Nature has the ultimate recycling program — the Carbon Cycle! How do fossil fuels fit into this program? Pupils answer this question as they observe how all this added carbon serves to unbalance the cycle. Using the perspective of "new" carbon sources versus "old" carbon sources, the narrator explains the build-up of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere as a function of how recently the carbon was "born" in its current form. 

Concepts

the carbon cycle, fossil fuels, carbon dioxide, recycling, coal, photosynthesis, respiration, plastic

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Additional Tags

science

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Instructional Ideas

• Using a Carbon Cycle chart, have paired students predict what parts of the cycle would have to be greatly enhanced in order to account for the extra carbon dioxide produced by burning fossil fuels
• Assign the suggested Crude Oil video as a homework assignment to prepare for a deeper discussion of fossil fuels

Classroom Considerations

• The class should have some knowledge of photosynthesis and respiration as well as fossil fuels
• The final installment in an eight-part series

Pros

• Directs science scholars to other video resources to get more information on several topics discussed
• The Carbon Cycle and global warming are neatly pulled together in animated fashion

Cons

• None