Methane: The Greenhouse Gas We Can No Longer Ignore
Videos
Grades6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12Earth and Space Sciences
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 NowThis Earth
What it is
- This video from NowThis Earth explains the importance of reducing methane emissions alongside CO2 emissions.
- Students learn the impact of methane emissions on the environment, different sources of methane, and ways to reduce these methane emissions.
Teaching tips
Positives
- The video seamlessly introduces students to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the Montreal Protocol of 1987.
- Though the video is warning viewers, it ends with a hopeful, solutions-focused message.
Prerequisites
- There may be an ad before the video.
- Students should be familiar with methane and the effects of greenhouse gases.
Differentiation & Implementation
- Teachers can use this video to explain the importance of policies in mitigating climate change.
- Teachers can play 1:28-1:53 to explain the sources of methane.
- Teachers can play 2:26-2:40 to highlight the effects of methane emissions on the planet.
- Teachers can play 3:25-4:10 to describe the greenhouse gases trapped in the Arctic permafrost and the havoc they can cause if released.
- Teachers can play 4:12-5:55 to start a discussion about ways to reduce methane emissions.
- Teachers can give students group assignments to provide 3 ways they can contribute to reducing methane emissions.
- Click here, here, and here for more resources on methane emissions.
- Click here and here for videos that teach how to fight climate change through your diet.
From the scientist review
The resource underscores the contribution of methane to global warming potentials. It explains methane sources and how methane emissions can be reduced to help cool the planet to temperatures a little above the pre-industrial era. Reports from the IPCC and UNEP were not dated, and this could be an oversight. But this resource and the content are high quality, topical, relevant, accurate, and recommended for teaching.
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