Environmental problems word list

• IELTS-style questions
  on the topic of the environment

• Sample answers

• A list of common environment
  vocabulary with definitions & sample sentences

• Links to online reading and listening resources

Set 1:
Key definitions

Set 2:
The natural world – wildlife, plant life & habitats

Set 3:
The natural world – resources & the environment

Set 4:
Environmental issues

Set 5:
Protecting the environment

Set
6: Other useful words

Learning vocabulary for IELTS doesn’t just involve learning new
words and phrases, it’s also about how you use vocabulary to develop good
answers.

Part
1

1)  Do you think pollution is a big problem
nowadays?

I think
it’s a massive issue. It really worries me how much damage we are doing to the natural
environment, especially how we pollute the oceans with plastic waste
and release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

2)  What do you do to prevent the environment
from pollution?

I recycle as much rubbish as I can and I walk when possible
rather than driving or taking public transport in order to reduce my carbon footprint.

3)  Are you worried about climate change? 

Most
definitely. In my country, the weather is changing because of global warming and we get more
bad storms than before. Governments and individuals need to do more to combat climate change.

4)  Do you use renewable energy?

Not
at the moment. I wanted to change my house to solar power but the panels are too expensive for me to buy
so, unfortunately, I still use fossil
fuels.

5)  Do you take an interest in nature?

I
love all wildlife. My garden
is the perfect habitat for
hedgehogs. They are nocturnal
but if I go out after dark with a torch I sometimes see one.

Part 2

There are a number of serious environmental problems being
covered by the media at the moment but the one I’d like to talk about is the deforestation of vast areas of
rainforest to grow palm oil. I’m not sure when it started to become a concern
to environmentalist but I
know that they’re increasingly worried about it.

This land clearance is on a huge scale and the forest is often
just burned down. This sends large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere which contribute to global warming and climate
change. This affects everyone on the planet.

Just as important is the effect on the
native wildlife. Deforestation to grow palm oil
in Borneo and Sumatra destroys the natural habitat
of orang utans as well as many other animals. Conservationists estimate that unless the situation changes,
the orang utan and Sumatran tiger could become extinct in the wild in the next 5-10 years. In fact, a third
of all mammal species in
Indonesia are thought to be critically endangered
because of this type of unsustainable
development.

Furthermore, the oil palm plantations
that replace the rich vegetation
of the rainforest support very low levels of biodiversity and create a
totally a different ecosystem.
I don’t fully understand why the loss of biodiversity is such a problem but I
did read somewhere that it means that our food crops are more vulnerable to
pest and diseases. This could lead to serious food shortages in the future.

I think that the palm oil industry and
its associated problems are going to be difficult to change. Perhaps it’s
consumers who can have the biggest impact by refusing to buy products
containing palm oil which is in around 40-50% of
common household products in many developed countries. In the UK, there’s
already one major food
retailer that has promised to ban palm oil in its own products. This I really
encouraging and I hope other companies will do the same soon.

Part 3

1)  What do you consider to be the most serious
environmental issues in the world today?

I’d say that global warming and climate
change have to come top of the list because these threaten the very future
of life on our planet. There are many contributing factors such as the burning of
fossil fuels, deforestation for agriculture and
due to illegal logging, and large-scale
livestock farming.

Another serious concern is for the
marine life in our oceans which
is under serious threat from pollution, especially waste plastics.
These kill or injure thousands of sea creatures
every day. Many species of wildlife are also being pushed to
the verge of extinction by poaching. It’s shocking to think
that beautiful animals such as the tiger are dying out in the wild because of the actions of human beings.

There are many other environmental problems that we need
to solve but these are the ones I believe to be the most serious.

2)  Do you think it is the responsibility of
governments alone to protect the environment?

Not at all. It’s the
responsibility of every individual to do their bit to protect the environment.
Of course, governments can do a lot to address environmental issues through their policies and the laws they
pass. I certainly think that governments should put more pressure on industry
to use clean energy and to cut
down on the emission of greenhouse gases that pollute the atmosphere and add to global
warming.

In my country, the government encourages
people to live an environmentally-friendly
lifestyle by providing recycling
services and facilities and subsidising renewable
energy by giving grants to people wanting to run their homes on solar power. If more people took
advantage of this, it would certainly help the environment.

