What climatic changes are the most threatening ответ на вопрос по тексту

Text 1. Help Wild Animals

I think it is necessary to help wild animals. Many of them are in danger now. For example, pandas which live in the jungle and white bears which live in the Arctic.

White bears eat fish. If people pollute rivers and seas, animals die.

All woods are home to animals and birds. It is important to take care of them. If trees are damaged and flowers and grass are cut, birds and animals can become instinct.

Each of us can do something to help nature. We must not frighten animals and birds. We must never break plants or baby trees.

There are a lot of ways to help our planet. We must take care of it.

Text 2. Climatic Changes

Words:

1. carbon dioxide — углекислый газ

2. oxygen — кислород

4. to get in — пропускать

5. to get out — выпускать

Climate is a weather a certain place has over a long period of time. Climate has a very important influence on plants, animals and humans and is different in different parts of the world.

But recently the climate has changed a lot, especially in Europe. Scientists think that the reason is greenhouse effect. It is caused by carbon dioxide (углекислый газ). Carbon dioxide is produced when we burn things. Also people and animals breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide. As you know, trees take this gas from air and produce oxygen. But in the last few years people have cut down and burn big areas of rainforest. This means that there are fewer trees and more carbon dioxide.

This gas in the atmosphere works like glass in a greenhouse. It lets heat get in, but it doesn’t let much heat get out. So the atmosphere becomes warmer.

Greenhouse effect is sometimes called global warming.

Text 3. Environmental problems (for pre-intermediate)

Words:

1. severely polluted — сильно загрязнены

2. harmful substances — вредные вещества

We are the caretakers of the earth. We know that polluted air, water and land are harmful to plants, animals and people. In Russia there a lot of regions which are severely polluted. It is plants that pollute our atmosphere with tons of harmful substances. These are very dangerous wastes. They go into the air and are carried by winds for great distances.

60% of the air pollution is caused by different means of transport: cars, trucks, buses.

Then we must remember that when we use aerosol sprays, we destroy the ozone layer which protects the Earth from the dangerous ultraviolet rays of the sun.

The list of serious environmental problems can be continued …..

Text 4. Green Peace

Green Peaceis an international environmental organization which fights against the pollution of the environment. It was founded in 1969 by a group of Canadian environmentalists. Members of Green Peace appear in the places where the environment is endangered. They always act fast.

The world knows about the Green Peace action to stop hunting whales or killing baby seals. They block the way to the ships that try to dump waste, and work hard to create a nuclear-free world.

The activity of Green Peace often annoys governments, companies and people who don’t care about the future of the world.

Green Peace has offices in many countries, including Russia. People, who can’t take part in Green Peace actions directly support this organization with money.

Green Peace members are often called “greens”. The “greens” are group of people whose aim is protection of natural things, e.g. plants and animals.

Text 5. Green Fuel

Words:

1. fuel — топливо

2. biotechnology [ˌbaɪəutek’nɔləʤɪ] – биотехнология

3. environmentally friendly — экологически чистый

4. to derive from– получать, извлекать

5. emission – выделение

6. to penetrate — завоевывать, проникать

7. finite – ограниченный, исчерпаемый

8. fossil – ископаемое

A new low-cost fuel is being developed by a biotechnologycompany. It is calledbiobutanol and is expected to be the best environmentally friendlyfuel for transport.

Butanol is derived from waste plant material (biomass) and is an attractive replacement for petrol.

It reduces not only CO₂emissions but also our dependence on finite fossil fuels.

The UK’s Minister for Science said: “The development of biofuels is expected to play a major part in reducing transport emissions. Climate change is a huge global problem. We believe the UK must put its best efforts towards developing the new technologies.”

Text 6. Ecological Problems

Ecology is a science which studies the relationship between all forms of life on our planet and the environment.

Since ancient times Nature has served Man, giving him everything he needs: air to breathe, food to eat, water to drink, wood for building and fuel for heating his home. For thousands of years people lived in harmony with the environment and it seemed to them that the resources of Nature had no end or limit.

With the industrial revolution our negative influence on Nature began to increase. Large cities with thousands of polluting plants and factories can be found nowadays all over the world. They pollute the air we breathe, the water we drink, the fields where our crops are grown. Big cities suffer from smog. Cars with their engines have become the main source of polluting in industrial countries.

Vast forests are cut down everywhere for the needs of industries. As a result many kinds of animals, birds, fish and plants are disappearing nowadays.

The pollution of the air and the world’s oceans and the thinning the ozone layer are the other problems arising from men’s careless attitude to ecology.

Active measures should be taken to save the life on our planet. There is an international organization called Greenpeace which is doing much to preserve the environment.

Questions to the text on ecological problems:

1. Why are the wild animals in danger?

2. What climatic changes are the most threatening?

3. Is there any way to make our air cleaner

What Is Climate Change?

NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio/NASA/JPL AIRS Project

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What Is Climate Change?

Climate change is generally defined as a significant variation of average weather conditions—say, conditions becoming warmer, wetter, or drier—over several decades or more. It’s the longer-term trend that differentiates climate change from natural weather variability.

Record floods. Raging storms. Deadly heat. Climate change manifests itself in myriad ways and is experienced by every living being, although not equally. Throughout the world, the economically disadvantaged and people of color—those who have contributed the very least to the root causes of climate change—are the most likely to suffer from its worst impacts. Here are the basics on what causes climate change, how it’s affecting the planet and its people, and what we can do about it.

