Climate change and biodiversity: forests and oceans
I can describe the importance of forests and oceans in combating climate change, and the impact of human activities on forests and oceans.
- Year 11
- Edexcel
Climate change and biodiversity: forests and oceans
I can describe the importance of forests and oceans in combating climate change, and the impact of human activities on forests and oceans.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Forests act as a global carbon sink, absorbing one-quarter of the annual global CO₂ emissions from the atmosphere.
- Deforestation contributes to climate change and is a major cause of habitat and biodiversity loss.
- Mitigation strategies include forest protection, reducing deforestation for farming, and replanting trees.
- Oceans act as a global carbon sink, absorbing one-quarter of annual global CO₂ emissions from the atmosphere.
- High CO₂ levels harm marine biodiversity through ocean acidification and reduced shell formation, alongside overfishing.
Keywords
Climate change - Climate change is a long-term shift in weather patterns.
Carbon sink - A process or system that takes more carbon from the atmosphere than it releases.
Deforestation - Deforestation is the removal of trees, often for timber or fuel, or to repurpose land for housing or farming.
Acidification - Ocean acidification is the reduction of the ocean pH over an extended period of time, mainly caused by the uptake of CO2 from the atmosphere.
Common misconception
Incorrectly thinking that we can use and damage forests and oceans without negative consequences for the planet and our own survival.
This lesson explores the crucial role of forests and oceans as global carbon sinks that offset human carbon emissions, and the impacts of deforestation, global warming and ocean acidification.
Equipment
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Climate change is a ________-term shift in weather patterns.
Q2.Photosynthesis takes place in the green parts of plants, including the leaves and stems. Which gas is a product of photosynthesis and is released into the air from leaves?
Q3.Photosynthesis takes place in the green parts of plants, including the leaves and stems. Which gas is a reactant in photosynthesis and is absorbed into leaves from the air?
Q4.True or false? Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas.
Q5.Which of the following is the correct description of biodiversity?
Q6.Which of these ecosystems has the lowest biodiversity?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the following scientific terms to their correct meaning.
Q2.Which greenhouse gas is absorbed from the atmosphere by oceans?
