Climate change and food production
I can explain how food production is affected by and contributes to climate change, and how changes in diet can help to limit climate change.
Climate change and food production
I can explain how food production is affected by and contributes to climate change, and how changes in diet can help to limit climate change.
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- Food production is at risk due to global warming and climate change
- Climate change makes extreme weather events more common, and this makes it more challenging to produce food
- Emissions of greenhouse gases from various stages of food production add to the carbon footprint of foods
- Changes in our diet can help us reduce emissions from food production and limit climate change
- Comparing emissions data for different diets helps us understand the impact of food choices
Keywords
Global warming - an increase in Earth’s average surface temperature
Greenhouse gases - gases in the atmosphere that keep it warmer than it would be without them
Emissions - releases of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere
Climate change - a long-term shift in weather patterns
Carbon footprint - the calculated total amount of greenhouse gases emitted by an activity
Common misconception
Thinking that what we eat has no impact on climate change, or that all foods have roughly the same impact.
This lesson explores in detail the impacts of different foods and dietary choices in terms of their carbon footprint of greenhouse gas emissions.
To help you plan your year 9 science lesson on: Climate change and food production, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 9 science lesson on: Climate change and food production, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
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The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
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Explore more key stage 3 science lessons from the Climate change and biodiversity unit, dive into the full secondary science curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
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Lesson video
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
Exit quiz
6 Questions
