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New
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Year 7

Climate change and the forests

I can explain how deforestation contributes to climate change and how climate change impacts forests.

icon-background-square
New
New
Year 7

Climate change and the forests

I can explain how deforestation contributes to climate change and how climate change impacts forests.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Global temperatures are increasing because of climate change.
  2. Forests remove carbon dioxide from Earth's atmosphere and replace it with oxygen.
  3. Deforestation is a major contributor to climate change.
  4. Climate change can cause changes to species in a forest; the spread of pests and diseases and more and worse wildfires.

Keywords

  • Greenhouse gases - gases in Earth’s atmosphere that trap heat

  • Carbon dioxide - one of the greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere that traps heat

  • Solar radiation - energy radiated from the sun via electromagnetic waves

  • Deforestation - the complete removal of trees

  • Decompose - to break down a substance into smaller parts

Common misconception

The greenhouse effect has a negative impact.

The greenhouse effect is a natural process that is essential for life on Earth. Without it, our planet would be too cold to sustain most life forms.


To help you plan your year 7 geography lesson on: Climate change and the forests, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

A homework task linked to this topic could involve students calculating their own carbon footprint using an online calculator.
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This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is climate change?
The change in seasons from winter to summer
Correct answer: A long-term change in Earth's weather patterns
A sudden change in the temperature on one day
Q2.
What is a greenhouse gas?
Correct answer: Gases in Earth's atmosphere that trap heat
Gases that attract solar radiation
Gas that is stored in a greenhouse
Q3.
What does deciduous mean?
A plant that keeps its leaves in winter
Correct answer: A plant that looses its leaves in autumn and grows new ones in spring
A way for plants to attract pollinators
Q4.
Humans contribute to climate change by ...
Correct answer: burning fossil fuels
planting trees
noise pollution
Q5.
What is the name of the process by which plants transform carbon dioxide and water into glucose?
Correct answer: photosynthesis
evaporation
biome
Q6.
What is deforestation?
When trees are planted
Correct answer: When trees are cut down
The increase in global temperatures

4 Questions

Q1.
gases are the name given to the gasses in Earth's atmosphere that trap heat.
Correct Answer: Greenhouse
Q2.
Match the key terms.
Correct Answer:The natural greenhouse effect,This means that Earth is warm enough for us to survive
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This means that Earth is warm enough for us to survive

Correct Answer:The enhanced greenhouse effect,Too many greenhouse gases trap in too much heat in the atmosphere
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Too many greenhouse gases trap in too much heat in the atmosphere

Correct Answer:Climate change,A long-term change in Earth's weather patterns
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A long-term change in Earth's weather patterns

Correct Answer:Global warming, The heating of Earth's surface due to human activities
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The heating of Earth's surface due to human activities

Q3.
What human activities emit carbon dioxide?
Correct answer: petrol in cars
Correct answer: coal in power stations
Correct answer: gas in a household boiler
walking to school
planting trees
Q4.
How does climate change affect forests?
Correct answer: species changes
Correct answer: more pests and diseases
Correct answer: more and worse wildfires
more coastal erosion
overpopulation