Meat or Veggies? The Impact of Diet on Climate
Provided by: Project Look Sharp|Published on: April 27, 2021|Last updated: September 26, 2026
Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12, AP
Type: Lesson Plans
Subjects: Science, Social Studies, English Language Arts, Health
Authors: Project Look Sharp, Sox Sperry
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
- In this media literacy lesson, students will analyze a news report and documentary clip about the effects of dietary choices on climate change.
- This activity includes critical thinking questions and tips for decoding media messaging.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- The content will be relevant to students and may spur student conversations.
- It provides an example of how a topic can "appear" to be debatable because someone makes a claim that is counter to the evidence.
Additional Prerequisites
- A free account is required to access the resources.
- You must download the videos and files.
Differentiation
- The questions can be easily modified to suit different levels or abilities.
- This could be a great hook for science classes that are studying ecology, environmental science, population dynamics, trophic levels, or cellular respiration.
- English language arts classes could use this resource to extend lessons about persuasive writing, opinion writing, or literacy.
- Social studies classes could use this resource for lessons about the societal effects of profit-driven businesses, particularly those that are meant to inform the public.
- Other resources that could extend this lesson include this interactive table of solutions that indicate dietary choices and food waste as two of the biggest solutions to climate change, and this video about human impacts on the planet.
The resource underscores the impact of the human diet on the global climate. Population growth coupled with dietary preferences influences the climate system. Solutions proposed in the resource to mitigate methane emissions from livestock production is valid and 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.
Learn about our review process →
