ENVIRONMENT

Well, I’d like to talk about global warming or climate change, as it can also be called,
though from some time now, since the coronavirus pandemic came up, this matter has
been overshadowed /ˌəʊvərˈʃædəʊ d/ by the coronavirus, like everything else. But I’m
afraid mankind’s environmental problems are still there. In fact, (INV) not only do
they continue, but the covid-19 is precisely making them worse, as we are using
more plastic than ever to protect ourselves from the virus. Whenever I walk in the
countryside (INV) hardly ever do I find the tracks clean, I mean that I usually find
many face masks thrown by the roadside. (2 COND) If we didn’t use so many masks,
the countryside tracks wouldn’t be so dirty.

Global warming is the long-term rise in the average temperature of the planet and it’s
widely believed to have been caused by the continuous emission of polluting gases
(mainly CO2) into the atmosphere. Of course climate change, like everything else in
life, has its advocates and its detractors. For the latter, there is no climate change, and if
there were, it’d be a natural process not due to man in any case. Well anyway, for the
mainstream thought global warming is mankind's main environmental problem, as it
generates a whole series of subsequent problems, in a kind of domino effect /ɪˈfɛkt/ :

-So for instance, it’s widely believed that global warming is behind extreme weather,
which is the sudden and drastic change in weather patterns. So maybe today it’s very
hot, it’s boiling, and tomorrow we have an apocalyptic hailstorm and heavy rain. Or
while some regions of the Earth can be going through a 3 years’ drought /ˈdraʊt/ others
areas can be completely flooded /ˈflʌdɪd/.

-We cannot overlook the fact that global warming also entails the poles to melt; thus,
cities such as Venice or New York could be permanently flooded in the future.

-It also contributes to the disruption of the ecosystem of many animal and plant species
and thus to their extinction, which along with poaching /ˈpəʊtʃɪŋ/ and exotic animal
traffic are wiping out a lot of animal species at an alarming rate.

-And to make matters worse, we are depleting/ (PHR) using up the planet's resources,
for example by cutting down rainforests (the Amazon is the best example). This
deforestation contributes to the greenhouse effect, that’s to say to global warming, since
trees help to clean the atmosphere by absorbing CO2 and releasing oxygen. (DC) So the
more we deforest the Amazon and other areas the more we speed up climate
change.

-Last but not least, another alarming problem is that we are turning our beautiful
oceans and seas into a plastic soup. Our plastic addiction and waste mismanagement is
poisoning countless marine species and even leading to chemical contamination of the
fish we eat.

So... in conclusion a drastic u-turn in our lifestyle has to be taken at some point
if we are to survive on this planet. But well, you know, it’s always easier said than done.
 QUESTIONS

■ Do you think people are really committed to the environment?

■ The world seems to be divided into two kinds of people: those who are concerned about
climate change, of whom we could say they are represented by Sweedish teenage
activist Greta Thumberg; and those who deny or don’t care about global warming, one
of whose major representatives was the former US president Trump. But I'm afraid
turning this into a political matter is not good news, since (DC) the more politicised
this issue becomes the less encouraging it will be for people. To be honest, I don't
feel fully represented by either one group or the other. I don't want to (PAS) be scolded
by millionaire celebrities, who by the way usually travel in the most polluting means of
transport, which is the plane. I don't want to (PAS) be blamed for driving a diesel car
that I bought three years ago nor to (PAS) be punished with higher taxes. Of course,
(COND 2 +INV) if we did not use cars so much, we wouldn't contaminate so much,
but the case is that I cannot go to my job by bicycle, as my job is 40 kilometres away
from where I live.

Yet, I don't want to look cynical nor am I in denial of climate change. (PAS)
Climate change is thought to be a consequence of human activity and I utterly agree
with that thought. In fact, it's hard for me to consider that man has nothing to do with
this process, as there are many signs of the impact of human activity on the planet,
without a doubt whatsoever. So... being true that they cannot blame common people,
it's also true that our lifestyle will be no longer sustainable at this rate.

▪ Do you consider that political leaders are really committed to struggle against
global warming?

▪ No, I’m afraid I do not, what I believe is that current political leaders only think short-
term and on their own agenda. Every so often (PAS) a world summit is celebrated to
reach global commitments to reduce countries' CO2 emissions, but I don't know to what
extent these summits are useful or not, since the most polluting countries, such as the
United States, China and India, do not usually commit to reduce their emissions. So I
see no point in smaller countries such us Switzerland, Spain or Germany
committing to do it if the key polluting countries don’t do it. So all in all, I get the
impression that countries and politicians talk a lot and do little.

▪ What can we do to take care of the environment?

▪ We are always complaining about this issue, but actually (INV) not only are
governments responsible for taking care of the environment; there are a lot of easy-
to-do things that we can do at home. In short, protecting the environment is a task that
we should all be involved in.

We might save water by taking showers instead of baths, or by turning off the tap while
brushing our teeth or shaving. And to save light we can turn the lights off whenever we
leave a room and use LED /ˌel.iːˈdiː/ bulbs /bʌlb/ , which use less energy than
traditional bulbs. And of course, at home we should separate the different types of
waste: organic, non-organic, glass and paper and cardboard, and throw each one into
its bin. And deposit certain waste such as batteries, light bulbs, electronic devices, etc.
at the clean point. But then it’s sad when you take the trouble to recycle at home and
then you take a look at the street rubbish bin and see that people mix everything up.
And you think to yourself: you fucking bastards...