ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS?

1. Choose the words that reflect your opinion of these statements from the first column of the table below. Write the word you choose in My Opinion column. Compare with your partner and discuss. St 1: We should educate the public about our environment by handing out leaflets. St 2: Within a few years we will have solved all of our pollution problems. St 3: Within the next ten years the only chemical we use will be environmentally friendly ones. 2. Listen and fill in the columns for speakers A and B My opinion St 1 useful/useless St 2 possible/impossible St 3 likely/unlikely

3. Match the words in the table with the definitions below and then fill in the gaps for the examples.

lifestyle developing

global warming deforestation

standard of living greenhouse gas atmosphere recycle environment

environmentally friendly

developed

natural resources
1.

(noun) the natural world, including the land, water, air, plants and animals. e.g. It is important to take care of the environment.

2.

(noun) the mixture of gases around the Earth e.g. Oxygen is one of the gases in the Earths _____________.

3.

(noun) the process of removing the trees from an area of land e.g. People often talk about _____________ in the Amazon and other parts of the world.

4.

(adjective) economically advanced e.g. The United States, Germany and France are all _____________ countries.

5.

(adjective) poor; without many industries e.g. She has visited a lot of _____________ countries in Africa.

6.

(noun) the way someone lives; the things a person or group of people usually do e.g. Some people have a _____________ that is bad for the environment.

7.

(adjective) designed not to harm the natural environment e.g. I ride a bicycle, because its more ___________ than driving a car.

8.

(noun) a gas that stops heat escaping from the atmosphere and causes the Earths temperature to rise e.g. Carbon dioxide is a ___________.

9. (noun) the slow increase in the Earths temperature due to the emission of greenhouse gases in atmosphere e.g. I think governments have to do something about ___________. 10. (noun) valuable substances such as wood and oil that exist in a countrys land and sea e.g. Oil is one of our most important ___________ , but I think were using too much. 11. (verb) to change waste materials such as newspapers and bottles so they can be used again e.g. We always ___________ all our bottles and waste paper. 12. (noun) the type of life that a person has according to the amount of money they have e.g. Most people in Western Europe have a good ___________.

the

Surveying Environmental crisis?

Rob I dont think theres a solution to the global environmental crisis. The worlds population is now too high, and the amount of energy being consumed is increasing all the time. Isnt it obvious that one day soon were going to run out of natural resources? Global warming shows us the effect that human beings are already having on the planet its happening because of all the greenhouse gases we put into the atmosphere from industry, planes and cars, and because of other things like deforestation. Soon, millions of people will start leaving some parts of the world because it will be impossible to live there any more, which in turn will create a whole new set of problems.

Louise The current environmental situation is very serious, but I believe human beings can invent the technology we need to solve the problem. For example, we already have clean ways of making electricity, like nuclear power and wind power, so we just have to start using them a lot more. Also, I dont believe people are completely selfish, and I think in the end most people will want to help solve the crisis. The main cause of climate change is the lifestyles of people in developed countries who already have a good standard of living, but when they really begin to understand the situation Im sure they will start to change their ways. People just need to be made more aware of the problem, and shown ways in which they can help.
Michael We can now see that there has been a huge price to pay for the economic development rich countries have achieved, because to reach this standard of living we have used a lot of natural resources and polluted the atmosphere. Now developing countries are trying to catch up, and it seems that economic growth in countries like China and India, with their huge populations, might also have a serious effect on the environment. But can we really say that poorer countries should stop developing? Obviously that wouldnt be realistic, or fair. Of course, if we want to be more environmentally friendly we can recycle or drive cars that pollute a bit less, or even use fewer plastic bags. However, I really dont know if these small things are going to be enough. 4. Now decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F), or if the text doesnt say (D).