3)  What measures can individuals take to protect
the environment?

There are many ways that each of
us can help to care for the natural environment.
Firstly, we can recycle as
much of our rubbish as possible or, even better, cut down on our use of disposable products.

Secondly, we can become more energy-efficient by insulating
our homes, turning off lights when they don’t need to be on and making short
journeys by bicycle or on foot rather than going by vehicle. Cutting down on
car journeys also means fewer polluting exhaust fumes entering the atmosphere.

Finally, we can make sure that we
know about the major conservation
issues our world is currently facing. If we are well-informed then we can take
action to bring about change.

These are all measure we can take
as individuals to help safeguard
the environment.

Click
this link to get a PDF download of these practise questions & sample
answers.

• Do not try
  and learn this list of environment vocabulary.

• Identify
  the vocabulary you find useful for answering practise questions about environmental issues.

• Record
  these in your vocabulary notebook and practise using them regularly.

Environment
Vocabulary Set 1: Key Definitions

environment – the
natural world, as a whole or in a particular geographical area, especially as
affected by human activity.

— Picking up litter is a simple way to help protect the environment.

environmental – relating to the natural
world and concerning the impact of human activity on its condition.

—  A survey revealed a
number of environmental
issues concerning
the development of the land for housing, most notably, that it was the habitat of
a rare breed of frog.

environmentalist – a person who chooses a
lifestyle that is designed to minimise their impact on the natural environment
and who campaigns for environmental issues.

— Plans
to build a new road alongside the lake drew fierce oppositions from environmentalists.

environmentally-friendly – not harmful to the
environment.

— There
are many environmentally-friendly cleaning products on the
market that don’t contain chemicals that damage the environment.

natural
environment – the natural world as opposed to, for example, a
working environment.

— When the injured seal
had been nursed back to health in the rescue centre, it was returned to its natural
environment.

environmental
hazard – a substance or an
event which has the potential to threaten the surrounding natural environment.

— The illegal storage of toxic
waste presents a significant environmental
hazard.

environmental
disaster – a catastrophic event affecting the environment
due to human activity.

— When the oil tanker ran aground, it caused an environmental disaster from which it took the
local wildlife many years to recover.

conservation – the protection of plants, animals
and natural resources, usually by planned human action.

— It was Dimitri’s
dream to get a job in conservation.

conservationist – a person who takes action to protect the
environment from damage caused by humans.

— Conservationists are working hard to
protect the breeding grounds of sea turtles.

conservation
programme – an organised plan to protect a specific natural
area or aspect of the natural environment.

— Next
year I’m planning to volunteer on a conservation programme in Spain
which researches dolphins.

     Collocations:

• wildlife
  conservation – the protection of wildlife.
• nature conservation – work
  that protects natural resources including wildlife, rivers, forests and other
  natural landscapes.
• energy conservation – the
  effort made to use less energy.

Environment
Vocabulary Set 2: The natural world – wildlife, plant life & habitats

wildlife – animals that
live in the wild in natural conditions. Birds, fish and insects are often
included in the definition.

— Every evening, a wide variety
of wildlife came to the waterhole to
drink.

local
wildlife – the wildlife to be found in a particular area.

— The children did a
school project on their local wildlife.

native
wildlife – wildlife that naturally lives in a particular area
and is not there as a result of human intervention.

When cats were introduced
to the island, they hunted the native wildlife and cause a rapid decline
in many species.

creature – any living thing that can move independently.

There are some fascinating
creatures living in the deep ocean that we know hardly anything about.

fauna – the
animals of a particular region or habitat.

— The group of
scientists lived in tents while studying the fauna of the remote mountain region.

flora – the plants of a particular region or habitat.

— Much of the native flora of Australia isn’t found naturally
anywhere else in the world.

vegetation – the collective name for all the
plants growing in a particular place or area.

— Tropical regions are known for their
dense vegetation.

species – a group of animals or plants that have
similar characteristics and can reproduce together.

— Lions are a species of wild cat.

