Topic 8 : Environment

___________________________
Essay topics
With deforestation, urban development and illegal hunting, many animal species are
becoming endangered and some are even facing extinction.
Do you think it is important to protect animals? What can be done to deal with this
problem?

Many people think it is very important to protect the environment but they make no effort to
do it themselves. Why do you think this is the case? What actions should individuals take
to protect the environment?

Explain some of the ways in which humans are damaging the environment. What can
governments do to address these problems? What can individual people do?

Nowadays environmental problems are too big to be managed by individual persons or

individual countries. In other words, it is an international problem. To what extent do you
agree or disagree?

Speaking

Part 1 questions:

Let’s talk about spending time in nature.

How often do you spend time in nature?
Are there natural places where you live (e.g. gardens, forests)?
What do you enjoy doing when you spend time in nature?
Would you like to spend more time in nature?

Let’s talk about helping in the environment.

Are you interested in the environment?
Do you do anything to try and help the environment?
How do people in your area feel about the environment?
What would you like to do to help the environment in the future?

Part 2 Topic Talks:

Describe a place near water where you enjoy spending time.

You should say: What it looks like
Where it is
What you do there
and say why you enjoy spending time there.
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Describe a park you like to visit.
You should say: Where it is
What it looks like
What you do in the park
and say why you like to spend time there.

Part 3 questions:

Let's talk about environmental problems.

Where you live, what local environmental issues are people concerned with?
What are some of the biggest environmental problems your country is facing?
Do you think governments are doing enough to reduce environmental damage?
What can individuals do to help the environment?
How important is international cooperation when it comes to dealing with
environmental problems?
In the future, will it be possible to repair the environment?

Resources

The solution to the plastic waste crisis? The Guardian

How much does flying contribute to climate change? The Conversation

Saving the Ocean, part 1, Off Track, ABC Radtion National

When the ice melts. The catastrophe of vanishing glaciers, Jamail, D. The
Guardian

How empowering women and girls can help stop global warming,
Wilkinson, K. YouTube
The Amazon belongs to humanity - let's protect it together, Yawanawa, T
and L TED Talks

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Sample Essay

Topic:

Many people think it is very important to protect the environment but they make no
effort to do it themselves. Why do you think this is the case? What actions should
individuals take to protect the environment?

It is abundantly clear today that our environment is under threat. There are many who
believe in the importance of looking after it but take no action themselves to do this. In this
essay I will suggest why this is happening and propose ways in which anyone can give our
environment some of the protection it needs.

The main reason why people take no action to take care of their environment is because
they are largely cut off from it. Let us take the example of half of our world’s population
who are now living in urban areas. They often reside in high rise air-conditioned
apartments, travel to work on trains and buses and rarely leave the city. Their offices are
cooled too so, being mostly unaffected by pollution, global heating and other symptoms of
our disregard for our environment, they have few daily reminders of the need to do
anything to protect it. Although they recognise that their world needs their help, they are
not sufficiently affected or inconvenienced by decades of failure to care for it.

There are so many ways in which people could act in support of their environment. The
two I would propose take a lead from the saying, ‘Think globally, act locally’. Because it is
usually overwhelming for an individual when she thinks about how to protect the planet,
the first action to take is to lobby elected officials such as members of parliament and local
councillors to share her concerns, ask what environmental policies are in place and find
out what her state and country representatives are doing to protect the environment. On a
local level, in every city around the world there are groups actively engaged in caring for
and improving their neighbourhood which anyone can join. From street gardens which
supply free produce to citizens to groups campaigning for greener transport options, from
food cooperatives which grow food on rooftops and in underground carparks to those
working to better recycle plastic waste, there are numerous ways the individual can take
action to look after the local environment.

Given the pressures of life, it is not surprising that people fail to act on their belief that it is
important to protect the environment. Holding those we elect to account to take action and
joining local initiatives to enhance the area we live in are two ways people can respond to
their understanding of how important it is to look after the world we live in.

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Vocabulary - Environment
Word / Meaning Translation Related Example My example
Phrase words

air pollution harmful chemicals Air pollution can

and particles in the damage lungs for life.
air

alternative (adj) other alternate (adj) Alternative energy

alternate (v) sources include wind,
solar, water and
biomass.

atmosphere (n) mass of air atmospheric (adj) Th earth’s

surrounding the atmosphere extends
earth up 100km above sea
level.

biodegradable (adj) organic waste Biodegradable

other organisms products are
can break down increasingly available.

biodiversity (n) variety of life on biodiverse (adj) It is important to

this planet maintain biodiversity
for a healthy planet.

biomass (n) a source of fuel Fuel from biomass

made from plant can power vehicles
materials and machines.

carbon credit (n) unit of CO2 bought Carbon credits are

to reduce bought by companies
greenhouse gas to help them meet
emissions their CO2 reduction
targets.

carbon footprint (n) measure activities We use bicycles

have on the instead of a car to
environment reduce our carbon
footprint.

deforestation (n) reduction of trees deforested (adj) Deforestation can

due to burning or deforest (v) have a serious impact
logging on the environment.

dumping (n) disposal of waste dump (v) The dumping of

illegally waste is forbidden by
law.

ecosystem (n) group of organisms The introduction of

which depend on foreign animals or
one another and plants can damage
their environment an ecosystem.

emissions (n) gases or particles emit (v) Diesel car emissions

released into the contribute greatly to
air city pollution.

flora and fauna (n) plants and animals A healthy

environment has a
diversity of flora and
fauna.

fossil fuels (n) fuels formed in the The burning of fossil

ground over a long fuels causes the
time - mostly coal, earth’s atmosphere to
gas and oil heat up.

habitat (n) area lived in by a Many habitats have

group of animals or been destroyed by
plants deforestation.

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 Word / Meaning Translation Related Example My example
Phrase words

litter (n) waste that is litter (v) Visitors are asked to

thrown away littering (n) put all litter in the bins
carelessly provided.

organic (adj) plants or meats Eating organic foods

produced without can be good for your
artificial chemicals health.
or hormones

recycle (v) break waste down recycling (n) Local governments

into its raw recyclable (adj) encourage residents
materials to recycle their waste.

renewable (adj) can be used again renew (v) Renewable energy

and again comes from sources
such as the sun and
wind.

sustainable (adj) meet the needs of sustain (v) Continuing to burn

today without sustainability (n) fossil fuels in the way
compromising we are is not
future needs eg, sustainable.
tourism,
development

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