Tag: Environment

Sinkhole in China

B1 – Intermediate

It’s basic knowledge that you have to look in front when driving to prevent accidents. A motorcyclist eyes weren’t on the road and he didn’t notice a big sinkhole and fell into it.

Listen to this audio and read the transcript about a sinkhole.

https://www.newsinlevels.com/products/sinkhole-in-china-level-3/

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is your reaction to this story?
  2. Have you ever seen a sinkhole? What was your impression of it?
  3. Why do you think sinkholes appear?
  4. Do you sometimes get distracted when driving? What causes you to lose focus?
  5. What do you do to stay focused while on the road?

New Housing Regulations in the Basque Country

B2 – Upper Intermediate

When the pandemic started, one of the major measures imposed was strict lockdown. This meant people were suddenly confined in their homes for what seems to be months on end. Due to this, the need for open-air elements of a home became more apparent than ever.

Read the article about the new legislation in the Basque Country providing homeowners subsidy for home renovations to add essential element of a house’s livability especially during lockdowns.

https://www.mchmaster.com/news/new-housing-regulations-in-the-basque-country/

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are your thoughts on the new legislation in the Basque Country?
  2. What other areas are you in need of subsidy for to live better during a pandemic or other type of crisis?
  3. Does your house/flat have an open-air space? How livable was your home during the lockdown?
  4. Did you do any renovations/Would you like to do any renovations in your home to make it suitable for lockdowns or other future circumstances where you’d need to be confined in your home? What home improvements were they/would they be?
  5. How do you see home or building designs would change because of our pandemic experience?

Dog Body Armor Against Bald Eagle Attacks

B1 – Intermediate

To protect their pet dogs from bald eagle attacks, owners are buying a special dog armor. This vest also protects small dogs from coyotes.

Let’s read the article about this special dog vest and be ready to answer the questions that follow.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2105/210520-bald-eagles-1.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think of this dog armors/coyote vests?
  2. Should dogs wear protective vests from other harmful animals?
  3. Are you a pet owner? How do you protect your pet/s from danger?
  4. What other things can people use to scare birds or coyotes away from their dogs?

A Lake Is Full of Fish Again

B1 – Intermediate

Lakes have many uses for humans. However, what happens when a lake dries up?

This is what happened to Lake Dojran, a lake that is located in North Macedonia and Greece. It is one of the largest lakes in Macedonia.

Listen to the audio and read the transcript about Lake Dojran and the efforts in reviving it.

https://www.newsinlevels.com/products/a-lake-is-full-of-fish-again-level-1/

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is your reaction to this news?
  2. Do you think we are taking care of nature enough? 
  3. How can we take care of our lakes, rivers, seas, etc.?
  4. Share a similar problem you have in your country. What was done to solve that problem?

False Consensus Effect Drives Environmental Damage

B2 – Upper Intermediate

“I bet everyone else does it too!” Have you experienced justifying a wrongful action by arguing that it is socially acceptable to do so? If your answer is yes, you may have fallen trap to the false consensus effect.

The false consensus effect is a psychological concept which states that people overestimate how acceptable and prevalent their own behavior is. According to research, this psychological thinking has contributed to environmental damage.

Click the link and find out more about the false consensus effect.

https://theconversation.com/everyone-else-does-it-so-i-can-too-how-the-false-consensus-effect-drives-environmental-damage-153305

Discussion Questions:

  1. Can you cite some situations when the false consensus effect can be observed?
  2. How can the false consensus effect contribute to environmental damage?
  3. Have you fallen victim to false consensus effect?
  4. What can we do to prevent ourselves from falling into this kind of psychological thinking?
  5. Based on the article, how can the same psychological concept be used to address the problem of environmental damage?

EU Plans To Recycle All Plastic Waste

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Plastics are inexpensive, lightweight, and durable materials, which can readily be molded into a variety of products that find use in a wide range of applications. As a consequence, the production of plastics has increased markedly over the last 60 years. However, current levels of their usage and disposal generate several environmental problems. 

Let’s read the article about the plan of the EU to resolve this issue.

https://www.english-online.at/news-articles/environment/eu-plans-to-recycle-all-plastic-waste-by-2030.htm

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you recycle plastic? What other things do you recycle?
  2. Should there be a reward system for people who recycle things?
  3. Do people commonly recycle in your country? What do they do? Can they do more?
  4. What is your opinion on plastic shopping bags?
  5. What is the best way to deal with the problem of plastic?

Green Flights

B1 – Intermediate

Transport makes up approximately one-fifth of the world’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. More and more companies are thinking to go green in their practices. Lufthansa, a big German airline, is one of them. The company plans to make their flights CO2-neutral.

Read the transcript and listen to this audio about green flights.

https://www.newsinlevels.com/products/green-flight-level-1/

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is your reaction to this news?
  2. How did coronavirus impact the oil industry?
  3. Do you think it is a good thing that some companies will use biofuel instead of normal oil?
  4. What is the current problem with biofuels?
  5. Do you think biofuels will be used more and more in the near future? Why or why not?

Plastic Bag Ban

B2 – Upper Intermediate

San Francisco is one of the first cities in the U.S. to ban the use of plastic shopping bags to reduce the environmental impact caused by plastic waste. The ban is not only on the use of plastic bags but also use of paper as their goal is to “bring your own” in promotion of reusable bags.

Watch the video and be able to answer the questions that follow:

http://www.manythings.org/b/e/234/

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think of banning plastic and paper bags in promotion of reusable bags?
  2. What are the advantages and drawbacks of this ban?
  3. In your country, what bags do shops and grocery stores provide to customers when they buy products and goods from their stores?

Eating Jellyfish Could Save Endangered Fish

B1 – Intermediate

Endangered species are very common nowadays. It is because humans everything from their homes and even the animals too. They are so small in number. They are at a very high risk of extinction. We need to take some actions in order to preserve them.

Let’s read the article below.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2010/201024-jellyfish-1.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. How serious is the problem of food shortage?
  2. What do you think of people fishing for endangered species?
  3. Do you think eating jellyfish would help the world? Why/Why not?
  4. What would happen if many fish became extinct?
  5. Do you worry that fish are in danger of being extinct? Why/Why not?

Can 100% Renewable Energy Power the World?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Have you ever heard of an energy that is generated from sources that naturally replenish themselves and last for a human lifetime? This is what we call renewable energy. The sun, wind, and water are the great examples of sources for this generating energy because we couldn’t possibly use them up over time. 

However, the world is still dependent on fossil fuels which according to experts, are limited sources of energy. The big question still stands on how and when we will be able to fully utilize these alternative energy when these sources are forever ubiquitous for our consumption.

Watch the video to learn more about renewable energy.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is renewable energy and how does it work? How efficient is renewable energy?
  2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using renewable energy?
  3. Is renewable energy good for our environment?
  4. Will it secure a better future for humanity?
  5. Why do we need to keep finding alternative sources of energy?