     Collocations:

• endangered
  species – a species that is in serious
  danger of extinction.
• threatened
  species – a species that is likely to
  become endangered in the near future.
• rare
  species – an
  uncommon or scarce species.
• protected
  species – a species which it is
  forbidden to harm by law.
• extinct
  species – a species of which there are
  no more alive.

ecosystem – all the living things in an
environment and the complex relationship between each of them and that
environment.

— Coral reefs have a delicately
balanced ecosystem which can be
seriously damaged by overfishing.

     Collocations:

• delicately
  balanced ecosystem –
  an ecosystem where the loss of a key species, or several significant species,
  can seriously affect it.
• fragile
  ecosystem – an
  ecosystem that does not adapt easily to change and is easily destroyed by human or physical impact. 

Mother Nature – nature or weather considered as a force that controls all living things.

— It’s far better to try and work with Mother Nature than again it.

diverse – varied and very different from one another.

— They were able to grow a diverse range of crops in the rich, fertile soil.

biodiversity – the variety of animal and plant life found in a particular place.

It is important to preserve biodiversity in order to protect our ecosystems.

     Collocation:

• loss of biodiversity – when species become extinct in an area and there is no longer such a great variety of species.

ecology – the
relationship between animals, plants, people and their environment in a
particular area, or the study of this.

— Ben studied the coastal ecology of Lundy Island in his final
year at university.

habitat – the natural home or environment of
an animal, plant or other organism.

— The loss of their natural habitat
through deforestation is a serious threat to the orang utan in Borneo.

to
inhabit – to live
in a certain place.

— The rainforest is inhabited by many different species of
monkey.

natural
surroundings –
the habitat in which a species would naturally live.

— The best thing about going on safari
is seeing the animals in their natural
surroundings rather than caged up in a zoo.

to
adapt – to change or adjust in response to new conditions.

— With the loss of large areas of
countryside to housing development, foxes have had to adapt to living in towns.

to
evolve – change
or develop gradually.

— Scientists now believe that humans evolved from apes.

evolution – the process by which living things
slowly change and develop over a long period of time.

— The theory of evolution states that all life on Earth today evolved over millions
of years from simple organisms.

thrive – to grow and develop well or
quickly.

— The leopard seal is well adapted to
the cold and thrives in the fish-rich
waters of the Arctic.

marine – related to or found in
the sea.

— Marine
wildlife is badly affected by the amount of waste plastic in our oceans.

nocturnal – active at night.

— Almost all species of bats are nocturnal, preferring to hunt or search
for food at night rather than during the day.

migrate – to move from one region or habitat
to another, usually when the season changes.

— Many birds migrate south to warmer climates in the winter.

extinction – being completely destroyed so that it no longer
exists.

— The dodo, a flightless bird
once found in Mauritius, was
hunted to extinction by 1681.

dying out – to become increasingly less common, almost to
the point of extinction.

— Tigers are in serious danger of
dying out in the wild.

Environment
Vocabulary Set 3: The natural world – resources & environment

climate – the general weather conditions
usually found in a particular place.

— Egypt has a hot, dry climate with very little rainfall.

climate
change – a change
in global or regional temperature patterns.

— Climate
change has led to the melting of the polar ice caps.

     Collocation:

• combat
  climate change – to stop or reverse the effects of climate change.

— It is only by countries working
together to combat climate change
that we will save our planet.

natural resources – materials
or substances that exist in nature, such as coal,
oil, and timber,  and can be used by
people.

— The success of humans as a
species has been largely due to their ability to exploit the Earth’s natural resources.

Collocation:

• rich in
  natural resources – having a lot of natural resources.

— It is believed that Antarctica is rich in natural resources but many fear an
ecological disaster if mining is allowed to go ahead.

fossil
fuels – a fuel,
such as coal, oil and gas, that is formed in the earth from dead plants and
animals.

— Fossil
fuels give off large amounts of carbon when burned which is damaging to the
atmosphere.

atmosphere – the layer of gases surrounding the
Earth or any other planet.

— Asteroids usually burn up when they
enter the Earth’s atmosphere.

ozone
layer – a layer
of the colourless gas ozone that exists high
above the Earth’s surface and which prevents harmful ultraviolet light
from the sun from reaching the Earth.

