26 WORDS FOR TALKING ABOUT
THE ENVIRONMENT
Useful words
Here are some useful words for talking about the environment.
- Global warming – the increase in the earth’s temperature caused by high levels of carbon dioxide.
- Climate change – changes in general weather conditions.
- CO2 (carbon dioxide) – a chemical compound that’s produced by the respiration of living organisms, etc.
- The environment – the natural world: the land, sea, air, plants, animals, etc.
- Deforestation – the act of cutting down trees in forests.
- Pesticides – chemicals that farmers put on their crops to kill insects.
- Recycling – separating rubbish (such as glass, paper) so it can be used again.
- Pollution – the poisonous substances that are making the water/air/land, etc. dirty.
- The greenhouse effect – a rise in the temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere caused by increased quantities of gases such as carbon dioxide.
- An endangered species – an animal (for example) that could disappear because there are very few of them.
- Conservation – saving and protecting the environment.
- Renewable energy – a form of energy that never runs out and doesn’t cause pollution: sunlight, wind, waves, geothermal heat, biomass, etc.
- The ozone layer – a part of the Earth’s atmosphere that protects living things from the harmful radiation of the sun.
- A rainforest – a thick forest of tall trees in tropical areas with a lot of rain.
- Nuclear waste / radioactive waste – unwanted, toxic material that’s produced from nuclear power plants.
- Drought – a long period of time when no rain falls.
- Green – “green” issues and political movements are concerned with the protection of the environment.
- Atmosphere – a thin layer of gases that surrounds the Earth.
- Biodegradable – something that’s “biodegradable” decays naturally without causing pollution.
- Biodiversity – the existence of a wide variety of plant and animal species in their natural environment.
- Carbon monoxide – a poisonous gas produced by vehicles.
- Fossil fuel – coal or oil.
- Ecosystem – all the plants and animals that live in a particular area together and the complex relationship between them.
- Ice caps – the thick layers of ice and snow that cover the North and South Poles.
- Windfarm – a place where windmills are used to convert the power of the wind into electricity.
- Solar panels – flat, rectangular objects that convert heat from the sun into electricity. They’re often placed on the roofs of houses/buildings, etc.
Dialogue: Renewable energy
I’M GOING
Flynn and Randy (two musicians) are at home.
Flynn has some ideas on how they can become more environmentally-friendly.
[Listen once. Then, complete the conversation with the correct words.]
F=Flynn R=Randy
F: Right, it’s all decided: we’re going green!
R: What are you talking about?
F: I’ve already made a start with our album (1) ____________.
R: Putting the word “Eco” on the front hardly means that we’ve “gone green”.
F: Everyone does stuff like this. Oh, and I’ve installed some recycling bins outside: a blue one for paper, a green one for (2) ____________ and a black one for organic waste.
R: Yes, I’ve seen…
F: And I’ve got the schedule for the (3) ____________. On Monday, we’re joining a rally to save the whales. On Wednesday, we’re campaigning against global warming. On Thursday, we’re marching to save the Arctic from oil exploration. And on Friday, there’s a protest sit-in against the deforestation of the (4) ____________.
R: And when do we get time to do any music?
F: I’ve also got this. [He pulls something into the room.]
R: What is that?
F: It’s a solar-powered generator. You just hook it up to the solar panels that I’ve put on the (5) ____________. We won’t ever have to pay for electricity again. Oh, and I’ve also got this. [He pulls something else into the room.]
R: What on earth is that? It looks like a sort of exercise (6) ____________ with a lot of cables coming off it.
F: It’s a pedal-powered generator. During rehearsals or concerts you just sit on it and pedal.
R: Me?
F: Yes, you. A fairly brisk pedal will give us enough power to play for at least 40 minutes. And if your voice starts to crack or my (7) ____________ sounds a bit weak, you just need to pedal faster.
R: I can’t pedal and sing at the same time.
F: Well, I certainly can’t pedal and play the guitar. I need my feet for my effects-pedals.
R: This is a joke. I’m not doing any (8) ____________ on that thing. How much…. How… Hey, isn’t that my bike?
F: Yes, I had it converted.
R: So, how am I going to get around town now?
F: Erm, by car?
RECYCLE
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