The Material that Could Change the World...For a Third Time

Provided by: TED-Ed |Published on: April 27, 2021

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Scientist Reviewed ↗

Synopsis

This animated video from TED-Ed describes the surprisingly large role that concrete production has played in rising global temperatures.
The video highlights multiple modern innovations that could help solve this problem, like using clean energy to produce concrete, capturing the carbon released in the process, and even permanently storing the captured carbon in the concrete itself.

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Subjects: Earth and Space Sciences, Engineering

Authors: Lisa LaBracio

Region: Global

Languages: English

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Teaching Materials

Positives

The video is clear, and the science has been simplified to make it easy for students to understand.
The animations and background music are engaging.
There is additional information to explore about climate solutions and innovations by clicking on "Dig Deeper."

Prerequisites

There is an advertisement before the video.
Students and teachers must create an account to save answers to the questions about the video, view individual student answers, customize lessons, and embed lessons directly into Google Classroom or other classroom management platforms.

Differentiation & Implementation

This video is great for a science or engineering class when learning about modern innovations that can help solve climate change, as it gives multiple examples of how scientists are modifying concrete and its production to reduce the environmental impact.
Cross-curricular connections can be made with history because the video discusses the Romans as the inventors of concrete and describes how they used it to build their civilization.
Social studies students can research the use of concrete throughout history to demonstrate how this Roman invention is still impacting us today.
Other similar resources include Concrete: Making the Building Blocks of Society Sustainable and two interactive data resources about the annual and per capita emissions from cement.

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Resource Type and Format

Scientist Reviewed

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The Material that Could Change the World...For a Third Time

Synopsis

Teaching Materials

Scientist Reviewed

Related Teaching Resources