Year 9 - Science
Climate change and food production
Climate change and biodiversity
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit pupils learn about the impact of agriculture and deforestation on biodiversity, and to more thoroughly consider the effects of climate change on biodiversity and food production.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to explain how food production is affected by and contributes to climate change, and how changes in diet can help to limit climate change.
Key Notes
- Food production is at risk due to global warming and climate change
- Climate change makes extreme weather events more common, and this makes it more challenging to produce food
- Emissions of greenhouse gases from various stages of food production add to the carbon footprint of foods
- Changes in our diet can help us reduce emissions from food production and limit climate change
- Comparing emissions data for different diets helps us understand the impact of food choices
Vocabulary To Learn
- global warming: an increase in Earth's average surface temperature
- greenhouse gases: gases in the atmosphere that keep it warmer than it would be without them
- emissions: releases of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere
- climate change: a long-term shift in weather patterns
- carbon footprint: the calculated total amount of greenhouse gases emitted by an activity
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Thinking that what we eat has no impact on climate change, or that all foods have roughly the same impact.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the scientific idea in this lesson using two key points.
Food production is at risk due to global warming and climate change. Climate change makes extreme weather events more common, and this makes it more challenging to produce food.
2. Define this scientific word and use it in context. 'global warming'
an increase in Earth's average surface temperature. Include the word in a full scientific explanation, not as a single label.
3. Correct this common scientific misunderstanding.
Mistake: Thinking that what we eat has no impact on climate change, or that all foods have roughly the same impact. Correction: This lesson explores in detail the impacts of different foods and dietary choices in terms of their carbon footprint of greenhouse gas emissions.
More Lessons In This Unit
Browse all guides in the Year 9 Science guide library.