Humans Have Destroyed 83% of Wild Mammals
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Provided by: The Guardian|Published on: April 27, 2021
Articles/WebsitesScientist Reviewed
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Scientist Reviewed 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 powerful article describes the huge impact that humans have had on global biodiversity in recent history.
- The results are striking and the infographics that accompany the article help illustrate the massive declines in wild mammals, marine mammals, wild birds, and plants.
Subjects: Biology
Authors: Damian Carrington
Region: Global
Languages: English
Teaching Materials
Positives
- The graphics are very useful in understanding and visualizing the data.
- It may prompt students think about ethics, sustainability, and the rights of other species to exist.
Additional Prerequisites
- It might be helpful to use pie charts to show students the distribution of biomass for mammals (humans, livestock, and wild animals) and birds (wild vs. livestock).
- Some students may be saddened by the incredible loss of wild animals, so be prepared to support those emotions.
Differentiation
- History and social studies classes could use this article to discuss how the Industrial Revolution, industrialized agriculture, the development of Germ Theory, or advancements made in the 20th century that changed our relationship with nature.
- Science and biology classes could use this resource when discussing nutrient cycling, ecosystems, land use, agriculture, deforestation, and mass extinction events.
- Math classes could use the data from this article to develop their own graphs or charts to display the information.
- Other resources on this topic include Are We Living in the Sixth Extinction?, Biodiversity and Humans, this interactive data resource about agriculture, and this Khan Academy video about biodiversity and extinction.
Scientist Notes
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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