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GENERAL ENGLISH · GENERAL ISSUES · UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)

GLOBAL
WARMING
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1 Warm up

Look at the pictures which show some of the effects of climate change. From the words in the box
create and match phrases/words that best describe each image.

rising forest sea drought melting fire glacier level

(1) (2) (3) (4)

Now answer the following questions.

1. What is global warming? Is it the same as climate change?

2. Are these effects definitely caused by climate change?
3. What places are most affected by these problems? Can you think of any recent examples?

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2 Environmental glossary
These terms are often featured in discussions on climate change. Match the phrases to their definitions
to create a glossary.

CO2 emissions fossil fuel greenhouse gas

net zero renewable energy source the greenhouse effect

1. : a source of energy formed over millions of years from parts of dead animals or
plants
2. : carbon dioxide that planes, cars, factories, etc. produce
3. : the slow rise in the temperature of earth’s atmosphere, caused by certain gases
trapping the heat of the sun
4. : any of the gases that are thought to cause the greenhouse effect, especially
carbon dioxide
5. : a type of energy that can be replaced naturally
6. : a situation in which the harmful gases produced by a particular company, region
or country have no impact on the climate because they have been balanced by actions that protect
the environment

Now answer the questions below.

1. What fossil fuels can you name?

2. What renewable energy sources do you know?
3. What is a greenhouse? Why is this word used in the context of climate change?

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3 Focus on vocabulary

Part A: Match the words to the definitions

1. strain (n) a. the amount of something used, eaten or drunk

2. livestock (n) b. pressure on a system because great demands are being placed
on it
3. insulate (v) c. money that is paid by a government to reduce the costs of
services or of producing goods
4. consumption (n) d. protect something with a material that prevents heat from
passing through
5. subsidy (n) e. be the explanation or cause of something

6. account for (phr. verb) f. the animals kept on a farm, for example cows or sheep

Part B: Choose a word from part A to fill in the gaps.

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1. If we our homes more effectively, we can significantly reduce our energy
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.
3
2. Petrol cars a substantial amount of CO2 emissions; some governments provide
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a to encourage people to buy more environmentally friendly vehicles.
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3. The farmer’s business was under due to rising costs and a
shortage of workers.

Part C: Discuss the following questions.

1. Have you ever received a subsidy to reduce the price of something?

2. Have you ever felt under strain due to work or study commitments?
3. What livestock is commonly farmed in your country?

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4 Listening for detail

You are going to listen to a conversation about the biggest causes of climate change and some possible
solutions. Look at the pictures and tick which things are mentioned.

(1) heat pump (2) gas boiler (3) landfill

(4) solar panel (5) rewilding (6) electric cars

5 Listening comprehension

Listen again and fill in the gaps with words from the listening.

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1. Angus describes how instead of fossil fuels, governments must put money into
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energy and provide subsidies to help people insulate homes and
to a greener heating source.
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2. Kelly explains the role the natural world can play in absorbing carbon if correctly.
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Deforested land is often used to farm animals, causing some to advocate eating
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less or even animal products.
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3. George explains how overproduction and consumption causes lots of products to
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in landfill. Even though the rate of plastic use is considered , demand still rises,
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so it’s very important to sustainable alternatives.

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6 Vocabulary

Part A: Fill in the gaps with the words below to create definitions for each vocabulary item.

change damage disagree frequently

happened responsibility result unlikely

1. activist (n) - a person who works to achieve political or social

2. stabilise (v) - become consistent and to change suddenly

3. decisive (adj.) - very important for the final of a particular situation

4. contentious (adj). - likely to cause people to

5. fluctuate (v) - to change , from one extreme to another

6. compensation (n) - money paid due to for injuring someone or damaging something

7. unprecedented (adj.) - that has never , been done or been known before

8. vulnerable (adj.) - easy to attack or

Part B: From the context, decide if the word in brackets is correct, and if not, replace it with a word
from the same word family.

1. Factors such as natural disasters, interest rates and production costs lead to in
oil prices. (fluctuate)

2. After years of feeling annoyed about issues affecting her local area, Jennifer became an
, meeting local politicians and organising protests. (activist)

3. No amount of money could for the broken vase. It had been in the family for
hundreds of years. (compensation)

4. The of certain island countries to problems caused by rising sea levels has been
known about for some time. (vulnerable)

5. Climate change is causing numbers of certain animal species to be seen in places

they would not normally live. (unprecedented)

6. The issue was ; everybody had the same opinion, and they reached a decision in
five minutes. (contentious)

7. Some believe the public can play a role in determining the future of the planet,
while others feel they are powerless. (decisive)

8. Countries with a economy and political situation may be better placed to take
action on climate change. (stabilise)

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7 Reading for general idea

Skim through the article on page 7 and answer the questions.

1. What causes of climate change are mentioned?

2. What targets are mentioned?

3. What controversial issues are mentioned?

8 Reading comprehension

Read the text and decide if the sentences are true (T), false (F) or not given (NG). Give reasons for
your answers.

Politicians have prioritised finding solutions to the problems caused by climate change for a long time.

Our planet’s climate hasn’t changed very much in the last 10,000 years.

There is a link between a stable climate and human achievement.

David Attenborough believes that it is possible to halve global carbon emissions in the next ten years.

The Paris Agreement acknowledged that limiting temperature increase to 1.5 degrees was unrealistic.

Some countries are suffering effects of climate change but did not contribute much to the causes.

Only two thirds of the $100 billion dollars promised to the worst affected countries has been provided.

A method for calculating "loss and damage" has been agreed on by world leaders.

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The climate emergency

Dealing with our changing climate in the 21st century
1. The problems caused by our changing climate have been acknowledged for a long time, but dealing with them
has only become a political priority fairly recently. Emotive terms like "climate emergency" and "climate crisis",
perhaps once reserved to the most passionate climate activists, are now used routinely by scientists, politicians
and the media.

2. Speaking ahead of the COP26 summit in Glasgow in 2021, naturalist Sir David Attenborough delivered a
passionate speech to the world’s leaders. In it, he explained that global temperatures used to fluctuate
dramatically, but around 10,000 years ago they stabilised and since then have varied by no more than plus or
minus one degree. Climate security has allowed humanity to enjoy great success, but this security is now under
serious threat. Describing how burning fossil fuels and destroying nature has caused carbon to be released "at an
unprecedented pace and scale", Attenborough emphasised that the world must take urgent action.

3. His appeal reflects the latest scientific assessment that to avoid the worst impacts of rising temperatures, global
carbon emissions must be halved no later than 2030; for this reason, many describe the 2020s as "the decisive
decade". Many countries have committed to working together to bring greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero
within the second half of the 21st century.

4. The 2015 Paris Agreement outlined the goal of limiting global average temperature increase this century to "well
below 2ºC"(above preindustrial levels) but pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5ºC. This target
is key to current negotiations on climate change, but Attenborough states that reaching the ambitious 1.5-degree
target would require "a new industrial revolution, powered by millions of sustainable innovations." Transportation,
agriculture and industry will require large scale changes.

5. Unfortunately, the commitments made at COP26 do not ensure the world is on track to meet these targets.
However, the promise to reduce the use of coal, the most polluting fossil fuel, is widely recognised as a
breakthrough. The decision to begin an annual process of revising targets was announced at COP26 and keeps
hope alive of more ambitious action being promised in future summits.

6. International co-operation is essential, but the issue of responsibility for tackling climate change is highly
contentious. Although the richest countries were the first to start seriously polluting the atmosphere, some of the
worst effects are being felt in the world’s least developed countries, which have been responsible for comparably
few emissions. Vulnerable low-lying countries are being affected more frequently and more seriously than had
been predicted.

7. According to many, the richest countries should be making the biggest efforts to reduce their carbon emissions
while also providing financial assistance to those worst affected. Promises to provide $100 billion dollars a year to
help develop low carbon technology and build defences against extreme weather have not been met. The concept
of "loss and damage" has emerged to refer to the destruction caused by extreme weather, but richer nations have
so far been unwilling to create a formula to calculate funding for loss and damage, partially because they are
unhappy with reference to "compensation" in the negotiations.

8. Whether individual countries are to blame or not, David Attenborough believes that there is a moral responsibility
to help those who have already suffered due to climate change and those who will be affected in the future.

Sources: forbes.com; bbc.com; theguardian.com

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9 Opinion poll
Read the following statements and decide if you strongly agree (SA), agree (A), neither agree nor
disagree (NA/ND), disagree (D), strongly disagree (SD). Explain your answers.

1. This is the "decisive decade" for dealing with climate change. _____
2. The least developed countries should not be expected to do anything without more help from
richer countries. _____
3. Individual people, as well as governments and companies, have a responsibility to act against
climate change. _____
4. Reducing meat and dairy consumption is essential. _____
5. Electric vehicles are the environmentally-friendly future of transportation. _____
6. I believe the annual negotiations on climate change targets will lead to positive results. _____
7. I feel more concerned about climate change now than I did five years ago. _____
8. I currently do enough to limit my impact on the planet. _____

10 Optional extension - climate phrases

Read the text and answer the questions.

In August 2018, 15-year-old activist Greta Thunberg went on climate strike. For three
weeks, instead of going to school, she spent her days outside the Swedish Parliament
calling for leaders to take stronger climate action. Her actions have since been repeated
by schoolchildren all over the world. Many people have already moved, or will move in the
future, due to changes to their local environment. The UN points out that the term "climate
refugee" mirrors the images we see of those escaping wars and conflicts, and so creates a
clear image in people’s minds. However, it prefers the term "climate migrant" to account for
the fact that most movement is internal and is not necessarily forced. To this day, despite
the scientific evidence, some people do not accept the human element of climate change, so
climate change denial continues.

1. What is a climate strike?

2. What is climate change denial? Why do some people not believe climate change is caused by
human actions?
3. What is the difference between the term climate migrant and a climate refugee?
4. Do you feel your country takes strong climate action? Why? Why not?

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