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ENVIRONMENT

IMPORTANT ENVIRONMENT ISSUES, NATURAL ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTERS AND OTHER ENVIRONMENT VOCABULARY
acid rain	rain which contains large amounts of harmful chemicals as a result of burning substances such as coal and oil.
biodegradable	able to decay naturally and harmlessly.
biodiversity	the number and variety of plant and animal species that exist in a particular environmental area or in the world generally, or the problem of preserving and protecting this.
carbon monoxide	the poisonous gas formed by the burning of carbon, especially in the form of car fuel.
carbon dioxide	the gas formed when carbon is burned, or when people or animals breathe out.
climate	the general weather conditions usually found in a particular place.
climate change	there has been a growing concern about climate change.
deforestation	the cutting down of trees in a large area; the destruction of forests by people.
desertification	the process by which land changes into desert.
disposable products	describes an item that is intended to be thrown away after use.
drought	a long period when there is little or no rain.
earthquake	a sudden violent movement of the Earth's surface, sometimes causing great damage.
endangered species	endangered birds/plants/species animals or plants which may soon not exist because there are very few now alive.
energy	the power from something such as electricity or oil, which can do work, such as providing light and heat. There are different types of energy: solar, nuclear, hydroelectric...
energy conservation	the process of conserving energy
environment	the air, water and land in or on which people, animals and plants live.
extinction	Many species of plants and animals are in danger of/threatened with extinction (= being destroyed so that they no longer exist)
flood	a large amount of water covering an area that is usually dry.
fumes	strong, unpleasant and sometimes dangerous gas or smoke.
natural resources	things such as minerals, forests, coal, etc. which exist in a place and can be used by people.
global warming	a gradual increase in world temperatures caused by polluting gases such as carbon dioxide which are collecting in the air around the Earth and preventing heat escaping into space.
greenhouse effect	an increase in the amount of carbon dioxide and other gases in the atmosphere which is believed to be the cause of a gradual warming of the surface of the Earth.
green peace	an organization that fights for the protection of the environment.
renewable energy	describes a form of energy that can be produced as quickly as it is used.
oil slick	a layer of oil that is floating over a large area of the surface of the sea, usually because an accident has caused it to escape from a ship or container.
ozone layer	a layer of air high above the Earth, which contains a lot of ozone, and which prevents harmful ultraviolet light from the sun from reaching the Earth.
pollution	damage caused to water, air.... by harmful substances or waste.
recycle waste	to collect and treat rubbish to produce useful materials which can be used again.
reduce	using less of something
recycle	create new materials from old ones
sustainable development	a development that is causing little or no damage to the environment and therefore able to continue for a long time.
tsunami	an extremely large wave caused by movement of the earth under the sea, often caused by an earthquake (= when the Earth shakes)
unleaded petrol	describes a type of petrol or other substance that does not contain lead.
use up natural resources	The degradation of natural resources because of human pressure
volcano	a mountain with a large circular hole at the top through which lava (= hot liquid rock), gases, steam and dust are or have been forced out.
waste	unwanted matter or material of any type, often that which is left after useful substances or parts have been removed.