How Is Climate Change Measured Over Time?

Climate refers to the general weather conditions of a place as measured over many years. In the United States, for example, Maine’s climate is cold and snowy in winter while South Florida’s is tropical year-round.

Earth-orbiting satellites, remote meteorological stations, and ocean buoys are used to monitor present-day weather and climate, but it’s paleoclimatology data from natural sources like ice cores, tree rings, corals, and ocean and lake sediments that have enabled scientists to extend the earth’s climatic records back millions of years. These records provide a comprehensive look at the long-term changes in the earth’s atmosphere, oceans, land surfaces, and cryosphere (frozen water systems). Scientists then feed this data into sophisticated climate models that are able to predict future climate trends with impressive accuracy.

It’s worth noting that while climate change and global warming are often used interchangeably, global warming—the recent rise in the global average temperature near the earth’s surface—is just one aspect of climate change.

What Causes Climate Change?

The mechanics of the earth’s climate system are simple. When energy from the sun is reflected off the earth and back into space (mostly by clouds and ice), or when the earth’s atmosphere releases energy, the planet cools. When the earth absorbs the sun’s energy, or when atmospheric gases prevent heat released by the earth from radiating into space (the greenhouse effect), the planet warms. A variety of factors, both natural and human, can influence the earth’s climate system.

Natural causes of climate change

The earth has gone through warming and cooling phases in the past, long before humans were around. Forces that can contribute to climate change include the sun’s intensity, volcanic eruptions, and changes in naturally occurring greenhouse gas concentrations. But records indicate that today’s climatic warming—particularly that which has occurred since the mid-20th century—is happening at a much faster rate than ever before, and it can’t be explained by natural causes alone. According to NASA, “[t]hese natural causes are still in play today, but their influence is too small or they occur too slowly to explain the rapid warming seen in recent decades.”

Anthropogenic causes of climate change

Humans—more specifically, the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that human activity generates—are the leading cause of the earth’s rapidly changing climate today. Greenhouse gases play an important role in keeping the planet warm enough to inhabit. But the amount of these gases in our atmosphere has skyrocketed in recent decades. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, our current concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide “are unprecedented compared with the past 800,000 years.” Indeed, the atmosphere’s share of carbon dioxide—the planet’s chief climate change contributor—has risen by 46 percent since preindustrial times.

The burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas for electricity, heat, and transportation is the primary source of human-generated emissions. A second major source is deforestation, which releases sequestered (or stored) carbon into the air. It’s estimated that logging, clearcutting, fires, and other forms of forest degradation release an average of 8.1 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide per year, accounting for more than 20 percent of all global CO2 emissions. Other human activities that generate air pollution include fertilizer use (a primary source of nitrous oxide emissions), livestock production (cattle, buffalo, sheep, and goats are major methane emitters), and certain industrial processes that release fluorinated gases. Activities like agriculture and road construction can also change the reflectivity of the earth’s surface, leading to local warming or cooling.

Though our planet’s forests and oceans absorb greenhouse gases from the atmosphere through photosynthesis and other processes, these natural carbon sinks can’t keep up with our rising emissions. The resulting buildup of greenhouse gases is causing alarmingly fast warming worldwide. It’s estimated that the earth’s average temperature rose by about 1 degree Fahrenheit during the 20th century. If that doesn’t sound like much, consider this: When the last ice age ended and the northeastern United States was covered by more than 3,000 feet of ice, average temperatures were just 5 to 9 degrees cooler than they are now.

The Effects of Global Climate Change

According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2021, the failure to mitigate and adapt to climate change is “the most impactful” risk facing communities worldwide—ahead of even weapons of mass destruction and water crises. Blame its cascading effects: As climate change transforms global ecosystems, it affects everything from the places we live to the water we drink to the air we breathe.

And though climate change affects everyone in some way, it’s indisputable that its most negative impacts are borne disproportionately by certain groups: women, children, people of color, Indigenous communities, and the economically marginalized. Climate is a human rights issue.

Extreme weather

As the earth’s atmosphere heats up, it collects, retains, and drops more water, changing weather patterns and making wet areas wetter and dry areas drier. Higher temperatures worsen and increase the frequency of many types of disasters, including storms, floods, heat waves, and droughts. These events can have devastating and costly consequences, jeopardizing access to clean drinking water, fueling out-of-control wildfires, damaging property, creating hazardous-material spills, polluting the air, and leading to loss of life.

Dirty air

Air pollution and climate change are inextricably linked, with one exacerbating the other. When the earth’s temperatures rise, not only does our air get dirtier—with smog and soot levels rising accordingly—but it also becomes filled with more allergenic pollutants, such as circulating mold (thanks to damp conditions from extreme weather and more floods) and pollen (due to longer, stronger pollen seasons).

Health risks

U.S. Air Force/Master Sgt. Brian Ferguson

According to the World Health Organization, “climate change is expected to cause approximately 250,000 additional deaths per year” between 2030 and 2050. As global temperatures rise, so do the number of fatalities and illnesses from heat stress, heatstroke, and cardiovascular and kidney disease. And as air pollution worsens, so does respiratory health—particularly for the 300 million people living with asthma worldwide; there’s more airborne pollen and mold to torment hay fever and allergy sufferers too. Extreme weather events, such as severe storms and flooding, can lead to injury, drinking water contamination, and storm damage that may compromise basic infrastructure or lead to community displacement. Indeed, historical models suggest the likelihood of being displaced by a disaster is now 60 percent higher than it was four decades ago—and the largest increases in displacement are being driven by weather- and climate-related events. (It’s worth noting that displacement comes with its own health threats, such as increases in urban crowding, trauma, social unrest, lack of clean water, and transmission of infectious diseases.) A warmer, wetter world is also a boon for insect-borne diseases such as dengue fever, West Nile virus, and Lyme disease.

Rising seas

Erin Magee, DFAT

The Arctic is heating up twice as fast as any other place on the planet. As its ice sheets melt into the seas, our oceans are on track to rise by anywhere from 0.95 to 3.61 feet by the end of this century, threatening coastal ecosystems and low-lying areas. Island nations face particular risk, as do some of the world’s largest cities, including New York City, Miami, Mumbai in India, and Sydney in Australia.

Warmer, more acidic oceans

The earth’s oceans absorb between one-quarter and one-third of our fossil fuel emissions and are now 30 percent more acidic than they were in preindustrial times. This acidification poses a serious threat to underwater life, particularly creatures with calcified shells or skeletons like oysters, clams, and coral. It can have a devastating impact on shellfisheries, as well as the fish, birds, and mammals that depend on shellfish for sustenance. In coastal communities where fishing and seafood production sustain the local economy, this impact extends to human populations as well, destroying livelihoods and opening the door to economic ruin. Rising ocean temperatures are also altering the range and population of underwater species and contributing to coral bleaching events that are capable of killing entire reefs—ecosystems that support more than 25 percent of all marine life.

Imperiled ecosystems

Climate change is increasing pressure on wildlife to adapt to changing habitats—and fast. Many species are seeking out cooler climates and higher altitudes, altering seasonal behaviors, and adjusting traditional migration patterns. These shifts can fundamentally transform entire ecosystems and the intricate webs of life that depend on them. As a result, according to a 2020 study, one-third of all animal and plant species could face extinction by 2070. Another study showed that mammals, fish, birds, reptiles, and other vertebrate species are disappearing many times faster than they should be, a phenomenon that has been linked to climate change, pollution, and deforestation—all interconnected threats. In early 2021, climate and biodiversity experts issued a joint report illustrating these interconnections and urging simultaneous action on both fronts. On the flip side, milder winters and longer summers have enabled some species to thrive, including tree-killing insects that are endangering entire forests.

Climate Change Facts

Despite what climate deniers and fossil fuel lackeys claim—for instance, that the science on global warming is “far from settled”—there’s nothing to debate: Climate change is a reality. In the words of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the foremost international scientific body for the assessment of the phenomenon, “[w]arming of the climate system is unequivocal, and since the 1950s, many of the observed changes are unprecedented over decades to millennia. The atmosphere and ocean have warmed, the amounts of snow and ice have diminished, and sea level has risen.”

But you don’t have to be a climate scientist to understand how the world has already changed. Our last decade—2010 to 2019—was hotter than any other decade in at least the past 1,300 years. Second place goes to the decade before it: 2000 to 2009. And the first year of the new decade, 2020, is tied with 2016 for the hottest individual year ever recorded. With this increased heat, of course, have come more frequent and more intense weather-related disasters. The first half of 2021 was marked by record heat, drought, and wildfires in the western United States and Canada and by record rainfall and flooding in Europe. And without immediate climate action, these records won’t be records for long: They’ll be broken next year, or shortly thereafter. “The science is clear,” writes Vijay Limaye, NRDC scientist. “These dangerous effects of climate change will worsen each year that we fail to curb the pollution that is destabilizing our planet.”

The responsibility to reverse this worrying trend lies with us. At least 97 percent of actively publishing climate scientists endorse the consensus position that humans are the lead drivers of climate change. As the IPCC has stated—with its highest degree of confidence—“It is extremely likely that more than half of the observed increase in global average surface temperature from 1951 to 2010 was caused by the anthropogenic increase in GHG concentrations and other anthropogenic forcings together.”

Urge Biden to withdraw U.S. funding for international fossil fuel projects

Take Action

Climate Change Solutions

We can mitigate global climate change and help stem its detrimental impacts, but doing so will require tackling its root cause: pollution from burning fossil fuels.

Paris Agreement

The Biden administration has committed to the principles set forth during the 2015 Paris Climate Change Conference, where nearly every nation on the earth committed to actions aimed at shifting away from dirty fossil fuels and toward cleaner, smarter energy options in order to limit global temperature rise this century to 2 degrees Celsius—or 1.5 degrees Celsius, if possible.

On Earth Day in 2021, President Biden committed the United States to cutting its carbon pollution by 50 to 52 percent from 2005 levels—nearly double what President Obama had promised—and to do it by 2030, just five years later than the original deadline set when the United States first joined the agreement. While bold, the new targets are achievable, but only if Congress, states, and the business sector join in to help us get there by doing things like setting a national clean energy standard, electrifying our fleet of cars and trucks, curbing methane emissions, and maximizing building efficiency.

