Plastic pollution
I can explain the causes, scale, and impacts of plastic pollution on people and the environment.
- Year 9
Plastic pollution
I can explain the causes, scale, and impacts of plastic pollution on people and the environment.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Most plastic is made from fossil fuels and is not biodegradable.
- Plastic production has grown rapidly since the 1950s.
- Plastic waste pollutes land, rivers, and oceans.
- Microplastics enter food chains and may harm human health.
- Wildlife can be injured or killed by plastic waste.
Keywords
Biodegradable - material or substance that can break down naturally over time by the action of bacteria, fungi or other living organisms
Microplastic - tiny pieces of plastic, usually smaller than five millimetres, that either come from the breakdown of larger plastic items or are made that size
Ocean garbage patch - a large area of the ocean where plastic and other waste collects, trapped by circular ocean currents
Common misconception
Plastic will eventually biodegrade, even if it takes hundreds of years.
Plastic is not biodegradable, it just breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces and eventually turns into microplastics (tiny plastic pieces, smaller than 5 mm).
Equipment
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What does "Anthropocene" mean?
Q2.Which of these activities increases atmospheric CO₂?
Q3.Why is biodiversity important in ecosystems?
Q4.What is one visible sign of the Anthropocene from space?
Q5.Which human action directly affects the geosphere?
Q6.Which part of Earth is most affected by plastic pollution?
Assessment exit quiz
4 Questions
Q1.Match the keywords to their definition.
