Lesson video

Hi, everybody.

Mrs. Lomas here, and we have got a very exciting geography lesson for you today.

Geography is my favourite subject, so I hope you are super excited as well.

So should we find out what it is we're gonna do today? So today we are going to be debating the future of the Amazon rainforest.

By the end of today's lesson, you will be able to explain factors which inform the debate about deforestation and recognise that some people have more opportunity to influence decision making.

So we have some keywords in today's lesson: stakeholder, debate, deforestation.

So let's do My Turn, Your Turn.

Are you ready? Stakeholder.

Debate.

Deforestation.

Well done.

Should we find out what those words mean? A stakeholder is a person who has an interest in a given resource.

A debate is a formal discussion between two or more people in which they give their views for or against something.

And deforestation is the complete removal of trees.

So today's lesson is split into three parts.

We have reasons for and against clearing the rainforest, stakeholders of the rainforest, and how are decisions made.

And we're gonna start with reasons for and against clearing the rainforest.

So one way people study the Amazon rainforest is by using images taken by satellites in space.

These two satellite images were taken at different times of the same area of the Amazon rainforest.

So if you have a look you can see some dark green areas and some light green areas, can't you? So what differences do you notice? Which photo do you think was taken earlier and why? So I want you to pause the video, have a class discussion, and then come back and have a look.

How did you get on? The photo on the left hand side was taken in 2000.

The one on the right hand side was taken in 2017.

So the one on the left, the one in 2000, was earlier, okay? Deforestation is the complete removal of trees.

For example, trees might be cut down or burnt.

An area of tropical rainforest the size of 11 football pitches is lost every minute.

That's a huge area, isn't it? Who can remember what are the causes of deforestation? Pause the video, collect your answers, and then we'll have a look.

How did you get on? So the Amazon rainforest is being lost for different reasons: logging, cattle ranching, plantations, and wildfires.

With the logging, the cattle ranching, and the plantations, it is humans who are cutting down the forest.

Wildfires can be caused by humans.

It's a more natural occurrence.

It's also being lost for hydroelectric dams, mining, urban development, and through climate change.

So again, hydroelectric dams, mining, and urban development, humans will come in and cut down areas of the forest to build or to clear the area necessary that is needed to build the dams, to mine, or to create urban development.

So let's have a little check.

How much of the world's tropical rainforests are being lost? A, 11 football pitches every second, B, 11 football pitches every minute, C, 11 football pitches every hour, or D, 11 football pitches every day? Pause the video, have a go, and then we'll check the answer.

How did you get on? If you said B, 11 football pitches every minute, you would be correct, well done.

Let's have another check, shall we? Can you name one of the causes of deforestation? And you've got the pictures there to help you as well.

Pause the video, collect your ideas, and then come back when you're done.

How did you get on? If you said logging, cattle, farming, hydroelectric dams, mining, plantations, wildflowers, urban development, or climate change, you would've been correct, well done.

There are potential costs and benefits to deforestation.

Can you think of some reasons against clearing the Amazon rainforest? And why might some people be in favour of areas of the rainforest being cleared? Pause the video, collect your ideas, and then we'll have a look together afterwards.

How did you get on? Was it easier to come up with reasons against clearing the Amazon rainforest? Let's find out about reasons for both.

So your first task, you are going to cut out and sort the list of reasons into whether they are for or against deforestation.

So let's have a look at those reasons, shall we? We've got clearing the rainforest means that new houses can be built for people to live in.

So do you think people would agree with the deforestation, so for, or do you think they would be against the deforestation here? The trees of the rainforest absorb and store carbon dioxide.

If they are cut down, this carbon dioxide will be released into the atmosphere.

The amount of meat being eaten in the world is increasing, and more land is needed for cattle ranching.

Deforestation may result in some rainforest plant and animals going extinct.

Soybeans planted on the cleared land can be processed for many different uses, such as for feed for animals.

Iron and copper mines are an important source of jobs for local people.

And here are some more reasons.

Indigenous peoples have lived sustainably in and with the Amazon rainforest for thousands of years.

The rainforest is their home.

Many medicines are made using rainforest plants.

New medicines may be discovered in the future, which could help to cure disease such as cancers.

The Amazon rainforest has large quantities of metals such as copper, manganese, and iron.

These minerals have many different uses around the world, including being used in your mobile phones.

The rainforest is an important tourist attraction, and many people visit it each year.

Hydroelectric dams use the power of water to generate electricity.

It is a renewable source of energy, which is better for the planet than burning fossil fuels.

Brazil nuts, which are unique to the Amazon rainforest, provide jobs and money for local communities.

It takes a long time for new Brazil nuts to grow.

So those are all your reasons, and you are going to cut out and sort them into for and against.