Developments in clean energy technology

Every year brings with it news of exciting breakthroughs in the production and distribution of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, which are becoming ever cheaper to generate and ever more popular with consumers, businesses, utilities, and governments. At the same time, carmakers around the world are working to develop new battery technologies that will result in the replacement of hundreds of millions of gas-powered cars with zero-emissions vehicles. These trends should be encouraged by smart, forward-looking public policy—such as Biden’s Build Back Better agenda, which ties the post-pandemic economic recovery in the United States to projects that will curb climate change while putting tens of millions of unemployed or underemployed people to work in good-paying jobs.

Tell Congress to heed climate warnings and pass Build Back Better

Take Action

Climate action at home

Tackling global climate change is a Herculean task, one that depends on international consensus and the efforts of communities, companies, and individuals alike. To that end, many states, from California to Iowa, are championing clean energy industries, such as solar and wind; U.S. cities are taking action to mitigate climate change and bolster climate resilience while placing equity at the forefront; and corporations—including some of the world’s largest multinationals—are pledging to change the way they do business to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040.

There are myriad ways that you can help too. You can join, amplify, or otherwise support the international youth climate movement that has emerged in the last few years as a galvanized response to government inaction; in rallies and marches around the world, this movement is letting leaders know that delay on climate action will no longer be tolerated. You can also pick up the phone to call Congress about environmental policies that matter, supporting renewable energy projects, and prioritizing fuel and energy efficiency that will not only curb individual carbon emissions but bolster clean alternatives to dirty fossil fuels. We must all step up—and now.

This story was originally published on February 23, 2017, and has been updated with new information and links.

This NRDC.org story is available for online republication by news media outlets or nonprofits under these conditions: The writer(s) must be credited with a byline; you must note prominently that the story was originally published by NRDC.org and link to the original; the story cannot be edited (beyond simple things such as time and place elements, style, and grammar); you can’t resell the story in any form or grant republishing rights to other outlets; you can’t republish our material wholesale or automatically—you need to select stories individually; you can’t republish the photos or graphics on our site without specific permission; you should drop us a note to let us know when you’ve used one of our stories.

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Why climate change is still the greatest threat to human health

Polluted air and steadily rising temperatures are linked to health effects ranging from increased heart attacks and strokes to the spread of infectious diseases and psychological trauma.

People around the world are witnessing firsthand how climate change can wreak havoc on the planet. Steadily rising average temperatures fuel increasingly intense wildfires, hurricanes, and other disasters that are now impossible to ignore. And while the world has been plunged into a deadly pandemic, scientists are sounding the alarm once more that climate change is still the greatest threat to human health in recorded history.

As recently as August—when wildfires raged in the United States, Europe, and Siberia—World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement that “the risks posed by climate change could dwarf those of any single disease.”

On September 5, more than 200 medical journals released an unprecedented joint editorial that urged world leaders to act. “The science is unequivocal,” they write. “A global increase of 1.5°C above the pre-industrial average and the continued loss of biodiversity risk catastrophic harm to health that will be impossible to reverse.”

Despite the acute dangers posed by COVID-19, the authors of the joint op-ed write that world governments “cannot wait for the pandemic to pass to rapidly reduce emissions.” Instead, they argue, everyone must treat climate change with the same urgency as they have COVID-19.

Here’s a look at the ways that climate change can affect your health—including some less obvious but still insidious effects—and why scientists say it’s not too late to avert catastrophe.

Air pollution

Climate change is caused by an increase of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere, mostly from fossil fuel emissions. But burning fossil fuels can also have direct consequences for human health. That’s because the polluted air contains small particles that can induce stroke and heart attacks by penetrating the lungs and heart and even traveling into the bloodstream. Those particles might harm the organs directly or provoke an inflammatory response from the immune system as it tries to fight them off. Estimates suggest that air pollution causes anywhere between 3.6 million and nine million premature deaths a year.

“The numbers do vary,” says Andy Haines, professor of environmental change and public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and author of the recently published book Planetary Health. “But they all agree that it’s a big public health burden.”

People over the age of 65 are most susceptible to the harmful effects of air pollution, but many others are at risk too, says Kari Nadeau, director of the Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research at Stanford University. People who smoke or vape are at increased risk, as are children with asthma.

Air pollution also has consequences for those with allergies. Carbon dioxide increases the acidity of the air, which then pulls more pollen out from plants. For some people, this might just mean that they face annoyingly long bouts of seasonal allergies. But for others, it could be life-threatening.

“For people who already have respiratory disease, boy is that a problem,” Nadeau says. When pollen gets into the respiratory pathway, the body creates mucus to get rid of it, which can then fill up and suffocate the lungs.

Even healthy people can have similar outcomes if pollen levels are especially intense. In 2016, in the Australian state of Victoria, a severe thunderstorm combined with high levels of pollen to induce what The Lancet has described as “the world’s largest and most catastrophic epidemic of thunderstorm asthma.” So many residents suffered asthma attacks that emergency rooms were overwhelmed—and at least 10 people died as a result.

Climate change is also causing wildfires to get worse, and wildfire smoke is especially toxic. As one recent study showed, fires can account for 25 percent of dangerous air pollution in the U.S. Nadeau explains that the smoke contains particles of everything that the fire has consumed along its path—from rubber tires to harmful chemicals. These particles are tiny and can penetrate even deeper into a person’s lungs and organs. (Here’s how breathing wildfire smoke affects the body.)

