This video explains how population growth, urban sprawl, and an expanding global economy have created a growing need for water, food, land, and energy.
Students will also learn that the dramatic increase in agriculture has caused tropical deforestation, natural water sources to diminish, and greenhouse gas emissions to grow.
Downloadable graphics, links to more information, and two related video discussions on equitable climate solutions and climate justice are also included below the video.
Teaching Tips
Positives
This expertly produced video offers bold imagery and easy-to-understand line graphs (which are available as downloadable graphics).
The video ends with a thought-provoking comparison between life on Earth fifty years ago and life on Earth today.
The two additional videos offer conversations on climate change in relation to topics of hope, equity, empathy, humility, and unity.
Additional Prerequisites
The video offers a lot of information, so it may be best to pause the video at intervals to discuss each topic as a class before moving on to the next topic.
Students should have a basic understanding of agriculture.
Differentiation
Science classes could use the video to create a cause and effect chart showing how modern society has created the environmental problems highlighted in the video. The activity can be extended by creating a solutions column to show how the "effects" can be reversed or changed.
Advanced students can read the two linked articles to delve more deeply into the topics discussed in the video.
Project Drawdown applies stringent research standards to their products, and all of the information presented in this resource is independently verifiable. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Standards
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
MS-ESS3-3 Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.
MS-ESS3-4 Construct an argument supported by evidence for how increases in human population and per-capita consumption of natural resources impact Earth's systems.
HS-ESS3-1 Construct an explanation based on evidence for how the availability of natural resources, occurrence of natural hazards, and changes in climate have influenced human activity.
HS-ESS3-6 Use a computational representation to illustrate the relationships among Earth systems and how those relationships are being modified due to human activity.
