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How Earth's Original Inhabitants Help Combat Climate Change

Provided by: TED |Published on: June 27, 2022

Videos

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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.

Subjects: Biology, Earth and Space Sciences

Authors: Steven Allison

Region: Global

Languages: English

Positives

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

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.
An additional resource that may be helpful to watch before this video is Why Is Soil One of the Most Amazing Things on Earth?

Scientist Notes

Teaching Tips

Standards

Resource Type and Format

All resources can be used for your educational purposes with proper attribution to the content provider.