Extreme heat

Heat waves are deadly, but researchers at first didn’t see direct links between climate change and the harmful impacts of heat waves and other extreme weather events. Haines says the evidence base has been growing. “We have now got a number of studies which has shown that we can with high confidence attribute health outcomes to climate change,” he says.

Most recently, Haines points to a study published earlier this year in Nature Climate Change that attributes more than a third of heat-related deaths to climate change. As National Geographic reported at the time, the study found that the human toll was even higher in some countries with less access to air conditioning or other factors that render people more vulnerable to heat. (How climate change is making heat waves even deadlier.)

That’s because the human body was not designed to cope with temperatures above 98.6°F, Nadeau says. Heat can break down muscles. The body does have some ways to deal with the heat—such as sweating. “But when it’s hot outside all the time, you cannot cope with that, and your heart muscles and cells start to literally die and degrade,” she says.

If you’re exposed to extreme heat for too long and are unable to adequately release that heat, the stress can cause a cascade of problems throughout the body. The heart has to work harder to pump blood to the rest of the organs, while sweat leeches the body of necessary minerals such as sodium and potassium. The combination can result in heart attacks and strokes.

Dehydration from heat exposure can also cause serious damage to the kidneys, which rely on water to function properly. For people whose kidneys are already beginning to fail—particularly older adults—Nadeau says that extreme heat can be a death sentence. “This is happening more and more,” she says.

Studies have also drawn links between higher temperatures and preterm birth and other pregnancy complications. It’s unclear why, but Haines says that one hypothesis is that extreme heat reduces blood flow to the fetus.

Food insecurity

One of the less direct—but no less harmful—ways that climate change can affect health is by disrupting the world’s supply of food.

Climate change both reduces the amount of food that’s available and makes it less nutritious. According to an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) special report, crop yields have already begun to decline as a result of rising temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, and extreme weather events. Meanwhile, studies have shown that increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere can leech plants of zinc, iron, and protein—nutrients that humans need to survive.

Malnutrition is linked to a variety of illnesses, including heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. It can also increase the risk of stunting, or impaired growth, in children, which can harm cognitive function.

Climate change also imperils what we eat from the sea. Rising ocean temperatures have led many fish species to migrate toward Earth’s poles in search of cooler waters. Haines says that the resulting decline of fish stocks in subtropic regions “has big implications for nutrition,” because many of those coastal communities depend on fish for a substantial amount of the protein in their diets.

This effect is likely to be particularly harmful for Indigenous communities, says Tiff-Annie Kenny, a professor in the faculty of medicine at Laval University in Quebec who studies climate change and food security in the Canadian Arctic. It’s much more difficult for these communities to find alternative sources of protein, she says, either because it’s not there or because it’s too expensive. “So what are people going to eat instead?” she asks.

Infectious diseases

As the planet gets hotter, the geographic region where ticks and mosquitoes like to live is getting wider. These animals are well-known vectors of diseases such as the Zika virus, dengue fever, and malaria. As they cross the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, Nadeau says, mosquitoes and ticks bring more opportunities for these diseases to infect greater swaths of the world.

“It used to be that they stayed in those little sectors near the Equator, but now unfortunately because of the warming of northern Europe and Canada, you can find Zika in places you wouldn’t have expected,” Nadeau says.

In addition, climate conditions such as temperature and humidity can impact the life cycle of mosquitoes. Haines says there’s particularly good evidence showing that, in some regions, climate change has altered these conditions in ways that increase the risk of mosquitos transmitting dengue.

There are also several ways in which climate change is increasing the risk of diseases that can be transmitted through water, such as cholera, typhoid fever, and parasites. Sometimes that’s fairly direct, such as when people interact with dirty floodwaters. But Haines says that drought can have indirect impacts when people, say, can’t wash their hands or are forced to drink from dodgier sources of freshwater.

Mental health

A common result of any climate-linked disaster is the toll on mental health. The distress caused by drastic environmental change is so significant that it has been given its own name—solastalgia.

Nadeau says that the effects on mental health have been apparent in her studies of emergency room visits arising from wildfires in the western U.S. People lose their homes, their jobs, and sometimes their loved ones, and that takes an immediate toll. “What’s the fastest acute issue that develops? It’s psychological,” she says. Extreme weather events such as wildfires and hurricanes cause so much stress and anxiety that they can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder and even suicide in the long run.

Another common factor is that climate change causes disproportionate harm to the world’s most vulnerable people. On September 2, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released an analysis showing that racial and ethnic minority communities are particularly at risk. According to the report, if temperatures rise by 2°C (3.6°F), Black people are 40 percent more likely to live in areas with the highest projected increases in related deaths. Another 34 percent are more likely to live in areas with a rise in childhood asthma.

Further, the effects of climate change don’t occur in isolation. At any given time, a community might face air pollution, food insecurity, disease, and extreme heat all at once. Kenny says that’s particularly devastating in communities where the prevalence of food insecurity and poverty are already high. This situation hasn’t been adequately studied, she says, because “it’s difficult to capture these shocks that climate can bring.”

