The Environment
Over recent decades, the environment has been a hotly
debated issue, with voices from both sides of the argument shouting ever louder about what
impact human activity is having on the world in which we all live. Everyone from former US presidential candidate
Al Gore to the future King of England, Prince Charles, has spoken out about how
Man’s approach to everything from farming to energy consumption is the cause of
catastrophic climatic changes.
As a passionate advocate of organic farming, the prince has repeatedly
courted controversy with his opinions, which often fly in the face of the
practices and policies of governments and businesses. However, attacks from his critics have failed
to silence the prince, who recently starred in and narrated a documentary called
Harmony: A new way of looking at our world. The film, which premiered at Robert
Redford’s Sundance Festival in London in April 2012, focuses on the need for
humans to learn to live in harmony with our planet.
Al Gore’s documentary, An Inconvenient Truth,
was released in 2006. The critically-acclaimed
film resonated with people all over the world, using statistics and empirical
evidence gathered over decades to issue a bleak warning to the world. It was a wake-up call, which was arguably
more successful than any other documentary in getting people to take the threat
of reaching an environmental tipping point seriously.
Once considered slightly eccentric and naive, could it be
such proponents of environmentally responsible living may actually be
right? And if they are indeed right,
what will happen if governments, businesses and Joe public fail to heed their
pleads and warnings? Is planet Earth on
a one-way road to disaster, or is there still time to reverse the damage being
done to this place we all call home?
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Lead-in Activity – Vocabulary
Recycling/Sharing
Look at the photos below and write down any words or phrases
connected to each. Share your vocabulary
with your partner(s). Then take turns to
discuss what is happening in each photo and why.
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Activity One – Building
Sentences
The phrases below can be placed into groups of cause and
effect. Can you put the phrases into
groups of cause and effect?
Example: high CO2 emissions -> a rise in
temperatures -> ice caps melt -> etc.
high CO2 emissions people
starve (v) / starvation (n)
famine flood
(v/n) / flooding
a rise in sea levels a
rise in temperatures
heavy rain(fall) deforestation
burn (v) fossil fuels polar ice caps melt (v)
poor crop yield no
rain(fall)
cut down trees the
use of pesticides
greenhouse gases overpopulation
drought urban expansion
soil erosion vehicle emissions
uncontrolled birth rate species become endangered
species
become extinct
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Activity Two – Reading Gap
Fill
Read the article on global warming and think about what
word(s) could go in each gap. Once you
have done that, look at the word list below the text to see if your words are
there. Once done, read the text again
and fill the gaps.
What is Global Warming?
Global
warming is a topic that is never free from debate, whether you have heard about
it by this main buzz word or in relation _____ (1) others such as 'the
greenhouse effect' or even 'climate change' as it is more commonly referred to
these days, it is something that never _____ (2) to spark
controversy when spoken about.
Is global warming real?
First
things first, in order for us to talk about the subject, or problem if you
like, we first need to _____ (3) that it is genuine and science proves that
global warming is real. I can assure you that global warming is something that
is very real and is _____ (4) by a natural process known as 'greenhouse effect'
that sees both natural and man-made gases released into the earth's atmosphere,
subsequently causing the planet to heat up. This natural phenomenon helps to _____
(5) life on earth such as plants, animals and even us humans.
_____ (6),
the big debate that has gone on in the world for years and continues to go on
now is how much human _____ (7) has accelerated this natural process by producing
more of these natural gases, as well as some unnatural ones too. These gases
are known _____ (8) greenhouse gases.
Depending
on who you speak to, will depend on the opinion of how much of an issue global
warming is. Material facts _____ (9) that it is real. However, scientists have one opinion on it,
whereas climatologists another when it comes to how much of a _____ (10) it is
and what, or who, is most responsible for it, namely man or nature? So in short,
the answer to the question 'Is global warming real?' is a definite 'Yes'.
Now
that we have concluded that global warming is real we are now going to explain
what global warming is in depth.
Multiple Choice List:
1. for / of / to / by
2. stops / prevents / bars / fails
3. respond / acknowledge / reply / admit
4. brought up / brought down / brought
in / brought on
5. keep / sustain / allow / permit
6. Moreover / Although / However / Despite
7. activity / task / chore / action
8. as / by / for / of
9. present / appear / produce / show
10. threat / risk / warning / alarm
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Activity Two – Insert the Missing Sentences
The
second part of the text is missing sentences.
Read the text and then the sentences.
Once done, match the missing sentences with their place in the text.
