Food Waste: The Hidden Cost of the Food We Throw Out
Grades: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Type: Videos
Subjects: Earth and Space Sciences, Civics
Authors: ClimateScience
Location: Earth
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This video from ClimateScience explains how food is wasted in different countries and the impact it has on climate change.
- Students will understand that food waste emissions come from production, transportation, and rotting food in landfills.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- This video uses engaging animation and graphs to illustrate the points it makes.
- The video offers solutions that individuals can practice in their own lives.
Prerequisites
- There may be an ad before the video.
- Students should be comfortable reading graphs and interpreting percentages.
- Students should be familiar with the metric system.
- Teachers should note that in wealthier countries, food waste mostly occurs at grocery stores because it's difficult to sell imperfect food. In lower-income countries, food waste mostly occurs before the food gets to the grocery store due to inefficient farming techniques and lower access to temperature-controlled storage facilities.
Differentiation & Implementation
- A possible activity is to have students come up with creative solutions to decrease food waste at their school.
- This is a great video when learning about the unequal distribution of resources around the globe and within the United States.
- Related resources include this lesson plan on food waste, this video on food waste, and this article called Fighting Food Waste Means Fighting Climate Change.
The video underscores the significant impact of food loss and food waste in accelerating average global warming potentials from the agricultural sector and food supply chain. It clearly links the entire food supply chain and its potential impact on climate change. This resource is insightful and recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
Learn about our review process →
