Activity 5 - Climate

Change
1. Complete the following exercises:
a. Think and answer according to your opinion:
Do you think the weather is changing? If so, why do you think this is? Have
you heard about climate change?
It is important to note that the issue of climate change has been quite popular in
recent days, it is because it’s a reality that hits around the corner. Climate change
is the variation of Earth's climate due to natural causes and to the action of man.
We can see the consequents in our oceans, the natural catastrophes that have
occurred such as hurricanes, droughts, floods, animals that have been
extinguished and many more facts.

b. Afterwards, write the letter of the paragraph that answers the question:
1. What is climate change?
C. The planet’s climate is constantly changing but now scientists believe that the
extreme changes taking place today are a result of human.
2. What is the ‘greenhouse effect’?
D. The term refers to the role played by the layer of gases, including carbon
dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, which trap the heat from the sun in the earth’s
atmosphere. We need the layer to keep in some of the heat but now the
concentration of gases, especially CO2 is increasing and retaining more heat
3. What is the evidence of global warming?
A. Sea levels have risen by 10 – 20 cm. This is due to the expansion of warming
oceans. Temperature records show that the average temperature has increased by
about 0.6ºC in the 20th century
4. How will the weather change?
E. It is difficult to predict, but we can expect more extreme weather conditions like
floods, storms and heat waves. Scientists believe there will be more rain but also a
higher risk of drought in inland area.
 5. What is the international community doing?
B. The Kyoto Protocol (1997) commits industrialized countries to reduce their
greenhouse gas emissions. It suffered a huge set back in 2001 when the USA,
responsible for a quarter of global emissions, pulled out.

c. Being green means, you take care of the environment. Go to the file
and do the quiz “How green are you? to find out how ‘green’ you are. 
1) You are busy in your house cleaning up going from room to room
spending 5 to 10 minutes in each. Which is the best way to save energy?
a) Switch the lights on and off every time you move from room to room
b) Keep the lights on as you move about the house
2) You are hungry and want to bake a potato. Which method is ‘greener’?
a) Put it in an electric oven for an hour
b) Quickly zap it in the microwave
3) You are thirsty, so you go to a café to buy a drink. What do you choose?
a) A bottle of mineral water
b) A cup of coffee in a polystyrene cup
4) You need a new shirt / blouse and there are two that you like in the shop.
You look at the label and see that one is made of 100% pure natural cotton
and the other is 50% polyester. You want to be as environmentally friendly as
you can. Which one do you choose?
a) The 100% cotton shirt
b) The 50% polyester shirt
5) Do you leave the tap on when you brush your teeth?
a) Yes
b) No
6) As well as putting their health and the health of those around them in
danger, smokers also put the environment in danger.
a) True
b) False
7) Which is the ‘greenest’ way to wash your clothes?
a) Machine wash in cold water
b) Hand wash in hot water
8) Which form of transport is better for the environment?
a) Driving by car
b) Flying by plane
9) When you go to the supermarket how do you take your shopping home?
a) In plastic carrier bags from the supermarket
b) In your own bag or basket
10) If you have the choice, how do you prefer to buy a cold drink in a café?
a) In a can
b) In a glass bottle

Your opinion counts! Go to the file and read what some users wrote on the “Global
warming message board”. Write the answers to these questions:
1. Who do you agree with most?
I agree with Luis, Kevin, Ruth and Mark, but in a different way. It’s true that
humans can adapt to the changes, but lamentably the most of those changes are
because of humans; now we have “crazy things” the weather is doing like floods,
hurricanes, droughts, thawing of poles, etc.
2. Who do you disagree with?
“Oliver – There’s no such thing as global warming. It’s all media hype to brainwash
people. If they told us the moon was made of cheese often enough people would
believe it!”
I disagree with Oliver and Gonzalo, it’s obvious that global warming is happening,
and now is when we have more evidence about that, it is important to don’t
confuse the terms as Gonzalo did, it’s a not very moral idea.

a. Finally, with all the information you’ve read and discussed, write your
opinion on the matter! What do you think about climate change and global
warming? What are your predictions for the future? Write a 100-word essay.
You can start with some facts about the past, an experience you had related to
it, what you did after it, and your predictions and plans. Your writing must
include a sentence using present simple and continuous, past simple and
 continuous, future with will and be going to. After this, record yourself reading
your essay.

Climate change: Not a

Joke.
I was reading comments about climate change when I felt my sweat falling in my
neck and I am just doing my homework. Why?
Climate change is a global phenomenon, there is a lot of scientific evidence about
its existence; climate change is very dangerous for everyone, since it is a problem
that involves all the ecosystems and species in the world.
Many consequences of climate change can be noted, one of the most important is
the increase in temperature, specially the emission of gases and the greenhouse
effect, the average temperature can increase up to 4°C in 30 years, this problems
such as sea level rise, may cause the melting of glacial ice, also the temperature
will change endangering millions of marine species. I remember when I was a child
I loved going out to play in the afternoon before eating, now the heat is unbearable,
even my skin suffered damage due to sun and ultraviolet rays, this is an example
of the impact on human health that can cause warming global, now I have decided
to take care of my skin and take care of the environment in the way that I am
allowed.
On the other hand, meteorological phenomena will also increase, although there
are more and more extreme cases, ecosystems around the world and of all kinds
will be affected, many species may be in danger of extinction, without forgetting the
effects on agriculture and droughts.
The year 2018 was the fourth warmest year since 1850 and it is expected that in
2019 temperatures will rise more than last year. Are there still people who think
that climate change is a joke?
Undoubtedly it is a very important and very real issue in our days, we should start
to become more aware, especially forming a culture of care for the environment
and in the case of industries, prevention of toxic waste, look for alternatives where
everyone can be participants. Another very important point is the correct
compliance of the laws, even with laws and audits, they are not always applied
properly.
In Mexico there are currently several projects such as CO2 storage, in terms of
society in general, they can also be part of something called sustainable
development, small actions are good to reduce the environmental impact, such as
not using a lot of transport that use solid fuels, reduce the consume of electrical
energy, optimize our resources to avoid unnecessary waste and spread with new
generations the care of the environment.
Now I am recycling at home and as an industrial engineer I will contribute to take
care of the environment in the industry. There is no doubt that I am going to put my
grain of sand, because climate change is real, and I want a good world for my kids.

References:
British Council. (2016). Global warming message board. Retrieved from:
https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/sites/teacheng/files/climate-change-
worksheets.pdf
British Council. (2016). Climate change – the evidence. Retrieved from:
https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/sites/teacheng/files/climate-change-
worksheets.pdf