and made me even more outstanding, though I struggled a lot with the qualitative part of the whole research. The 'Uncorrected' section of the whole transcript paper is the most useful section for me, where I can repeatedly analyse serious mistakes and places that might be part of a previous interview hosted by BBC International. In the qualitative research section, I have critically reflected on and analysed various comments and expectations between the overall research considering multiple journalistic and media interviews and online sources. Greta began an environmental conservation campaign and later became an activist. Her youth and lack of experience did not prevent her from understanding the need of environmental protection. During an interview with Andrew Marr, she expressed her thoughts about her movement, her goals, and the latest technology. Simultaneously, she spoke candidly about other countries' environmental policies. She is sometimes disappointed because governments do not place enough emphasis on new laws and regulations to protect the environment. The organisation and analysis of the conversation are illustrated in this report. A few computations are included for the second section to create a valid calculation.
• The discussion of CO2 emissions has been the main focus area of the second division in my research. The quantitative research structure, multiple environment websites, data sheets, and surveys are performed during the section to examine perfect data for the research presented in the above section of the report. I have used the effective 5Pss method to understand and implement quantitative methods and to create multiple statistics, tables and graphs to communicate appropriately with the initial goals and objectives of the research.
• Doing the quantitative analyses, I have used the quantitative data analysis tools and it has led me to undertake various kinds of direct analysis like understanding the top 10 countries reported to produce the most carbon dioxide across the world. On the other hand, a graph is also presented to compare the two metrics for different nations on the basis of the dataset. Apart from that, finding external sources of information, the G-7 countries are also identified using statistical tests.

Conclusion

Greta started a movement to conserve the environment and eventually ended up being an activist. Her young age and less experience did not stop her to understand the importance of conservation of the environment. While doing an interview with Andrew Marr, she cleared her opinion about her movement, her hopes, and the latest technologies. At the same time, she opened up about various countries’ policies to protect the environment. Sometimes she feels very frustrated that governments are not giving enough importance to new rules and regulations to save the environment. In this report, the structure and review of the interview are demonstrated. For the second part, a few calculations are added to draw a proper calculation.

Reference

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Brito-Morales, I., Molinos, J.G., Schoeman, D.S., Burrows, M.T., Poloczanska, E.S., Brown, C.J., Ferrier, S., Harwood, T.D., Klein, C.J., McDonald-Madden, E. and Moore, P.J., (2018). Climate velocity can inform conservation in a warming world. Trends in ecology & evolution, 33(6), pp.441-457.

Collins, J. and Page, L., (2019). The heritability of fertility makes world population stabilization unlikely in the foreseeable future. Evolution and Human Behavior, 40(1), pp.105-111.

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Maxwell, S.L., Butt, N., Maron, M., McAlpine, C.A., Chapman, S., Ullmann, A., Segan, D.B. and Watson, J.E., (2019). Conservation implications of ecological responses to extreme weather and climate events. Diversity and Distributions, 25(4), pp.613-625.

Scoville, C., Chapman, M., Amironesei, R. and Boettiger, C., (2021). Algorithmic conservation in a changing climate. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 51, pp.30-35.

Solazzo, E., Crippa, M., Guizzardi, D., Muntean, M., Choulga, M. and Janssens-Maenhout, G., (2021). Uncertainties in the Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR) emission inventory of greenhouse gases. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 21(7), pp.5655-5683.

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