Why there’s reason for hope

In recent years, scientists and environmental activists have begun to push for more research into the myriad health effects of climate change. “One of the striking things is there’s been a real dearth of funding for climate change and health,” Haines says. “For that reason, some of the evidence we have is still fragmentary.”

Still, hope is not lost. In the Paris Agreement, countries around the world have pledged to limit global warming to below 2°C (3.6°F)—and preferably to 1.5°C (2.7°F)—by cutting their emissions. “When you reduce those emissions, you benefit health as well as the planet,” Haines says.

Meanwhile, scientists and environmental activists have put forward solutions that can help people adapt to the health effects of climate change. These include early heat warnings and dedicated cooling centers, more resilient supply chains, and freeing healthcare facilities from dependence on the electric grid.

Nadeau argues that the COVID-19 pandemic also presents an opportunity for world leaders to think bigger and more strategically. For example, the pandemic has laid bare problems with efficiency and equity that have many countries restructuring their healthcare facilities. In the process, she says, they can look for new ways to reduce waste and emissions, such as getting more hospitals using renewable energy.

“This is in our hands to do,” Nadeau says. “If we don’t do anything, that would be cataclysmic.”

World Problems of Ecology

Text 1. Help Wild Animals

I think it is necessary to help wild animals. Many of them are in danger now. For example, pandas which live in the jungle and white bears which live in the Arctic.

White bears eat fish. If people pollute rivers and seas, animals die.

All woods are home to animals and birds. It is important to take care of them. If trees are damaged and flowers and grass are cut, birds and animals can become instinct.

Each of us can do something to help nature. We must not frighten animals and birds. We must never break plants or baby trees.

There are a lot of ways to help our planet. We must take care of it.

Text 2. Climatic Changes

Climate is a weather a certain place has over a long period of time. Climate has a very important influence on plants, animals and humans and is different in different parts of the world.

But recently the climate has changed a lot, especially in Europe. Scientists think that the reason is greenhouse effect. It is caused by carbon dioxide (углекислый газ). Carbon dioxide is produced when we burn things. Also people and animals breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide. As you know, trees take this gas from air and produce oxygen. But in the last few years people have cut down and burn big areas of rainforest. This means that there are fewer trees and more carbon dioxide.

This gas in the atmosphere works like glass in a greenhouse. It lets heat get in, but it doesn’t let much heat get out. So the atmosphere becomes warmer.

Greenhouse effect is sometimes called global warming.

Words:

1. carbon dioxide — углекислый газ

2. oxygen — кислород

4. to get in — пропускать

5. to get out — выпускать

Text 3. Green Peace

Green Peaceis an international environmental organization. It was founded in 1969 by a group of Canadian environmentalists. Members of Green Peace appear in the places where the environment is endangered. They always act fast.

The world knows about the Green Peace action to stop hunting whales or killing baby seals. They block the way to the ships that try to dump waste, and work hard to create a nuclear-free world.

The activity of Green Peace often annoys governments, companies and people who don’t care about the future of the world.

Green Peace has offices in many countries, including Russia. People, who can’t take part in Green Peace actions directly support this organization with money.

Green Peace members are often called “greens”. The “greens” are group of people whose aim is protection of natural things, e.g. plants and animals.

Text 5. Ecological Problems

Ecology is a science which studies the relationship between all forms of life on our planet and the environment.

Since ancient times Nature has served Man, giving him everything he needs: air to breathe, food to eat, water to drink, wood for building and fuel for heating his home. For thousands of years people lived in harmony with the environment and it seemed to them that the resources of Nature had no end or limit.

With the industrial revolution our negative influence on Nature began to increase. Large cities with thousands of polluting plants and factories can be found nowadays all over the world. They pollute the air we breathe, the water we drink, the fields where our crops are grown. Big cities suffer from smog. Cars with their engines have become the main source of polluting in industrial countries.

Vast forests are cut down everywhere for the needs of industries. As a result many kinds of animals, birds, fish and plants are disappearing nowadays.

The pollution of the air and the world’s oceans and the thinning the ozone layer are the other problems arising from men’s careless attitude to ecology.

In Russia and former Soviet republics there are some areas where the environment is in poor state. It is the Aral Sea, Lake Baikal and Chernobyl.

Active measures should be taken to save the life on our planet. There is an international organization called Greenpeace which is doing much to preserve the environment.

Text 4. Green Fuel

A new low-cost fuel is being developed by a biotechnology company. It is calledbiobutanol and is expected to be the best environmentally friendly fuel for transport.

Butanol is derived from waste plant material (biomass) and is an attractive replacement for petrol.

It reduces not only CO₂ emissions but also our dependence on finite fossil fuels.

The UK’s Minister for Science said: “The development of biofuels is expected to play a major part in reducing transport emissions. Climate change is a huge global problem. We believe the UK must put its best efforts towards developing the new technologies.”

