In 2011, Japan suffered a devastating disaster that left many homeless. After some years, residents of Fukushima are still picking up the pieces, hoping that normality will be restored.
Read the article below and express your thoughts about it.
1. What do you know about what happened in Fukushima and to its nuclear power plant? 2. What is your general opinion about nuclear energy? 3. Does your country rely on nuclear energy? How about alternative forms of energy? 4. Do you think it is possible to fully rely on natural forms of energy?
1. What can you say about the Car-Free Day? 2. What do you think about the traffic situation in your city? 3. What do you think are other alternatives to private transport?
Time and again, we’ve seen or heard some incidents wherein heavy tourism takes a toll on a once unspoiled place. A famous small island in Thailand named Koh Tachai has recently been closed to end what could be irreversible consequences of high number of tourists to its ecosystem.
Find out more about this news by reading the article below.
Idyllic Thai island Koh Tachai closed indefinitely due to damage from tourism
Bangkok, ThailandCNN —
Thai authorities have closed a popular island in the Andaman Sea to visitors, blaming high tourist numbers for damaging its ecosystem.
Known for its idyllic white beaches and excellent diving, Koh Tachai is the northernmost of the Similan Islands archipelago, a national park in southern Thailand.
Tunya Nethithammakul, director general of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, told CNN Tuesday that the island had been closed to visitors “indefinitely,” due to the severe deterioration of its ecosystem.
Asia’s most underrated attractions
The problems included litter and food waste, gasoline from tour boats leaching into the water and damage to coral, he said, adding that overwhelming numbers of tourists were to blame.
“This is such a small island, I would say it could accommodate just a few hundred tourists a day,” he said.
“But it turned out that at certain points there were almost 2,000 tourists visiting the island (daily).”
Snaphappy St. Barts tourist grazed by plane
Situated about 137 kilometers (85 miles) northwest of the tourist hub of Phuket, Koh Tachai has no hotels, and the majority of visitors stay only for the day, eating lunch on the island.
Some tourism operators have offered overnight trips where guests stay in tents.
The island is marketed by local tour operators as the “Maldives of Thailand.”
Nethithammakul said that many of the islands in Similan National Park would have been closed soon anyway due to the monsoon season, along with other national parks in coastal areas.
Long-tail boats of southern Thailand
Discuss:
1. What was the main reason for closing this island for tourism? 2. Is it a good idea to close it indefinitely? 3. What do you think are the good and bad things about tourism? 4. Have you been to a place similar to Koh Tachai – breathtaking but somehow being exploited by humans?
One of the most beautiful organisms ever found are corals. These are even one of the most productive resources in the world. They are food producers and they support life on the planet. However, they are now in danger.
Watch the short video below then answer some questions.
1. What is coral bleaching and what causes it? 2. How important are corals to marine life? 3. Are there any organizations in your country dedicated to help preserve aquatic life? 4. Have you experienced seeing coral in their natural habitat?
More and more people are becoming aware of climate change, simply because it’s more evident. Do you think we still have time to save this Earth?
Winters are becoming warmer each year. Summers are hotter and drier. Scientists say that extreme weather will become normal in the future. Water shortages will be common too, and will affect more than one billion people around the world. And according to new information, global warming may destroy some of the Earth’s natural wonders.
World governments and environmental organizations are starting to talk more honestly about climate change. Evidence increasingly shows how much damage we have done to the environment. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in Brussels recently said that humankind’s activities are definitely the top reason for our hotter planet.
So what will the impact be? With warmer oceans, coral reefs everywhere will begin to die. Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, one of the world’s natural wonders, will disappear. In the Amazonian rain forest, many of the trees will die, and much of the area will become dry savannah. In Chile and Argentina, melting glaciers will create a drier climate. As a result, there will be more forest fires in the region.
Some of the damage cannot be repaired. Action now, though, could limit or prevent some of the problems.
Discuss: (from article)
1. Are you concerned about the environment? 2. What could every person on Earth do right now to help save the environment? 3. How has the environment changed since you were a child? 4. What do you think the Earth will be like in the future? 5. Have you ever seen any of the natural wonders?
When it comes to renewable energy, Denmark aims high. By 2020, the country would like to get half of its energy from the wind. There are hopes that there will be environmental focus to inspire people to go green.
Watch the video below to know more about some of the efforts that Denmark is doing to be a greener country.
Discussion Questions:
1. According to the video, what are organizations doing to be environmentally conscious? 2. Do you think that your country is working on the same issue as well? 3. Is having a green house something that you’re interested in?
Rainforests are very important in keeping our planet healthy. We all benefit from them; they sustain life. Did you know that the abundance of plant species are available because of the mega-gardeners of the forest, the elephants ?
Read the short introduction then watch the video to know how elephants play a big role in propagating plant species.
1. According to the video, how do elephants become jumbo-gardeners? 2. What was your reaction while watching the short video? 3. Have you ever volunteered to help clean and save the environment (beach clean-up, tree planting etc.)? 4. Are there NGOs in your country who are actively promoting to save the rainforests or endangered species?
1. In your country, do you feel the worsening condition of global warming? 2. What is your local community doing to minimize or prevent global warming? 3. Do you think there is still hope when it comes to “repairing” the environment?
