This animated video and article explains that preserving and restoring natural ecosystems is a powerful and necessary solution to climate change.
It describes how allowing natural ecosystems to flourish increases photosynthesis, balances ecosystems, provides many other benefits to humans, and increases the storage of extra carbon from the air.
Students will learn that each component of the ecosystem plays a valuable and necessary role in keeping the entire ecosystem, and our planet, healthy.
Teaching Tips
Positives
This engaging video offers a variety of ways that nature can heal the planet, if allowed to.
The article includes a number of excellent links to other videos and resources where students can learn more.
Additional Prerequisites
This video can be accompanied by this Table of Solutions and this video about the many solutions we'll need to address climate change and live sustainably on this planet.
Differentiation
Advanced students could read more about the rationale behind the video in this scientific paper.
Science classes could use this video as a hook before making food web posters to explore the roles that organisms play in promoting carbon storage.
Ecology, biology, and environmental science classes could watch this video when discussing the carbon cycle, keystone species, and population dynamics.
Social studies classes could discuss the importance of maintaining natural ecosystems for Indigenous cultures and intergenerational justice.
Other resources on this topic include this video about nature-based solutions to climate change, this biome map activity, and this ecosystem services activity.
Scientist Notes
This resource is an under 2-minute video and accompanying website that looks at some of how we can promote carbon drawdown and carbon retention through the expansion of healthy ecosystems such as marshlands, peatlands, and forests. While short, this resource is clear and well-produced. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Standards
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
ESS2: Earth's Systems
MS-ESS2-1 Develop a model to describe the cycling of Earth's materials and the flow of energy that drives this process.
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.
LS2: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
MS-LS2-1 Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for the effects of resource availability on organisms and populations of organisms in an ecosystem.
MS-LS2-3 Develop a model to describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy among living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem.
MS-LS2-4 Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect populations.
MS-LS2-5 Evaluate competing design solutions for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services.
