The Way We Eat is Now Eating Away at Our Livable Planet
Articles/Websites
Grades9, 10, 11, 12, APBiology, Earth and Space Sciences
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Provided by Re:wild
What it is
- In this article from Re:wild, students will learn about the impacts of industrial agriculture and meat production on habitat destruction, resource use, and climate change.
- Students will learn about the efforts to change course, the barriers to implementing sustainable agriculture, and what everyone can do to help.
Teaching tips
Positives
- The article hooks students in with an anecdote about the release of Tasmanian Devils in a wildlife sanctuary in Australia.
- Students are given ideas for personal action and action towards systemic change, showing the importance of both.
Prerequisites
- Students may need the term zoonotic defined before reading.
- Students should understand how deforestation affects biodiversity, climate change, and ecosystems.
Differentiation & Implementation
- The article touches on the health claims made to promote the industrial agricultural complex. Students can research these health claims and determine how much truth there is behind them. Students can also read about studies done with plant-based diets and how they affect health.
- This article could be used in an AP Environmental Science, AP Biology, or ecology class to connect land use practices with the carbon cycle, water cycle, nutrient cycles, biodiversity loss, or climate change.
- Students can research local wildlife sanctuaries or other organizations working to protect animal populations and preserve biodiversity.
From the scientist review
The resource offers data and proof regarding how animal husbandry affects the climate and how switching to a plant-based diet may help reduce global warming, restore ecosystems, and enhance human health. It is advised to use this well-resourced teaching material.
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