When you've had a go, come back and we'll check the answers.

How did you get on? Let's have a look, shall we? So clearing the rainforest means that new houses can be built for people to live in is for.

Deforestation may result in some rainforest plants and animals going extinct.

Against.

The trees of the rainforest absorb and store carbon dioxide.

If they are cut down, this carbon dioxide will be released into the atmosphere.

Against.

Soybeans planted on the cleared land can be processed for many different uses, such as feed for animals.

For.

The amount of meat being eaten in the world is increasing, and more land is needed for cattle ranching.

For.

Iron and copper mines are an important source of jobs for local people.

For.

If you got some of those in the wrong column now is your chance to move them around.

And the next page.

Indigenous peoples have lived sustainably in and with the Amazon rainforest for thousands of years.

The rainforest is their home.

Against.

The rainforest is an important tourist attraction, and many people visit it each year.

Against.

Many medicines are made using rainforest plants.

New medicines may be discovered in the future, which could help to cure disease such as cancers.

Against.

Hydroelectric dams use the power of water to generate electricity.

It is a renewable source of energy, which is better for the planet than burning fossil fuels.

For.

The Amazon rainforest has large quantities of metals such as copper, manganese, and iron.

These materials have made, have, sorry, have many different uses around the world.

For.

Brazil nuts, which are unique to the Amazon rainforest, provide jobs and money for local communities.

It takes a long time for new Brazil nut trees to grow.

Against.

Again, if you've got any of those in the wrong column, now's your chance to just switch them over.

Okay, well done, guys.

So we've looked at reasons for and against clearing the rainforest, so now let's have a look at stakeholders of the Amazon rainforest.

A stakeholder is a person or group that has an interest in a given resource.

We are all connected with the rainforest, but some people are more closely connected to it than others.

Who do you think the main stakeholders of the Amazon rainforest are? Pause the video, have a discussion, and come back and we'll have a look together.

How did you get on? So the key stakeholders of the Amazon rainforest include Indigenous peoples, government officials, plantation owners, conservation groups, scientists, cattle ranchers, and miners.

Which of these stakeholders might be for clearing the forest and which might be against? Have a chat in your class, and come back in a minute and we'll have a look.

So let's have a little check, shall we? Everyone is connected with the Amazon rainforest in some way.

Is this true or false? And I want you to justify your answer using either A, we all depend on the rainforest for food, or B, we are all connected with the rainforest but some people are more closely connected to it than others.

So again, everyone is connected with the Amazon rainforest in some way, true or false? And then choose A or B to justify your answer.

Pause the video, have a go, and then we'll check the answer.

How did you get on? If you said it was true because B, we are all connected with the rainforest but some people are more closely connected to it than others, you would be correct, well done.

So task two.

You are going to select a rainforest stakeholder card.

You're going to read the card carefully, and then think about how you might make your case for or against clearing the Amazon rainforest.

You're going to share your ideas by speaking or writing.

So you will take one card.

For example, you can see there Stakeholder 1.

Read it carefully.

You work in a copper mine.

The Amazon rainforest is an important source of many metals.

Copper is used in lots of electrical equipment and machinery.

You don't make much money, but it is enough for you to live on.

So do you think that stakeholder would be for deforestation, clearing the rainforest, or against it? And why, okay? You need to give reasons.

You are pretending to be that person and you are telling everybody else, "I agree with the deforestation because," or, "I'm against it because," okay? The other stakeholder options are Stakeholder 2.

You own a huge soybean plantation in a cleared part of the Amazon rainforest.

There is a lot of demand for soybeans around the world, and you have made a lot of money.

The plantation employs many people who might find it difficult to get other jobs.

Stakeholder 3.

You are one of the Awa people living in a small settlement in the Amazon rainforest.

You and your family depend on the rainforest, and you want to remain living there.

Many of the Awa people have been forced off their land by illegal loggers who cut down the trees to sell the wood.

You are worried that you'll be forced to leave as well.

Stakeholder 4.

You are a climate scientist studying the Amazon rainforest.

Along with other scientists, you have been researching how deforestation is affecting the Earth's climate.

You are worried about what will happen if the rainforest continues to be cut down at such a high rate.

Stakeholder 5.

You work for an international conservation charity.

Many of the plants and animals living in the Amazon rainforest are threatened by deforestation.

You are trying to raise awareness of the issue and encourage governments to take action to protect the rainforest.

And Stakeholder 6.

You are a Brazilian government official.

Clearing the Amazon rainforest for different uses could provide lots of jobs and help to grow Brazil's economy.

This would mean that there is more money for areas such as education and healthcare.

However, you are also concerned about climate change and the rights of Indigenous peoples living in the rainforest.