— Without the ozone
layer, it would be very difficult for anything to survive on Earth.

carbon
dioxide – a gas
formed when carbon is burned, or when people or animals breathe out.

— Trees absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen which helps to keep our
atmosphere healthy.

carbon
monoxide – a
poisonous gas formed by the burning of carbon, especially in the form of car
fuel.

— You can’t smell carbon
monoxide which makes
it a deadly killer, so it’s important to install
a carbon monoxide alarm near your gas boiler.

greenhouse
gas – a gas in
the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide, that absorbs radiation and gives off
heat.

— Greenhouse
gases contribute to the problem of global warming.

greenhouse
effect – the
gradual warming of the surface of the Earth due to greenhouse gases being
trapped in the atmosphere above the Earth.

-The greenhouse effect is believed by many to be responsible for climate
change.

Environment
Vocabulary Set 4: Environmental issues

erosion – the gradual wearing-away of
something by the natural forces of the wind, rain and water.

— Crop rotation is important to ensure
the soil isn’t left bare and subject to erosion
by the wind and rain.

     Collocations:

• coastal
  erosion – damage
  to the coastline caused mainly by waves.
• soil
  erosion – removal
  of the upper layer of the soil, mainly by water or wind.
• wind
  erosion – a process where soil or rocks are worn away by the
  wind.

deforestation – the cutting down or burning of all the
trees in an area.

— Deforestation results in the loss of
habitat for millions of species, leads to soil erosion and, according to
scientists, is a major cause of climate change.

land
clearance – the process of removing vegetation to create new areas
of land suitable for farming.

— Land
clearance leaves the soil bare and at risk of serious erosion.

logging – to cut down trees for their timber.

— Uncontrolled logging is destroying vast areas of our precious rainforests.

pollution – damage to water, air or land by
harmful substances and waste materials.

— In some cities, the air pollution is
so bad that people have to wear face masks when they go out.

to
pollute – to
contaminate water, air or land with harmful substances and waste materials.

— In many countries, heavy industry
continues to seriously pollute the environment.

emissions – the production and discharge of
something, especially gas.

— Many
countries are reluctant to reduce toxic emissions as the huge
expense involved can affect the rate of economic growth.

carbon footprint – the amount
of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere as a result of the activities of
a particular individual or organization.

— I have reduced my carbon footprint by cycling to work
instead of driving.

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 from escaping into space.

— It’s not too late to reverse the effects of global warming but we must act right now.

     Collocations:

• to fight /
  to combat / to tackle global warming – take
  action to reverse the effects or promote the issue of global warming.
• contribute
  to global warming – to add
  to the problem of global warming.
• the
  effects of global warming – the environmental changes caused by global
  warming such as climate change.

disposable products – items that are intended to be thrown away after use, generally after just one or a few uses.

— When I was young, things were made to last a long time and be used over and over again, but now we live in a world of disposable products and have a huge waste problem.

dumping ground – a place where things that are not wanted are left

— If we continue treating our oceans as a dumping ground, it will eventually become too polluted to sustain life.

acid rain – rain rainfall made so acidic by atmospheric pollution caused by burning fossil fuels that it causes environmental harm, especially to forests and lakes.

— In Poland, large areas of forest have been destroyed by acid rain.

to contaminate – to make something poisonous as a result of adding waste or chemicals.

— Pesticide and fertilisers used on the field can contaminate rivers and kill all the fish.

degradation – the process in which the quality of something is damaged or destroyed.

— Soil degradation due to over-farming means that many farmers have had to move to the cities in search of work.

depletion – the reduction in the number or quality of something.

— Over-fishing has led to the depletion of the ocean’s fish stocks.

fumes – strong, unpleasant and sometimes dangerous gas or smoke.

— Car exhaust fumes are a major contributor to air pollution.

smog – a mixture of smoke, gases, and chemicals, especially in cities, that makes the atmosphere difficult to breathe and harmful for health.

— Some days the smog is so bad that people are forced to stay indoors.

air quality – the extent to which the air is free of pollution.

— When the company was forced to install filters in their factories chimneys, the air quality in the area improved considerably.

poisonous – having chemical properties that can cause harm or kill.

— Hundreds of people became seriously ill when poisonous chemicals from the nearby factory seeped into the water system.

toxic – poisonous.

