Consumption is the process of using up resources.

Inequality is when something is not shared evenly between everyone.

Natural resources are those that come from Earth without human influence and can be used for human needs.

Introducing sustainability

Geography

Carbon footprints

Using energy wisely

Tackling food waste

Biodiversity and sustainability

Making cities more sustainable

This unit prepares pupils to take a more critical stance when thinking about where their food comes from in 'Farms and factories: Where does our food come from?' and about patterns of consumption and global trade in 'Global trade: How do we get our stuff?'.

This builds on what has been learnt in 'Natural resources: What are they, where are they and why are they important?' and 'Energy: How do we power the world?' and encourages pupils to apply their learning in thinking how energy use impacts in different parts of life and is distributed unequally. 

This unit introduces sustainability by exploring how human choices affect the environment. Pupils learn about energy use, food waste, biodiversity and urban living, and consider how individuals and communities can work towards a more sustainable future.

Sustainable world: does it matter how we live?

Climate change is a large-scale and long-term change in the planet’s climate, including weather patterns and average temperatures.

Greenhouse gases are gases in Earth’s atmosphere that trap heat.

Global warming is the increase in Earth's average temperature over a long period of time.

Fossil fuels are natural substances that were formed over millions of years from the buried remains of ancient organisms; they include coal, oil and gas.

Transport is a way of travelling between places.

Renewable means that something can be re-used and will not be used up or run out.

Energy is the power used to make things work.

An emission is something that is released into the world. An example is the release of carbon dioxide when we breathe out.

A carbon footprint is a measure of the total amount of greenhouses gases that are released as a result of our actions.

Food miles measure the distance between where a food is grown or made to where it is eaten.

Climate crisis is a term used to describe climate change and global warming, and the impact of these on Earth.

Conservation is the careful protection of something.

Rewilding allows an area to restore itself to a natural state in which wildlife can return without human intervention.

A pollinator is an animal or insect that helps transfer pollen from plants.

A city is a settlement that is usually larger than a town and has local government.

If something is sustainable it is able to continue over a long time.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are 17 aims created for nations to adopt in order to work towards "peace and prosperity for people and the planet".

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Sustainable world: does it matter how we live?

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