1. Louise says that people in developing countries need to change their lifestyles. 2. Michael isnt sure if things like recycling are going to be enough to solve the environmental crisis. 3. Rob never travels by plane because he doesnt think its environmentally friendly. 4. Louise thinks nuclear power is a good thing. 5. Rob says millions of people have started leaving some parts of the world because it is impossible to live there any more. 6. Rob thinks human beings are have caused global warming.
5. Discuss on the following issues

1. Out of Rob, Louise and Michael, who is the most optimistic /pessimistic about the environmental situation? 2. What does Michael mean when he says developing countries are trying to catch up? 3. Why does Rob believe there is no solution to the problem? 4. What two things does Rob think are going to happen soon? 5. What examples does Louise give of the technology that she thinks can solve the global environmental crisis? 6. Michael says there has been a price to pay for economic development. What does he mean by this? 7. Rob mentions four things that create extra greenhouse gases. What are they? 8. When does Louise think people in developed countries will start to change their ways? 9. Why does Michael think economic growth in China and India might have a serious effect on the environment? 10. What does Michael mean by small things? In your opinion, are there any bigger things people could do to help the environment?

ENDANGERED SPECIES
The __________ humanity is having on the environment is rarely out of the news these days, with the subject of global __________ receiving an especially large amount of coverage. Another important, but perhaps less well-known environmental issue is that of endangered species. These are groups of animals which are so low in number that they could become __________ . In most cases this is largely because of human activity. Some scientists have suggested that the worlds ______ is at serious risk, at least 10% of the worlds birds, 30% of amphibians and 25% of mammals are endangered, with the latter group including some very well-known animals. The total number of tigers, for example, has __________ by more than 90% in the last hundred years. There are now fewer than 7,000, all living in southern and eastern Asia. The decline has been mainly due to illegal hunting, with hunters selling the tigers bones and body __________ for use in traditional medicines. The number of rhinoceroses in the world has also fallen dramatically, and for similar reasons. They are illegally hunted for their __________ , which are believed to be a vital ingredient in some traditional medicines. There are now fewer than 10,000 rhinoceroses

left. Elephants are also an endangered species. They are illegally hunted for their ivory tusks, and their area of habitat is being __________ as the human population increases rapidly around them. Recent history has shown, however, that the populations of endangered species can __________ if human __________ changes. A good example is a mammal that can grow to a length of more than 30 metres and a __________ of more than 180 tonnes, and is believed to be the largest animal that has ever lived on our __________ : the blue whale. As a result of hunting, blue whales were very close to becoming extinct during the first half of the twentieth century, but in the 1960s they began to be protected under international __________ . Since then their total population has increased, although it is still probably less than 5% of what it once was. fallen planet ideas risen dead habitat parts warning horns increase extinct reduced behaviour biodiversity
KEYS Ex. 2: Sp A 1 useful 2 impossible 3 likely Sp B useless possible likely

weight

impact

law

Ex. 3 : 1. environment 2. atmosphere 3. deforestation 4. developed 5. developing 6. lifestyle 7. environmentally friendly 8. greenhouse gas 9. global warming 10. natural resources 11. recycle 12. standard of living Ex 4: 1. F 2. T 3. D 4. T 5. F 6. T

Ex 5: 1. Louise is the most optimistic; Rob is the most pessimistic.

2. He means the developing countries are trying to achieve a standard of living that is closer to that of the developed countries. 3. He says the global population is too high, and the amount people consume is increasing. 4. He says the world is soon going to run out of natural resources, and that millions of people will soon leave certain areas because it will be impossible to live there. 5. Nuclear power and wind power. 6. He means the price in terms of natural resources and the pollution of the atmosphere. 7. Industry, planes, cars and deforestation. 8. She thinks they will change when they really begin to understand the effect their lifestyle has on the environment. 9. Because both countries have huge populations. 10. He means recycling, driving cars that pollute a bit less, or using fewer plastic bags. ENDANGERED SPECIES : 1. impact 2. warming 3. extinct 4. biodiversity 5. fallen 6. parts 7. horns 8. reduced 9. increase 10. behaviour 11. weight 12. planet 13. Law