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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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Pollution

word/phrase notes/explanation

pollution 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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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