Can Seaweed Help Curb Global Warming?

• This video explains how seaweed farming could remove significant amounts of carbon from the atmosphere, reduce ocean acidification, and provide a food source to people and ocean ecosystems.
• Students will learn about Tim Flannery's concept that seaweed is the carbon hero the world needs if we want to curb climate change quickly.

Positives

• This is a great example of a creative and nature-based solution to a number of problems facing the world.
• The speaker does an excellent job in explaining some of the trickier concepts and includes graphics that will benefit visual learners.

Additional Prerequisites

• Students should have an understanding of climate change, greenhouse gases, and ocean acidification.
• There is a brief ad before and after the video.

Differentiation

• Science classes could use this video to introduce seaweed as a way to curb climate change. Some discussion questions include:
  • How could seaweed farming positively affect the changing climate?
  • What surprised you about seaweed's potential impact?
  • Do you see a future in seaweed farming/ocean permaculture? Why? Why not?
  • What are some of the challenges that this solution will face?
• Social studies and economics classes could discuss the governmental and economic implications of a solution like ocean permaculture and seaweed farming. 
• Other related resources include this video about seaweed, this interactive lesson about climate change and oceans, and this interactive table of possible solutions.