Benefits of Urban Trees
Provided by: UN FAO|Published on: April 27, 2021
Grades: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Type: Videos
Subjects: Social Studies, Biology, English Language Arts, Health
Authors: UN FAO
Region: Global
Languages: English
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 →
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 →
Synopsis
- This brief animated video presents the various benefits of planting trees in urban environments.
- It shows that trees can reduce air temperature, filter out air pollutants, increase habitat for wildlife, remove carbon dioxide, reduce energy costs to heat and cool buildings, provide food and resources to people, increase property values, and increase physical and mental health.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- This video is very succinct and provides a quick resource to break up a lecture or introduce an activity.
Additional Prerequisites
- The sound on the video can be muted, if desired, and you may want to periodically pause the video to ensure students have completed reading all the text.
- This video from the UN FAO is not narrated but includes animated images and text with background music.
Differentiation
- This video could be a hook for lessons about nature, green spaces, trees, the health benefits of trees and nature, or pollution.
- Younger students will likely need to have you read the text to them or pause the video to allow them time to read each section.
- Social studies classes could use this video for lessons about the importance of urban trees for mental health, respiratory health, reducing heat-related illnesses, and general enjoyment.
- As an extension, have students read this article, play this game, use this interactive map, or watch this video to learn more about trees and how they benefit us and the planet.
The resource explores the benefits of tree planting in urban areas, urban population will increase exponentially by 2050, hence the need to plant more trees in urban areas to sequester carbon, filter air pollution, noise and reduce urban heat island effect. However, in the resource, FAO, reports 150kg of CO2 is sequestered by a tree per year. Please note that, the amount of CO2 being sequestered depends on the tree architecture, structure, leaf arrangements and other components of the tree. The resource is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
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