2015-08-21
615
Global Issues
GLOBAL WARMING AND CLIMATE CHANGE
1. Read the introductory text and explain what man-made climate change is.
There are numerous issues related to the global warming and consequent climate change. Many scientists argue that these changes are so called man-made, meaning caused by human activities. Others say that global warming would have come even without the 'help' of humans, which means that global warming is not man-made.
2. Before you read on try to think what human activities could be seen as causing global warming?
The Greenhouse Effect
It is said that human activities, such as burning fossil fuel (gas, coal, oil) or deforestation, cause increase in global temperature in a process called the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect is caused by excessive production of greenhouse gases (CO2, water vapour, methane, etc.). These gases are naturally in the atmosphere and are vital for life on Earth. However, when there is too much of them, they cumulate in the atmosphere and raise the temperature. This also leads to ozone holes, which is alarming, as ozone layer protects the life on Earth from harmful effects of the Sun’s radiation.
3. Explain the following expressions in English(B2-C1) or translate into Czech:
| fossil fuels |
| deforestation |
| greenhouse gases |
| water vapour |
| cumulate |
| ozone hole |
| ozone layer |
| harmful |
| greenhouse effect |
4. Find words with the opposite meaning:
| harmful |
| cumulate |
| vital |
| production |
| natural |
| increase |
4. Fill in the text with suitable verbs from the two texts above:
a. The greenhouse effect is _______________ by excessive production of greenhouse gases.
b. Many scientists ______________ that global warming is man-made.
c. The greenhouse gases _______________ in the atmosphere when there is too much of them.
d. Ozone layer _______________ the life on Earth from the Sun’s radiation.
Effects of Global Warming
5. Fill in the gaps in the text with these words:
diseases – rising – water – melting – impact – famine – line
Global warming has been recognized as having a negative _______________ on the life on Earth. The sea levels are _______________, glaciers are ______________ and the weather changes are more unexpected and extreme than they used to be.
Floods often cause dangerous landslides threatening human lives. Heavy rains take away fertile soil as well as the crops, causing serious cases of _______________ in areas where people live on farming products only. As a result, many people in flood areas live below poverty _______________.
Droughts may have similarly devastating effects. Where crops are not swept away by floods, opposite problems may arise. When there is not enough rainwater, the crops do not grow to feed the population and a shortage of drinking _______________ becomes an imminent threat. Also, due to droughts grazing pastures are becoming rare, causing the deaths in livestock, another source of food for farmers. Not having enough clean water, people’s poor sanitary conditions become worse and _______________, such as diarrhoea and typhoid may spread easily.
Another problem caused by frequent droughts is forest fires. In some places the forest areas are so large that when a fire starts, it is impossible to put it out without the help of technology such as dropping fire retardants from aeroplanes and helicopters.
As the oceans warm up, the air around them warms up too, causing more hurricanes, which again have disastrous effects on flora, fauna and the humans.
6. Explain in English:
| floods |
| droughts |
| fertile soil |
| crops |
| famine |
| shortage |
| diseases |
| put out (a fire) |
| diarrhoea |
7. Answer the questions:
a. What do the floods cause?
b. What do the draughts cause?
c. What diseases may be caused by poor sanitary conditions?
d. What is often used to prevent forest fires from spreading?
