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Dominic Cole’s IELTS Blog www.dcielts.com

Environment Vocabulary The natural world word/phrase

notes/explanations

the natural world

includes both animal and plant life

the Earth

note the capital letter and “the”

the planet

a synonym for the Earth

a habitat

the natural habitat of an animal is where it lives

biodiversity

variety of plant and animal life in a region

(endangered) species

examples include the Giant Panda

an ecosystem

the system where plants and animals support one another

rainforests

a useful example when discussing environmental problems

deforestation

cutting down forests

Energy word/phrase

notes/explanation

conserve energy

another way ot saying “to save energy”

sources of energy

a good collocation

renewable sources

sources of energy such as wind power and solar energy

natural resources

for example water, coal and gas

fossil fuels

a collective term for coal, petrol and gas

solar energy

energy from the sun

solar panels

the implement used to create solar energy

wind turbines

modern windmills used to create power from the wind

clean energy

energy that does not create pollution

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Dominic Cole’s IELTS Blog www.dcielts.com

Pollution

word/phrase pollution

notes/explanation remember “air and water pollution”: other forms of the word include “pollute” and “pollutants”

smog

an extreme form of air pollution almost like fog

air/water quality

this can be affected by pollution

(industrial) waste

we also talk about waste products

chemicals and fertilisers

useful examples of products that cause water pollution

fumes/emissions

these are the gases that are produced by cars and factories that cause pollution

carbon monoxide and

names of two gases useful for discussing acid rain

carbon dioxide

and the green house effect

factories and power

two examples of sources of pollution

stations acid rain

rain that is “poisonous” because of the poor air quality

dump waste

if factories dump waste, they illegally deposit (normally dangerous) waste

Global warming word/phrase

notes/explanation

green (issues)

a very common synonym for “environmental”

global warming

an example of man’s effect on the environment

the greenhouse effect

connected to global warming

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Dominic Cole’s IELTS Blog www.dcielts.com Useful verbs

word/phrase

notes/explanation

harm

cause or do harm to/ harmful

endanger

the verb of “danger”/endangered species

impact

“have an impact on”

contaminate

almost the same meaning as poison: another form of the word is “contaminated”

threat

a threat to/be under threat/ to threaten/to be threatened by

exercises and examples on how to use this vocabulary The ideas In this section, you will find 4 sample part 3 speakings (slightly long) to listen and read. I have highlighted the environmental vocabulary. Our effect on the natural world [audio:http://www.dcielts.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/environ4.mp3| titles=natural world idea] When we’re the discussing the environment, it’s important not to forget that our actions have an impact not only on us but on the natural world and other species. So, for example, certain species are now endangered because of our actions. it’s not just because of hunting, but because we have destroyed their natural habitats: they do not enough food or anywhere to live. If we carry on in this way, the biodiversity of the planet is under threat. Pollution [audio:http://www.dcielts.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/environ2.mp3| titles=pollution ideas] I would have said that one of the most serious environmental problems today is of course pollution. It’s a very pressing green issue and if you travel to any of the large cities in China, for example, you’ll find that there is very bad air pollution and there is a layer of smog hanging over the cities. It’s just air

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pollution, there is also water pollution. in many parts of the world, the quality of the water is not good because rivers have been contaminated by all sorts of industrial waste, by chemicals and fertilisers. And what we need to do is to recycle our waste and take care of the planet and try use renewable resources where we possibly can. Energy [audio:http://www.dcielts.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/energy.mp3| titles=energy ideas] Another extremely important green issue is of course energy. There are two points to be made here. The first point is that the way we use energy is causing harm to the environment. Most of us get energy in the form of electricity. This electricity is produced by power stations. These power stations emit all sorts of dangerous gases such as carbon monoxide up into the atmosphere. And these gases cause acid rain which does harm to our ecosystem and environment. the second point to make about energy is we need to make sure that we are using energy in a sustainable way. There is a limit to the Earth’s natural resources and there is a danger that we use so much energy the Earth is no longer going to be able to provide us with sufficient coal and fossil fuels. What we need to do is look for more renewable sources of energy such as wind or perhaps solar energy from the sun. Global warming [audio:http://www.dcielts.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/environ1.mp3| titles=Global warming ideas] What’s the greatest threat to the Earth today? I’d have to say it’s probably a combination of global warming and the greenhouse effect. I don’t understand all the science behind it, but I understand it’s to do with the build up of gases such as carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which means that the planet is slowly but steadily getting warmer. and one of the results of this is that the polar icecap is melting and the levels of the oceans are rising. And it’s caused I understand by deforestation, particularly of rainforests and particularly in the Amazonian Basin. And what this means is that we may be doing irreparable harm to the planet and the future of the planet for our children and our children’s children looks really rather bleak.

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