Words:

1. fuel — топливо

2. biotechnology [ˌbaɪəutek’nɔləʤɪ] – биотехнология

3. environmentally friendly — экологически чистый

4. to derive from– получать, извлекать

5. emission – выделение

6. to penetrate — завоевывать, проникать

7. finite – ограниченный, исчерпаемый

8. fossil – ископаемое

Questions to the text on ecological problems:

1. Why are the wild animals in danger?

2. What climatic chandes are the most threatening?

3. Is there any way to make our air cleaner

4. What is Green Peace?

5. What are the main ecological problems?

Answers:

4. It’s international environmental organization which fights against the pollution of the environment.

The Earth is the only planet in the solar system where there is life. If you look down at the Earth from a plane you will see how wonderful our planet is. You will see blue seas and oceans, rivers and lakes, high snow-capped mountains, green forests and fields. For centuries man lived in harmony with nature until industrialization brought human society into conflict with the natural environment. Today, the contradictions between man and nature have acquired a dramatic character. With the development of civilization mans interference in nature has increased. Every year the worlds industry pollutes the atmosphere with millions of tons of dust and other harmful substances. The seas and rivers are poisoned with industrial waste, chemical and sewage discharge. People who live in big cities are badly affected by harmful discharge from plants and city transport and by the increasing noise level which is as bad for human health as lack of fresh air and clean water.

Among the most urgent problems are the ozone layer, acid rains, global warming, toxic pollution of atmosphere, disappearance of forests, contamination of underground waters by chemical elements, destruction of soil in some areas, threat to some flora and fauna representatives, etc.

One of the most important pollution problems is the oceans. Many ships sail in the ocean water- fishing ships, some ships carrying people, some carrying oil. If a ship loses some of the oil in the water, or waste from the ships in put into the ocean, the water becomes dirty. Many sea birds die because of the polluted water. Many fish are dying in the sea, others are getting contaminated. Fishermen catch contaminated fish which may be sold in markets, and people may get sick from eating them. Lakes and rivers are becoming polluted, too. Some beaches are dangerous for swimming.

Another important problem is air pollution. Cars and factories pollute the air we use. Their fume also destroys the ozone layer which protects the Earth from the dangerous light of the Sun. Aerosols create large “holes” in the ozone layer round the Earth. Burning coal and oil leads to global warming which may bring about a change in the worlds climate.

The other problem is that our forests are dying from acid rains. Deforestation, especially destruction of tropical forests, affects the balance of nature in many ways. It kills animals, changes the climate and ecosystem in the world.

A person can do some damage to the environment but the greater part of pollution certainly comes from industry. Modern industry production is the main threat to nature.

There are a lot of places on our planet that need immediate help. Our country is not exception. The nuclear accident at Chernobyl, which took place on April 26, 1986., has seriously aggravated the ecological situation in Belarus. That catastrophe can be considered as the largest disaster of the 20 th century. As the result of that accident 18% of territories of our republic were contaminated by radioactive elements. The agriculture of our country suffered great losses. More than 20% of the population has also suffered. A death rate among children has increased considerably. The wide researches are carried out, but health state of the people living in polluted areas, is worsened. The level of thyroid gland cancer has increased, the immunity of children and women is weakened, many diseases appear out only a few years later. Everyone understands that this catastrophe is a threat to health of our nation, and though years have already passed, the results will be shown on the future generations.

Ecological problems have no borders. European states solve these problems together: the necessary measures are taken, congresses and conferences on these questions are organized, and these questions have already the reflection in the legislation of many countries.

The activity of many public organizations is directed to protect environment. One of the most known organizations is “Greenpeace”, whose purpose is prevention of environment degradation. This organization was founded in 1971 by the activists from the USA and Canada and it has representations in 25 countries of the world. “Greanpeace” acts against nuclear tests, radiating threat, pollution of the environment by waste industrial products, to protect the animal world, etc. This organization influences public opinion through mass media, under its aegis manifestations and protest actions are carried solutions for concrete ecological problems.

For example, the “Greenpeace” sent its boats to protect whales, and today commercial whaling is banned. In the North Sea Greenpeace swimmers turned back dump ships carrying chemical waste, and a new laws to protect the North Sea have been considered.

When I look around I realize that not all people understand the importance of nature protection. On fine summer days a lot of people go out of town. They have picnics on the shores of lakes and the banks of rivers or on beautiful forest glades and they often leave behind a lot of rubbish- plastic bags and bottles, tins and paper. It makes me feel sad when I see people returning to town with huge bunches of forest or meadow flowers. Many of these plants are included into the Red Book which contains the names of rare plants and animals. Some of them have become extinct and others are on the verge of disappearing. If we dont realize that we are all responsible for whats happening around us we will never feel secure about the future of the world we live in.

What can be done to protect nature? I believe that environment disasters can be avoided if people broaden ecological education and every person understands that the beauty of nature is extremely fragile and people must obey the unwritten laws of nature. Governments must be prepared to take action against pollution. Air pollution could be reduced if plants and factories were made to fit effective filters on chimneys and car exhausts. Green zones around big cities must be protected and extended. Natural resources should be used economically because their stocks are not unlimited.

The ecology is a science studying interaction of organisms among themselves and an environment.

The re­search carried out into ecological behaviour among consumers of supermarkets in Świętok-rzyskie voivodship indicates the following ecological behaviour patterns among the polled:

1) 42% segregate rubbish, though all only 13% (mainly women and the elderly),

2) 19% use fabric carrier bags (rather the elderly),

3) 67% think, that shopping should be packed into paper bags instead of plastic bags (more women),

4) 12% use shopping baskets,

5) 35% use plastic bags for shopping,

6) 34% use disposable bags,

7) 65% throw out plastic containers to a waste bin,

8) 13% fire plastic containers.