So you are going to choose a card, work out if you in that role as that stakeholder are for or against clearing the rainforest, and why, and then either write or speak about your answers.

If you pause the video, have a go, come back, we'll have a look at some answers together.

How did you get on? Should we have a look at some ideas I had? So Stakeholder 1.

"If I didn't work at the copper mine, it would be difficult for me to find another job.

My job doesn't pay much, but it is enough to feed my family and me." Stakeholder 2.

"Soybean production is very important to provide food for animals and people.

Clearing more land for plantations would mean that I could provide more jobs for people." Stakeholder 3.

"Indigenous peoples have lived sustainably in the Amazon rainforest for thousands of years.

It's our land and we want to stay here." Stakeholder 4.

"Deforestation is one of the causes of climate change.

A lot of the Amazon rainforest has already been lost, and we must do all we can to protect it." Stakeholder 5.

"The Amazon rainforest provides a home for many plants and animal species.

Cutting down the rainforest will cause more species to go extinct." Stakeholder 6.

"Cattle ranching, soybean production, and mining are very important to our country's economy.

I'm very worried about the impacts of climate change, though." So you might have had lots more ideas than that as well.

That is just an example, okay? So well done in really putting yourself in the role of that stakeholder and thinking about how they are feeling.

So we've looked at reasons for and against clearing the rainforest, we've just done stakeholders of the rainforest, so let's have a look at how are decisions made.

Many issues have conflicting stakeholders, people who are for or against different outcomes.

Can you think of an issue which has supporters on both sides? There is one, isn't there, on the screen? There's a little hint.

But pause the video, have a class discussion, and then come back when you're ready.

Well done.

Did you come up with lots of different ideas? So everyone, including children, has the right to give their opinions freely on issues that affect them, unless it harms other people, and the responsibility to listen to and respect the views of others.

And this is what we call human rights.

But do you think everyone is listened to fairly? Pause the video, have a discussion, and then come back when you're ready.

How did you get on? So some people have more opportunity to influence the outcomes of decisions than others.

If we remember the main stakeholders of the rainforest, we have Indigenous peoples, government officials, plantation owners, conservation groups, scientists, cattle ranchers, and miners.

Which of these stakeholders do you think are in the most powerful positions? Pause the video, have a little discussion, come back, and we'll have a look together.

How did you do? So true or false? Everyone has the same opportunity to share their views on decisions that affect them? And then I want you to justify your answer using either A or B.

Some people are in more powerful positions than others, or B, everyone is always listened to fairly.

So again, you're going to say if this statement, everyone has the same opportunity to share their views on decisions that affect them, is true or false, and then choose either A, some people are in more powerful positions than others, or B, everyone is always listened to fairly, to justify your answer.

Pause the video, have a go, come back, and we'll check the answer.

How did you get on? If you said that that was false because A, some people are in more powerful positions than others, you would be correct.

Okay, so your final task for today.

You are going to research an issue in your local school or community where people have very different views on what the outcome should be.

You're going to list some reasons for and against a particular outcome.

It could be the building of a new road, the closing down of your local library, maybe a building of a new park, opening of a new shop or closing down of a shop, cutting down of some trees to build something new.

I'm not sure, okay? So have a little think.

You can discuss what issues there might be in your local area, choose which one you want to look at, and look at the reasons for or reasons against.

And then when you've had a go, come back and we'll have a look at an example I've done.

How did you get on? So I had a look at the building of a new road in my town.

The reasons for were that it will make it easier and quicker for people to get to work.

It will make the other roads less busy, and we all know how everybody hates traffic.

And more people might come to the town and visit the shops and cafes here.

And here are the reasons against.

When the new road is being built, it will cause lots of noise and dust for people living nearby.

The road will go across the playing field, and building new roads encourages people to use their cars more.

So how did you get on with your issue? Did you think you might agree with the for or the against reasons? Or was it quite hard to make a decision because both sides were making good points? It can be hard sometimes, can't it? So let's have a little summary of our lesson from today about debating the future of the Amazon rainforest.

Many issues have conflicting stakeholders, people who are for or against different outcomes.

There are potential reasons for and against deforestation.

Different stakeholders have different perspectives about whether to clear the Amazon rainforest, and some people have more opportunity to influence the outcomes of decisions than others.

Well done today, everybody.

You worked really hard.

And I think a really important part of geography is to actually research both sides of an argument, and then you can make up your mind once you have the facts.

And not just in geography.

That's quite useful for everything in life, isn't it, really? I hope you enjoyed today's lesson.

Don't forget to have a go at the exit quiz just in case there's anything you do need to have a little recap on to make sure it's really stuck in your brain so that you remember it forever, hopefully.

Okay, well done again today, guys.

Really impressed with your listening and your debating skills, and I will see you in our next lesson.

Bye.