Effects of climate change
What you need: English/American/Canadian/other newspapers/other media, stationery
Learning aim: investigating the news/media; find out what is being said about climate change.
40 Collect headlines from newspapers, magazines, Internet recourses which feature a story on climate change, extreme weather conditions or flooding.
41 Discuss the difference between past (20 years period) and today headlines. Imagine what headlines will appear in the Media in future (in 20 years).
42 Answer the questions below.
Has climate change been halted or are the effects even worse?
If the effect of climate change has been slowed down how did this happen?
If the effects have worsened what should we and Government be doing now?
43 Develop a headline in a newspaper article. Write a report for the 9 o’clock news (100 words).
UNIT 4
GREEN IS THE COLOR
LEAD-IN
1
water pollution litter
hunting destruction of the rain forests recycling
air pollution heavy traffic sewage carbon
dioxide public transport greenhouse effect
emission acid rain
2
Discuss
with a partner what has caused these problems.
READING
3 You are going to read a text about rainforest destruction. Before reading answer the questions below.
Why do people call rainforests “the lungs of the planet” ?
Where are the rainforests situated?
Why do people cut them down?
What do you think about the problem of the forest?
4 Match the words 1-5 from the text to the definitions A-E.
1 extinction A sea creatures that live in shells and are eaten as food;
2 threat B situation in which animals no longer exist;
3 shellfish C a set of animals or plants with similar characteristics;
4 soil D the possibility that smth very bad will happen;
5 species E the material on the surface of the ground;
5 Scanread the text about ancient rainforests and find information on each of the points below.
people who live in the area of ancient forests are in danger
humanity has the opportunity to save ancient forests
ancient forests play a great role in global climate
forecast for future is pessimistic
animals and insects are well protected
The dissapearing rainforest
All
over the world, ancient forests are in crisis. Many of the plants
and animals that live in these forests face
extinction.
And many of the people and cultures who depend on these forests for
their way of life are also under threat.
Before the end of this lesson another hectare of the world’s forests will be destroyed forever. Why is this happening? There are two reasons – land and wood. In many countries the trees have been cut down because the land was needed for animals or crops. In other parts of the world the trees are cut down because their wood is wanted. This wood is used by the local people for firewood. Or it is exported to Japan, Europe and North America. There it is used for buildings or it is made into furniture.
Unfortunately, in most places the trees won’t be replaced. The soil in the forests is very thin, but it is protected by the trees. When the trees are cut down, the soil is washed away by the rain or blown away by the wind. Soon nothing can by grown on it. The forest becomes a desert. Then more land will be needed and more trees will be cut down.
These ancient forests are home to millions of people who depend on them for their survival - both physically and spiritually. These forests also house hundreds of thousands species of plants and animals, and also millions of insects - their futures also depend on the ancient forests.
At the moment there are between five and ten million species of animals and plants on the Earth. By the year 2000, one million of these will be extinct – that’s one species every hour. All kinds of species are in danger – fish, reptiles, birds, mammals, insects and shellfish – as well as thousands of plants.
Who is to blame for this disaster? The answer is simple: all of us. There are just too many people in the world. The world’s population is now over one billion people. Of course, it’s very easy to blame the local people. We don’t chop down trees. They do. But the products are bought by people like you and me – the hi-fi with its teak loudspeakers, or the nice mahogany chairs. Why are the forests being destroyed? Just look around. You’re probably sitting on it or listening to it.