ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES Part B

the greenhouse effect

the process that keeps the Earth warm enough to support human life (greenhouse gases create a blanket around the Earth trapping the Sun's heat)

greenhouse gases

gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), ozone (O3) and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) that create the greenhouse effect

climate change

a change in global or regional climate patterns

global warming

an increase in the average global temperature

a flexitarian

a person who has a primarily vegetarian diet but occasionally eats meat or fish

one's carbon footprint

the total amount of greenhouse gases (including carbon dioxide and methane) that are generated by a person's / company's actions

food miles

the distance food has to travel between where it is grown or made and where it is consumed (a good way of looking at the environmental impact of foods and their ingredients)

zero carbon emissions / net zero

the commitment to cutting greenhouse gas emissions to as close to zero as possible

a climate activist

a person who actively campaigns to have issues of climate change recognized and addressed

a climate action advocate [ˈædvəkət]

a person who publicly supports or recommends an idea of taking environmental action

a climate change denier

a person who does not accept that climate change is happening, or that it is caused by human activity

a global warming sceptic

a person who questions the existence of climate change, or the human contribution to it

an emitter

smth that sends out gases into the atmosphere

an offender

smb or smth that does smth wrong

a contributor to smth

one of the reasons why smth happens

to breach crucial targets

to fail to reach the major goals set earlier

severity [sɪˈverəti]

seriousness, intensity

to wipe out

to destroy completely

a wake-up call

smth that makes you realize that you need to take action to change a situation

to require unprecedented changes

to need major transformation

to stabilize temperatures at 1.5°C [ˈsteɪblaɪz]

to reach and keep this temperature level steady

to take environmental action

to do smth in order to protect the environment

to practice what you preach

to do the things that you advise other people to do

Local produce

food grown near where it is consumed

Emissions

gases released into the atmosphere

Energy efficiency

using less energy for the same output

Fossil fuels

coal, oil, natural gas