Beef Is Bad for the Climate...But How Bad?
Videos
Grades6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12Biology
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Provided by Hot Mess
What it is
- This video from Hot Mess presents an overview of the effects that beef production has on climate change and land use.
- Students will learn that (per pound) cows produce more greenhouse gases than other livestock animals raised for meat and that cattle production is a leading cause of deforestation.
Teaching tips
Positives
- The quick pace of the video will keep students interested and engaged.
- Visual aids, including bar graphs, line graphs, and diagrams, help to ground the statistics in the video.
Prerequisites
- This video begins with an advertisement.
- Students should understand that methane is a powerful greenhouse gas. Students can watch this NowThis Earth video to learn more background information on methane.
Differentiation & Implementation
- Ethics and health classes can use this video to discuss the pros and cons of grass-fed, silvopasture, and feedlot beef or look at other types of feed, such as seaweed.
- History classes can research historical beef production and consumption in an effort to better understand the role beef (and other meat) plays in the modern diet.
- Health classes and science classes can use this as a starting point for lessons about the nutritional benefits of plant-based diets and the many other environmental impacts of livestock production, and challenge students to bring in their favorite meatless recipe in order to compile a meatless cookbook.
- Other resources on this topic include this foodprint calculator, this video from the YEARS Project, this StC lesson plan, this video on the problems surrounding animal agriculture, and this video on the potential of lab-grown meat.
From the scientist review
The resource provides relevant information on the carbon footprints of meat and dairy production. This is insightful to inform our decision in meat production and consumption globally. This resource is recommended for teaching.
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