TEXTS

Text 1: climate changes

For the last hundred years the climate has been growing much warmer. This has had a number of different effects. Since the beginning of the 20^th century, glaciers have been melting very rapidly. For example, the Muir Glacier in Alaska has retreated 2 miles in 10 years. Secondly, rising temperatures have been causing the snowline to retreat on mountains all over the world. In Peru, for example, it has risen as much as 2700 feet in 60 years.

As a result of this, vegetation has also been changing. In Canada, the agricultural cropline has shifted 50 to 100 miles northward. In the same way cool-climate trees like birches and spruce have been dying over large areas of Eastern Canada. In Sweden the treeline has moved up the mountains by as much as 65 feet since 1930.

The distribution of wildlife has also been affected, many European animals moving northwards into Scandinavia. Since 1918, 25 new species of birds have been seen in Greenland, and in the United States birds have moved their nests to the north.

Finally, the sea has been rising at a rapidly increasing rate, largely due, as was mentioned above, to the melting of glaciers. In the last 20 years it has risen by about 6 inches, which is about four times the average rate of rise over the last 9000 years.

In May 1999, British and American scientists published information based on extensive research that confirms a commonly held conception – it is getting warmer. According to these experts, annual global surface temperatures have risen 0.57ºС over the past 136 years (1861 – 1997), establishing the 20^th century as the warmest era of the millennium.

In fact, researchers at the Universities of Massachusetts and Arizona, as well as scientists at both NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, have concluded that the 1990s has been the warmest decade of the millennium, with 1998 the warmest year so far. The years 1997, 1995, and 1990 fall into close 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th places behind sizzling 1998.

Exercise: Fill in the table below with the causes and effects mentioned in the text. Give your own example for each of them.

Text 2: living in the modern world

Pollution is one of the greatest ecological problems of today. The natural world is under violent assault from man. The seas and rivers are being poisoned by radioactive wastes, by chemical discharges and by the dumping of dangerous toxins and raw sewage. The air we breathe is polluted by smoke and fumes from factories and motor vehicles; even the rain is poisoned.

Governments and industries throughout the world are intensifying their efforts to extract the earth’s mineral riches and to plunder its living resources.

The great rain-forests and the frozen continents alike are seriously threatened. And this despite the warnings of the scientific community and the deep concern of millions of ordinary people.

Despite the fact, too, that we can create environmentally-clean industries, harness the power of the sun, wind and waves for our energy needs and manage the finite resources of the earth in a way that will safeguard our future and protect all the rich variety of life-forms which share this planet with us.

But there is still hope. Wherever the environment is in danger, Greenpeace has made a stand. Its scientific presentations and peaceful direct actions at sea and on land have shocked governments and industries into an awareness that Greenpeace will not allow the natural world to be destroyed. Those actions, too, have won the admiration and support of millions.

Most people believe the problem can be dealt with on three levels: internationally, nationally, and, last but not least, on a personal level.

Let’s look at the type of international action that can be taken. When a disaster such as that at Chernobyl occurs, it affects millions of people. Radiation does not respect international borders. There must be strict safety regulations governing the construction of reactors. Furthermore reactors should be regularly inspected by teams of international experts. Similarly, if a country wishes to get rid of nuclear waste by dumping it at sea, it should only be allowed once the matter has been thoroughly discussed by all the countries that would be affected. Environmental disasters can be avoided.

Let us now look at what can be done on a national level. Governments must be prepared to take action against pollution. For instance, air pollution could be reduced if car manufacturers and companies were made to fit effective filters on car exhausts and factory chimneys. These measures would in turn help to reduce the damage caused to lakes and forests by acid rain.

Lastly, what can we do as individuals? Firstly, we should all be prepared to make changes to our lifestyles – to try and use public transport or a bicycle as much as possible. When we buy petrol, we should make sure that it is the lead free variety. Secondly, we can protest against companies responsible for pollution by making our opinions known and hitting them in the pocket. For example, if the public boycotted products such as aerosols, which damage the ozone layer, then manufacturers would have to change their packaging policies. We would show them that we are not prepared to let them get away with destroying the environment.

To sum up, there are steps that can be taken in the fight against pollution. It is a problem that can be solved given the right levels of commitment. However, only by acting as individuals first, can we expect governments to act in their turn.

Text 3: air pollution - acid rain and the dying forests

BASIC INFORMATION

Air pollution is one of the most serious problems of our day and age. A lot of damage has already been done to human health, forests and crops worldwide. There are many poisonous substances in the air, emitted by industry in general, coal- and oil-fired power stations, domestic coal fires, cars, etc.

Countries throughout the Northern hemisphere have been adversely affected by air pollution in the last few decades. Central Europe, the Alpine region, Eastern Europe, Scandinavia and parts of the USA and Canada are hardest hit; Great Britain is slightly better off because the Atlantic winds ‘export’ most noxious fumes to the Continent.

ACID RAIN

Rain water becomes acidic when emissions like sulphur dioxide from factories and power stations and, to a lesser degree, the nitrogen oxides contained in car exhaust are dissolved in it, so that acids, such as sulphuric acid, are produced in the atmosphere. It has been proved that this acid rain is partly to blame for forest blight.

OTHER EFFECTS OF ACID RAIN:

HOW TO FIGHT AIR POLLUTION on the government level?

governments must:

Text 4: deforestation

One of the main reasons for conserving tropical rainforests is that they absorb carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas contributing to global warming. Apart from that, they are not only the home of indigenous people like the Indians of the Amazon, but also protect the diversity of plant and animal life, which is important because it provides many of our medicines.

It is estimated that half of the Earth’s original tropical forest has been destroyed and every year 11.4 m hectares are still being cut down. Deforestation in the past was mainly caused by intensive logging for wood and paper but nowadays even more destruction takes place as a result of slash and burn cultivation carried out by landless people; they clear space to grow crops, but because they often lack the skills to make proper use of the land they simply exhaust the soil and move on.

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS: