Stopping Deforestation is an "Emergency Brake" Solution
Articles/Websites
Grades9, 10, 11, 12, APBiology, Earth and Space Sciences
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 →
Provided by Project Drawdown
What it is
- This article describes stopping deforestation as a critical climate change solution that is often overlooked, but it is one that can immediately reduce greenhouse gas concentrations and help slow climate change.
- Students will understand the causes behind deforestation, how much climate change is affected by deforestation, and why protecting standing trees and intact forests will work faster than other climate solutions.
Teaching tips
Positives
- The colorful maps in this article support students' understanding of the content.
- Students experiencing climate anxiety will benefit from this solutions-focused article.
- This can easily tie into positive climate actions that also benefit people, biodiversity, and the planet.
Prerequisites
- Students should understand the basics about greenhouse gases.
- Students should also understand the basics of the carbon cycle and the role of trees in removing and storing carbon from the atmosphere.
Differentiation & Implementation
- Before reading the article, or as a follow-up activity, teachers can post the maps from the article around the room. Students can then walk around, analyze the maps, and make predictions for or connections to the reading.
- After reading this article, students can research other ways that human activities, such as agriculture and urbanization, impact the climate.
- Language arts teachers can task students with analyzing the metaphor of stopping deforestation as the climate solution emergency brake. Students can then use this metaphor in a piece of poetry or as inspiration for artwork.
- Teachers can follow this article with a conversation about the importance of intersectionality and giving those most directly impacted a seat at the table. Students can cite sections from the article to support this conversation.
- After reading this article, students can read about the related solutions: Plant-Rich Diets and Reduced Food Waste.
From the scientist review
Communities residing in environmentally delicate areas and hotspots of biodiversity destruction, such as the Congo Basin, Indonesia, and the Brazilian Amazon, are suffering disproportionately from deforestation. Additionally, it accounts for up to 11% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. This resource explains the effects of deforestation on the climate system, the carbon cycle, and the need to halt it in order to reach net-zero emissions. The resource is suggested for use in classrooms after passing our science evaluation.
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