Does Recycling Help Fight Climate Change?
Podcasts
Grades6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12Economics, English Language Arts
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Provided by The Climate Question
What it is
- Is recycling good for the environment, or is it actually counteractive to our efforts to reduce carbon emissions? In this podcast, the presenters investigate this question as they track down the places where our recycled items end up.
- Listeners will learn about global waste, the effectiveness of recycling certain items, deceiving marketing strategies, and the benefits of aiming for a more circular economy.
Teaching tips
Positives
- This podcast challenges a common misconception about recycling and the environment that many people have.
- Students can learn about the importance of reducing waste and reusing items.
Additional Prerequisites
- The podcast switches to climate news at 22:23.
- The podcast makes references to the idea of a circular economy. It may be helpful to introduce students to this concept before listening to the podcast.
Differentiation
- Students in social studies classes learning about economics can use this podcast to investigate the pros and cons of a "linear" economy.
- A possible extension activity could include asking students to share what they learned about recycling and the climate with others, by making a video, infographic, or flyer, or by writing an essay.
- Related resources include this video or this video about recycling, and this activity about trash.
From the scientist review
The podcast emphasized the effects of recycling on the environment and recommended the circular economy as the ideal model to significantly improve both the economy and the environment. This resource is suitable for teaching because it contains no scientific misconceptions.
How we review resourcesReady to use it?
Hosted on bbc.co.uk
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