Why Are Peatlands So Important?
Articles/Websites
Grades6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12Social Studies, Chemistry, Biology
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Provided by The Kid Should See This
What it is
- This video explains what peat is and how it is connected to the fight against global warming and excess carbon in the atmosphere.
- It follows environmental scientist Dr. Greta Dargie and her field team as they explore wetlands in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to collect samples and measure the carbon concentrations of the peat.
Teaching tips
Positives
- Dr. Greta Dargie and her team explore the world's largest tropical peatland complex.
- The reading highlights the importance of peat and how despite only covering about 3% of Earth's land surface, it accounts for over one-third of carbon stock.
Additional Prerequisites
- The content of the video ends at 2:38 and the remaining time is the credits and an outro.
- Students should understand the importance and relevance of carbon storage to combat the climate crisis.
Differentiation
- Students can research different ways that carbon gets sequestered and stored, and compare those to the effectiveness of peatlands.
- Students in economics classes can analyze businesses that benefit financially from the degradation of peatlands and suggest alternative options.
- Students in chemistry classes can describe the types of peat analyses Dr. Dargie and her team might conduct in their lab.
From the scientist review
The resource gives prominence to peatlands and their significant role in carbon sequestration. Human activities like farming, oil exploitation, mining, and logging could destroy our peatlands and biodiversity. It is important to protect this ecosystem from degradation so it could continually sequester CO2. This resource is ideal for teaching.
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