WHAT'S HAPPENING TO OUR ENVIRONMENT?

Many people believe that the way we live our lives today is having a very damaging effect on the environment. Here are some examples of the kinds of problems we face, followed by some things that we can do to help protect our environment.

THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT.Pollution from cars, factories and power stations is causing harmful greenhouse gases to build up in the Earth's atmosphere. These gases prevent heat from escaping, and as a result our planet is getting warmer. This process is known as global warming.

Global warming is causing the ice at the North and South Poles to melt and sea levels and sea temperatures to rise, leading to serious flooding and violent storms in many parts of the world. In other places there will be less rain and the land will be turned into desert.

POLLUTION.The biggest polluter today is the car. Exhaust fumes are the main cause of poor air quality, which can make people feel ill and have difficulty in breathing. This problem is especially bad in cities, where the number of cars is increasing every year, causing serious congestion and filling the air with smog. Governments try to improve the situation by encouraging people to use their cars less or buy cars that do not use much fuel.

All over the world, wildlife habitats are being destroyed. There are many endangered species that can soon become extinct. Rainforests are being cut down so that people can grow crops and feed the world's increasing population. Modern farming methods, for example, using pesticides and genetically modified crops, are having a very bad effect on the food chain. Killing insects may be useful for growing crops, but it reduces the amount of available food for other animals and birds.

CLIMATE CHANGEis also making conditions difficult for some animals. In the Arctic the ice is melting, threatening the survival of animals such as polar bears.

The problem	The reason	The effect

III. Discuss the questions in groups.

1. Which of these environmental problems do you think are the most serious in Ukraine? Why?

2. How do you think they will affect our country in the future?

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