— The dumping of toxic waste in the ocean is totally unacceptable and must be stopped.

threat  – something or someone that is a risk or a danger.

The greatest threat to the environment comes from the actions of human beings.

to endanger – to expose something to harm or destruction.

— Organised poaching is endangering the survival of the African rhino.

poaching – the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals.

— Elephant’s valuable tusks make them a target for poaching.

drought – a long period when there is little or no rain.

— The severe drought meant that the crops failed for the second year running and many people faced starvation.

flooding – when an area of land that is normally dry is covered with water.

— We have been told to expect more violent storms and frequent flooding as a result of global warming.

flash floods – a sudden, local flood caused by very heavy rainfall.

— The flash flood washed a whole village from the hillside, killing dozens of people.

Environment
Vocabulary Set 5: Protecting the environment

to
protect – keep
safe from harm, injury or damage.

— Many
charities have been set up around the world for the purpose of protecting
endangered species.

to preserve – to keep something as it is

If we don’t take steps to preserve the environment, we will lose
some important natural habitats in the very near future.

     Collocation:

• wildlife
  preservation – the practice of
  protecting wild plant and animal species and their habitats.

to
recycle – to collect
waste materials and process them to create new materials and products that can
be used again.

— We
can dramatically reduce the amount of rubbish we send to landfill sites by recycling
our waste plastic.

biodegradable – able to decompose
naturally without harming or polluting the environment.

— I
always try to buy products with biodegradable packaging.

carbon-neutral – replacing the same
amount of carbon dioxide as we produce through actions such as planting trees.

— Becoming
carbon-neutral is something for both individuals and industries to work
towards.

sustainable – involving methods that do not use
up or destroy natural resources.

— With advances in technology, it
is hoped that we will eventually be able to replace fossil fuels with sustainable energy sources.

sustainability – the idea that we should meet our own needs in ways
that do not damage the environment and that do not use resources that cannot be
replaced.

— It is encouraging to see an
increasing number of companies making a commitment to environmental sustainability.

renewable
energy – energy
from a source that is not depleted when used.

— Where I live, both solar power and
wind power are important sources of renewable
energy.

solar
power – power obtained by harnessing the energy of the sun’s
rays.

— Hussan fitted solar
panels to his roof last year and is now able to produce all the energy he needs
to run his home from solar power.

energy-efficient – using only as much energy as is
needed without any waste.

— When I buy a new appliance, I look for
one that is energy-efficient as it
will be cheaper to run and be more environmentally-friendly.

wind
turbine –  a tall structure with blades that are blown round by the wind and
produce power to make electricity.

— Many farmers in my area have
installed wind turbines to provide
the electricity they need.

wind
farm – a group of
wind turbines.

— We were horrified when they got
permission to build a wind farm in
our beautiful countryside, but we’re used to it now and understand how
important it is to generate renewable energy.

clean
energy – energy
produced from renewable energy resources and which doesn’t produce emissions
that contribute to global warming.

— Scientists predict that clean energy could reliably and affordably provide up to 80 per cent of U.S.
electricity by 2050.

organic
farming – farming without the use of synthetic
chemicals.

— Concern for the environment is
leading to changes in agricultural methods and especially to a greater interest
in organic farming.

afforestation
– the action of planting trees on an area of land in
order to make a forest.

— Afforestation is vital if we are to reduce the carbon-dioxide
levels in the atmosphere.

to go
green – to choose an environmentally-friendly
lifestyle.

— In an attempt to go green, my family is recycling
everything we can and we no longer buy bottled water.

on foot – to walk rather than use a form of transport.

— When the weather is fine, I go
to work on foot rather than
catching the bus.

safeguard – take action to protect something from harm or
damage.

— It is the responsibility of all
of us to safeguard the environment
for future generations.

Environment
Vocabulary Set 6: Other useful words

urban – relating to, or characteristic of a town or city.

— In the UK, foxes thrive in urban areas and can often be seen on the streets at night.

rural – in, relating to, or characteristic of the countryside rather than the town.

— I was born in a small village and still prefer to live in a rural area.

Click this link to get a PDF download of this list of environment vocabulary.

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