This sector summary defines and examines many of the ways that land can sequester carbon and the human activities that can protect and support these important processes.
The article provides links to various climate change solutions within this sector, including dietary shifts, changing agricultural practices, protecting natural ecosystems, and reducing food waste.
Teaching Tips
Positives
Although the article is brief, students will be introduced to four climate change solutions based on human behavior.
This introductory summary lays the groundwork for teachers to plan a comprehensive unit based on land sinks.
Additional Prerequisites
Teachers may wish to have a brief discussion of the term "land sink" before assigning the article.
Since the vocabulary is rigorous, a definition list will be helpful.
Differentiation
This article is the sector summary and links to 22 solutions are provided, so students can be assigned a variety of topics within the overall unit for land sinks.
Teachers in English classes can use this article as the starting point for a lesson about problems versus solutions.
This article can supplement a science lesson regarding human impacts on the environment, the carbon cycle, the nitrogen cycle, ecosystems, or climate change.
Scientist Notes
This resource introduces a solution to reducing emissions by addressing land degradation and gives a brief discussion of how critical land is to reducing and slowing the effects of climate change. A few solutions to address the use of land as a carbon sink include focusing on food waste, protecting and restoring ecosystems, using degraded land, and shifting our agricultural practices. This site would be a great addition to a lesson discussing alternative methods to reducing carbon emissions. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Standards
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
HS-ESS3-4 Evaluate or refine a technological solution that reduces impacts of human activities on natural systems.
LS2: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
HS-LS2-3 Construct and revise an explanation based on evidence for the cycling of matter and flow of energy in aerobic and anaerobic conditions.
Common Core English Language Arts Standards (CCSS.ELA)
Reading: Informational Text (K-12)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.3 Analyze how the author unfolds an analysis or series of ideas or events, including the order in which the points are made, how they are introduced and developed, and the connections that are drawn between them.
