Section 1 of 4 · Line 1
From Line to Loop
About 5 minutes, plus the reading
Step 1 · The line
The line we're fixing
This is true. But it stops at “the planet warms,” as if that's where the story ends.
It doesn't. Warming changes the world, and some of those changes cause even more warming.
Step 1 · Quick prediction
A peatland dries out. What happens next?
Peatlands are soggy wetlands that have stored carbon in their soil for thousands of years. Many have been drained for farming or forestry. Make your best guess. There's no penalty for being wrong.
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Step 2 · Learn
Feedback loop
A chain of cause and effect where the effect circles back to change its own cause.
The peatland loop
Follow the arrows. Each step makes the next one more likely, and the last step feeds the first.
Text version of the diagram
- A peatland dries out, because it was drained or because of heat and drought.
- The exposed peat breaks down and releases its stored carbon as carbon dioxide.
- More carbon dioxide in the air adds to warming.
- Hotter, drier conditions dry the peat even more and raise fire risk, which loops back to step 1.
Two kinds of loops
-
Reinforcing loop
Pushes change further in the same direction. Small changes can grow fast.
Example: the peatland loop above. Drying causes warming, which causes more drying.
-
Balancing loop
Pulls a system back toward stable. It works against change.
Example: a thermostat. When the room gets too hot, the heat shuts off.
Why this matters for action
A line and a loop lead to different questions, and the question shapes what we teach.
- A line asks“What's the cause?”
- A loop asks“Where can this loop be broken?”
For peatlands, one answer is rewetting: blocking drainage ditches so the bog stays wet. Wet peat holds onto its carbon, and the loop is interrupted.
For your classroom: simple is not the same as simplistic. Young learners can handle a loop drawn with four arrows, and “where could we break it?” gives them something to act on.
Read: why peatlands matter
Can peatlands save the planet?
RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds). Web article with a short video.
As you read, look for:
- Why so many peatlands are in poor condition, and what that means for the carbon they store.
- What else healthy peatlands do besides store carbon. You'll need this in Section 2.
- The article's title. Which line of our slide does it sound like?
Step 3 · Check
Spot the loop
Arctic sea ice melts, exposing dark ocean water. Dark water absorbs more heat than white ice does, which melts more ice.
Step 4 · Fix it
Rewrite Line 1
Rewrite the line so it shows a loop, not just a line. One or two sentences. Prefer to sketch it, or say it aloud? Do that instead. Your text saves on this device only.
Compare with one possible version
“Burning fossil fuels warms the planet, and warming can set off loops that make it worse, like drying peatlands releasing even more carbon. But loops also have weak points where we can break them.”
Notice the moves: it keeps the original cause, adds a loop, and ends with somewhere to act.
Rewetting a peatland is a solution, and Line 2 is about solutions. Next: what Line 2 gets right, and what it leaves out.
Ready to continue?
Line 1 is fixed. In Section 2, you'll sort real climate actions and see why “recycle and turn off the lights” is only part of the answer.