Download Discovery Education - Racing Extinction: Sustainability of our food

Sustainability of
our food chain
Food production and the
environment
Objectives
• Describe the relationship between food production and species
extinction.
• Use data to show environmental impacts of modern agriculture.
• Explain how increased human population impacts modern
agriculture.
• Discuss the correlation between human population increase and
the decline of fish stocks and increased meat production.
• Examine their dietary choices and consider how different types of
food production methods differ in their impacts on climate change
and species extinction.
Questions
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How might food production impact the environment?
How has agriculture evolved over time?
What factors affect fish stocks?
How does change in human population affect agriculture?
How do different methods of food production compare,
considering impacts on (i) the environment (ii) species
extinction?
• What are the connections between climate change and
species extinction?
Favourite foods!
What is your favourite food?
Write a list of your three favourite foods.
Destroying our oceans
Access clip: http://www.discoveryeducation.co.uk/video/item881962
What could you do?
What three things could you do to
prevent destruction of our oceans?
Think of daily activities that may have a wider impact on our oceans.
Could you eat differently?
Would you change your diet to save the oceans?
What would your new diet look like?
Understanding food
You will learn about how food
production affects the environment
and Earth’s wildlife.
Change your diet, save the world
Access clip: http://www.discoveryeducation.co.uk/video/item881957
How much do you eat?
Use your food logs to estimate your annual
animal protein consumption.
Consider…
• Units to quantify consumption:
o biomass
o calories
o kilograms
• Including dairy, as well as meat and fish
Impacts of modern agriculture
With your group:
Research evidence for the environmental impacts of
modern agriculture. Create a graphic organiser, such
as a concept map, showing environmental impacts.
Explore the following ideas:
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habitat loss
pollution and in particular carbon dioxide emissions
decline of crop diversity
soil erosion
Explaining food production
With your group:
Present your graphic organiser to the class.
• Explain your conclusions
• Describe other ways you could collect data
• Discuss the scientific method
Your discussion should include:
How the scientific method can be used to address complex questions about:
• the environment
• prioritising conservation
• balancing societal and human needs
An Encounter with a Manta Ray
Access clip: http://www.discoveryeducation.co.uk/video/item881940
What is the impact of human activities?
Write a short passage explaining how resource
depletion is connected to human activities.
Consider focusing on…
• needs and role of local communities
• Dilemmas such as: food or jobs versus exploiting resources
• Large-scale activities such as industrial fisheries
Correlation of population and food production
With your group:
Explore online resources to describe the relationship
between human population, fish stocks, and meat
production.
Be sure to…
• Obtain data on:
o human population increase
o decline of fish stocks
o increase in global meat production
• Describe potential sources of error or inaccuracies in estimating correlations
Impact on communities
With your group:
Choose a case study of food resource decline and
research the impact on local communities.
Examples of possible case studies:
• Collapse of North Atlantic cod fishery
• Destruction of tropical rainforests
• Overgrazing in North Africa’s Sahel region
“The greatest
danger to
our future
is apathy.”
- Jane Goodall
Photo courtesy Nick Step/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
Ideas time!
Create a list of activities that inform
and educate about dietary choices.
Ensure that your activities:
• are feasible and realistic
• do not require funding
• could be conducted in a class setting
Know
the
carbon
cost of
what
you eat.
Eating for
wildlife
• Eat less meat
• Eat seasonally and
locally
• Go vegetarian or vegan
• Eat organic
• Eat sustainable
seafood
• Drink filtered tap
water
• Choose ‘dolphin
friendly’ tuna
• Avoid shark fins and
oils
• Vote with your wallet
and your fork
Extension: tragedy of the commons
Investigate the ‘tragedy of the commons’ theory.
Write a passage to describe how this concept
relates to environmental problems,
such as overfishing.
Reflection
• Write a short passage describing the connection between
food production and species extinction.
• Which of the following has the greatest impact on food
production: habitat loss, carbon dioxide emissions, pollution,
the decline of crop diversity, or soil erosion? Justify your
answer.
• Give three bullet points describing how modern agriculture
might have to change to become more sustainable.
• Compare and contrast the food production of meat with
vegetables.