1. The Environment
Part 2 – sample question
Describe an environmental problem. You should say:
- what it is
- how long it has existed
- how it affects people’s lives
and explain how you think the problem will develop in the future.
Part 3 – sample questions
1. Which environmental problems are people most concerned about in
your country?
2. What are the main causes of these environmental problems?
3. Do you think it is the responsibility of governments alone to protect the
environment?
4. What measures can individuals take to protect the environment?
5. Do you think large companies and business orginisations should be
more environmentally friendly? Why? How?
6. How can we teach children about the importance of protecting the
environment?
Useful Vocabulary
Environmental Problems
- destruction of the rainforests (deforestation)
- melting of the icecaps
- extinction of many species (loss of biodiversity)
- destruction of the ozone layer
- global warming / the “greenhouse effect”
- rising sea levels
- pollution of land, sea and air
- increase of natural disasters eg, earthquakes, landslides, floods
Causes of Environmental Problems
- excessive emissions of greenhouse gases, eg carbon dioxide
- chemical and industrial waste
- emissions from cars and planes
- improper dumping of household waste
- overuse of non-renewable fossil fuels
- genetic modification
- over-consumption
- over-urbanisation

2. Solutions to Environmental Problems
- recycling
- using renewable sources of energy, eg solar heating, wind-farms
- replanting trees
- cutting carbon emissions
- cleaner waste disposal
- sustainable consumption and development
- buying products with less packaging
- buying organic products
- buying products made from recycled material / renewable sourses
- using natural remedies as alternative medicine
Useful Linking Expressions
Explaining causes
- caused by
- due to
- because of
- a result of
Explaining effects
- leads to
- results in
- causes
Sample Answer
Qu.1 Which environmental problems are people most concerned about in
your country?
I think people in my country are most concerned about future shortages of
fresh drinking water, which I suppose is both a result of poor water
management and general global warming. I think everyone is feeling the
effects of the latter problem which is causing us to experience more extreme
temperatures, for example, much colder winters and much hotter summers.
The long hot summers are particularly worrying in the south of the country
where there is a real risk of drought due to the consistent lack of rainfall.