Why Are Peatlands So Important?
Provided by: The Kid Should See This|Published on: July 15, 2022|Last updated: September 26, 2026
Grades: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Type: Articles/Websites
Subjects: Social Studies, Chemistry, Biology
Authors: The Kid Should See This, National Geographic
Location: Africa, Earth
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 video explains what peat is and how it is connected to the fight against global warming and excess carbon in the atmosphere.
- It follows environmental scientist Dr. Greta Dargie and her field team as they explore wetlands in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to collect samples and measure the carbon concentrations of the peat.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- Dr. Greta Dargie and her team explore the world's largest tropical peatland complex.
- The reading highlights the importance of peat and how despite only covering about 3% of Earth's land surface, it accounts for over one-third of carbon stock.
Additional Prerequisites
- The content of the video ends at 2:38 and the remaining time is the credits and an outro.
- Students should understand the importance and relevance of carbon storage to combat the climate crisis.
Differentiation
- Students can research different ways that carbon gets sequestered and stored, and compare those to the effectiveness of peatlands.
- Students in economics classes can analyze businesses that benefit financially from the degradation of peatlands and suggest alternative options.
- Students in chemistry classes can describe the types of peat analyses Dr. Dargie and her team might conduct in their lab.
The resource gives prominence to peatlands and their significant role in carbon sequestration. Human activities like farming, oil exploitation, mining, and logging could destroy our peatlands and biodiversity. It is important to protect this ecosystem from degradation so it could continually sequester CO2. This resource is ideal 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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