For A1-A2 Levels

Please, review the vocabulary related to the topic. It will help you feel more confident when role-playing and – if you find any words that are entirely new to you, make sure you write them down and use them in the Conversation Club meeting.

Part 1: Warm Up

How do you feel about climate change?

Has climate change affected the country in which you live?

What are some things ordinary people can do to protect the environment?

• Organic: describes something that does not use chemical fertilizers
• Commute: travel to and from work
• Solar panels: panels that collect rays from the sun to be used as energy for electricity or heating
• Household cleaning products: products that are used to clean one’s home

Vocabulary to Speak About Climate Change

• Energy saving: describe products designed to reduce use of electricity or other form of energy
• Fuel emissions: gases that lead to air pollution through the burning of fuel
• Electric cars: vehicles that run on electricity
• Food miles: the distance food travels from the time it is produced until it reaches its end customer
• Local food: food that is produced a short distance from where it is consumed
• Fossil fuels: coal, gas or oil that is used in industry, homes and vehicles
• Carbon monoxide: a dangerous gas produced from the partial burning of fuels
• Dispose: throw away
• Waterways: lakes, rivers, oceans and canals
• Ecosystem: the geographic area where animals, plants and other organisms interact
• Natural habitat: the area where a plant or animal normally lives
• Tackle: to try to deal with a problem
• Collective effort: when a group of people try to do something
• Forge: to create something strong or successful
• Environmentally conscious: when a person or business is aware of their effect on the environment and attempts to minimize this affect

Part 2: Directly From IELTS

Examiner: Is the environment a big concern in your country?

SAMPLE ANSWER: Climate change is a topic on everyone’s lips in my country but only in a theoretical sense. I don’t see citizens or the government taking steps to reduce the ravages of climate change.

Examiner: What steps do you and your family take to protect the environment?

SAMPLE ANSWER: Well, we are looking into purchasing a hybrid car, for one thing. My partner uses the car quite a bit for work so it is important we do not have a large carbon footprint. It goes without saying that we recycle anything we can and we also use fabric bags when we go shopping to reduce the amount of plastic waste we produce.

Vocabulary

The ravages of something: destruction of something Carbon footprint: how much carbon dioxide is released as a result of one’s activities Yields: amount of a crop produced Crops: a plant grown in large amounts Growing season: the time of the year when plants grow

Examiner: Has the environment in your region changed since when you were younger?

SAMPLE ANSWER: Every summer it feels like the sun is getting hotter and hotter and the climate is nothing like it used to be. My country relies heavily on farming and I know farmers are increasingly concerned about how climate change is affecting their growing season and their yields. It is predicted that regions that were once too cold to grow certain crops will soon be able to. 

She was very concerned about chemical fertilizers contaminating groundwater.

Students, parents and teachers brought their vegetable scraps to be composted and it worked! We had an endless supply of non-chemical compost for our garden. She started using reusable cups and bottles long before they were popular and I don’t think I have ever seen her carry a plastic bag.

Nowadays, she is part of a neighborhood clean- up group that removes rubbish from our local parks and beaches. She grows organic vegetables in her garden and commutes to work with her bicycle every day. Her house uses solar panels for heating and she even makes her own household cleaning products.

Eva never complains about these activities being time-consuming or difficult; she just feels she is doing what she can to be environmentally conscious. So, Eva is a person not doing just one thing to protect the environment, but in fact following a green lifestyle in order to live more sustainably. I admire her and her efforts and she is truly a role model for all of us to try to emulate.