What is global warming?
So the
key question if you are on this page is 'what is global warming?'. Global
warming is what happens when the temperature of the earth increases. (A)
The
natural process that leads to global warming is called 'the greenhouse effect'
and this is where gases in the atmosphere such as methane and carbon dioxide
build up and retain heat from the sun in the atmosphere, therefore increasing
the overall temperature of the earth. (B)
Due to
a larger increase of average global temperatures people are pointing at human
activity for speeding up this process to a degree that is deemed unsafe,
evidence of this is the melting of the polar icecaps and subsequent rises in
sea levels. The gases in question are produced naturally but also by humans
too, the big question is how much effect the amount that humans create has had
already and will have in the future.
Many
people think that global warming and the green house
effect are the same thing but this is not the case. (C)
The
natural process that leads to global warming sees the sun radiate heat to the
earth. Some of the heat will make it to
the earth and warm it up. Some of it will bounce of the clouds in the
atmosphere back into space. In addition
to that, a certain amount of heat will be reflected from the earth back up
into the atmosphere. Once up there, it
will be retained by the natural gases that we have mentioned. (D)
This
'greenhouse effect' as it is known, heats the earth enough to cater for the
needs of all of life on earth and has done so for as long as life has been
here. The reason global warming is deemed as such an issue is because the more
man produces gases, the more there will be in the atmosphere. (E)
1.
This upsets the natural balance, retains more heat and makes the earth
warmer, which is - in a nutshell - what global warming is.
2.
This temperature
increase is something that happens naturally, although it is also contributed
to by human activity.
3.
Some
will also just go back out into space past the atmosphere.
4.
This process is
called the greenhouse
effect and is necessary for the survival of all life on our planet.
5.
The green house
effect is the process that occurs naturally and this leads to global warming
and climate change.
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Activity
Three – Listening
Many, (but not all) scientists believe that
overpopulation is one of the main reasons for global warming. One such scientist, Professor Paul Ehrlich,
talks to The Guardian newspaper about this issue.
Click on the video and listen to the
interview. Once you have done that, look
at the questions below the video and see how many you can answer. After that, listen to the interview clip
again and answer all of the questions.
Good luck!
Questions:
1. How long has the professor been writing
about the link between population levels and environmental problems?
2. How many of the professor’s predictions
have already come true?
3. When did the professor believe problems caused
by climate change would begin?
4. What problems associated with climate
change did scientists not know about decades ago?
6. According to the professor, what evidence that climate change is already taking place can be seen now?
7. In terms of human life on Earth, why is
climate change such a serious issue?
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Activity Four – Speaking
Discuss the questions below with your
partner(s).
Q: What is the number one environmental issue
in your country? Why?
Q: Do you think that documentaries about the environment
make a difference to how you live your life? Explain.
Q: What do you think governments should do to
stop the reverse the damage being done to the Earth?
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Answers
Activity Two – Reading Gap
Fill
1. to
2. fails
3. acknowledge
4. brought on
5. sustain
6. However
7. activity
8. as
9. show
10. threat
Activity Two – Insert the
Missing Sentences
1. E
2. A
3. D
4. B
5. C
Activity
Three –Listening
1. 40 years ago.
2. Most of them.
3. At the end of this century.
4. Ozone depletion, the loss of
biodiversity
5. 20 to 40 years.
6. Extremes of heat and cold, tornadoes,
floods, droughts
7. It’s all tied in with agriculture and
food
RESOURCES:
For more information on the topic, please click on the links below:
Link to WHAT IS GLOBAL WARMING? article:
http://www.what-is-global-warming.com/
Link to full audio and article featuring Professor Paul Ehrlich:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/apr/26/world-population-resources-paul-ehrlich
Link to article on city migration:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/poverty-matters/2012/feb/17/cities-developing-word-overpopulated-urban-myth
Link to article on deforestation in Vietnam:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/apr/24/vietnam-mangrove-deforestation-climate-change
Link to Guardian Environment Articles:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/conservation
Link to BBC article on women and the environment:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-17774187
Link to UK drought problem:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17844171
Link to change change lecture:
http://youtu.be/gh9kDCuPuU8
Link to video on recycling:
http://youtu.be/kBOzcP2FnDM
Link to short film on pollution:
http://www.youtube.com/user/instituteofphysics?v=Wzlj7K11GSM
Note: All materials in this blog are used solely for educational purposes. No financial reward has been received. If you are the owner(s) of any materials used, please contact me and I will remove all items immediately.
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