9) 77% throw out rubbish on a trip to waste bin or bag,

10) 17% does not pay attention where they throw out the rubbish,

11) 60% consumers pay attention while buying fruit and vegetables if they come from ecological cultivation,

12) 32% express readiness to pay higher prices for ecological products,

Presented results of survey research among inhabitants of Świętokrzyskie region con­cerning an ecological awareness surely seem to be far from satisfactory but they already show some changes in attitudes and habits of supermarket consumers in pro-ecological behaviour patterns, thus thereby changes in ecological awareness of these people. It is prob­able, that further survey investigation in a couple of years, will reveal some stable tendency of changes in these consumers’ behaviour patterns.

The author of this publication proposes a thesis, that the results of this survey investiga­tion would be more satisfactory if the respondents were primary and low secondary school pupils and not supermarket customers.

World Problems of Ecology

Until recently the planet was a large world in which human activities and the nature were in balance. Acid rain, global warming, ozone reduction, widespread desertification and species loss: we have to face them now.

Ecology and economy are very closely connected. First economy influenced the state of our environment. Now we have to face degradation of soils, water, atmosphere and forests. Millions of trees are dying in Germany’s Black Forest and thousands of lakes in Sweden are so acidic that nothing can live in them. In Scotland farmers complain that acid rains kill their fish. Forests in Denmark, France, Northern Italy, Greece and Norway are damaged.

Thousands of lakes in Canada and the USA can no longer support fish life. The Mediterranean Sea has one of the dirtiest coastlines in the world. Ten million tons of oil, industrial waste, chemicals are pumped into the sea every year. It causes diseases like typhoid, dysentery, hepatitis and cholera. The Rhone in France, the Po in Italy, the Ebro in Spain and the Nile in Egypt carry pesticides and chemical wastes.

Many industries produce waste products, which can be difficult or dangerous to dispose of. Many countries have no storage facilities for the spent nuclear fuel. The search for ways to dispose of radioactive waste goes on. In 1982 seventeen countries took part in the United Nations environmental programme. The World Commission on Environment and Development, headed by the Prime Minister of Norway, was set up in 1983 by the United Nations. Its aim was to examine the environment and development problems on the planet and to formulate realistic proposals to solve them.

Now some chemicals are banned and some must be controlled. In several countries there is frequent analysis of the water around the coasts. The time has come for the governments and their people to take responsibility for the policies that cause the environmental damage.

Effects of Climate Change

Overview

Sea levels are rising and oceans are becoming warmer. Longer, more intense droughts threaten crops, wildlife and freshwater supplies. From polar bears in the Arctic to marine turtles off the coast of Africa, our planet’s diversity of life is at risk from the changing climate.

Climate change poses a fundamental threat to the places, species and people’s livelihoods WWF works to protect. To adequately address this crisis we must urgently reduce carbon pollution and prepare for the consequences of global warming, which we are already experiencing. WWF works to:

Why we need the Inflation Reduction Act

Impacts

Humans and wild animals face new challenges for survival because of climate change. More frequent and intense drought, storms, heat waves, rising sea levels, melting glaciers and warming oceans can directly harm animals, destroy the places they live, and wreak havoc on people’s livelihoods and communities.

U.S. Cities at Risk
As climate change worsens, dangerous weather events are becoming more frequent or severe. People in cities and towns around the United States are facing the consequences, from heat waves and wildfires to coastal storms and flooding.

Impacted Species & Places

What WWF Is Doing

To adequately address the climate crisis we must urgently reduce carbon pollution and prepare for the consequences of global warming, which the world is already experiencing. Combining global outreach with local expertise, WWF:

Challenging Cities to Prepare

As climate change worsens, dangerous weather events are becoming more frequent or severe in the United States and around the globe. WWF is challenging cities to transition toward 100 percent renewable energy and address local climate threats by implementing practical measures that improve air quality, protect water supplies and reduce urban flooding. With your help, your community can take action too. Urge your mayor to take action on climate change by joining the Earth Hour City Challenge!

Adapting to Climate Change

To avoid the worst effects of climate change, we need to dramatically reduce global carbon emissions. But we must also prepare for the significant and unavoidable consequences of carbon emissions such as increasing temperatures, shifting precipitaton patterns, ocean acidification, sea level rise and the increasing intensity and frequency of extreme weather events. WWF works with local communities, governments and others around the world to help nature and people prepare for the many impacts of a changing climate. To do this we:

Protecting Forests

Forests are home to many of the world’s most endangered wildlife. They also protect the planet by absorbing carbon dioxide (CO2), a major source of pollution that causes climate change. WWF fights climate change by saving forests. To do this we:

Influencing Policy

Government must play a central role to tackle the climate crisis. WWF is an advocate at all levels of government. In the United States, WWF works to advance policies that reduce carbon pollution, support clean energy technologies, prepare for the effects of climate change, and curb deforestation. At international negotiations, WWF encourages the United States to play a constructive role in developing global climate agreements that:

Engaging Business

Businesses have a responsibility to reduce their contribution to climate change. WWF works in partnership with companies as part of WWF’s Climate Savers Program to set and meet goals to reduce carbon emissions, advance projects to protect their resources from climate impacts, and ensure the sustainability of their core business.

Press Releases

Projects

Conserving Snow Leopards, Securing Water Resources, and Benefiting Communities