The following vocabulary is useful for understanding and discussing pollution and environmental damage
Environmental issues
- Deforestation – clearing trees; changing forest into bare land
- Overpopulation – when there are too many of a species, more than available resources can support
- Intensive farming – farming techniques that can have a long term effect on the land
- Extinction – where an entire species of animal or plant is completely killed off; there are no more on the planet
- Greenhouse effect – where the sun’s warmth is trapped inside the atmosphere due to greenhouse gases
- Renewable energy – where electricity is generated from sources that are not reduced by using them (e.g. hydro power or solar power)
- Fossil fuels – a natural fuel that often has an environmental impact when used (coal, gas and oil)
Other words for environment
- Habitat – the natural home of an animal or plant
- The natural world – used when talking about nature
- Ecology – the relationship between animals and plants to their natural environment
- Dwelling – place where animals or plants live
Sanitation
- Landfill – where rubbish (trash) is compacted into a hole then covered over with dirt
- Waste disposal – anything that relates to the removal of waste
Types of pollution / other words you can use
- Acid rain – this is caused by rain becoming acidic due to air pollution
- Contamination – this is where something is damaged or affected by another form of pollution (a secondary effect)
- Emissions – these are gases that are released into the atmosphere (e.g. car exhaust emissions)
- Soil erosion – when soil is easily washed away because trees or other plants are no longer holding it in place – commonly happens after deforestation
- Toxic waste – this is the by product of producing something that is dangerous to the environment. Nuclear power has a lot of toxic waste
- Smog – a thick form of air pollution that is like a fog (common in many large cities like London or Beijing)
- Light pollution – the light produced by cities that artificially lights the sky at night and prevents people from viewing the stars
- Noise pollution – noise that causes discomfort or harm to people and animals