How Earth's Original Inhabitants Help Combat Climate Change
Provided by: TED |Published on: June 27, 2022
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Synopsis
In this video, Steven Allison describes the fascinating abilities of microbes to help plants survive, recycle wastes, produce oxygen, and survive extreme environments.
Steven explains that Earth's soil microbiome can help us adapt to climate change, build carbon in the soil, and fight food insecurity.
This video is a broad introduction to microorganisms with specific connections to climate change.
Additional resources that would be helpful for further research are listed under "Steven Allison's resource list" towards the bottom of the page.
Additional Prerequisites
Students should be familiar with cells, microbes, and microbial communities.
The video can be downloaded as an MP4 and used offline.
Differentiation
The video is somewhat long and full of information about microbes. In order to help students process the information, a graphic organizer or vocabulary list is recommended.
Biology classes could use this resource to introduce decomposition, the diversity of life, evolution, natural selection, nutrient cycling, or natural solutions to climate change.
It could be helpful to pause the video at various points to do comprehension checks and have students work in groups to write a summary of the video.