Project Green
ENA 7
Spring 2024
Krista Kindt-Sarojärvi
Section 5
& Grammar
Class 1
Watch the video, then translate this text orally.
Narrated by Academy Awards winner Jeremy Irons, Heal the Bay's "mockumentary" video shows the stark reality of California's plastic bag pollution situation. Heal the Bay, alongside a coalition of environmental and public health experts, pushed the State of California to pass a ban on single-use plastic bags: Prop 67 passed on Nov 8, 2017. But this plastic waste reduction legislation is only the beginning. Heal the Bay is on a mission to ban all single-use plastic.
Water is life! And more than that, the quality of water affects the quality of life for humans, the environment, ecosystems, and, of course, the waters themselves. The US federal government recognized this decades ago, and created the first major federal law in the US to address water pollution, called the 1948 Federal Water Pollution Control Act. However, this policy was ineffective owing to a lack of oversight and enforceability. Public pressure following a series of environmental plights (including the Cuyahoga River catching on fire) forced the US to reconsider its approach, leading to the 1972 Clean Water Act (CWA) Amendment. This amendment, among many upgrades, gave the EPA more regulatory control to enforce clean water requirements and achieve swimmable, fishable, drinkable water.
[Read more]
- Translate the introduction.
Add difficult words and phrases to your notebook! - Do ex. 1 (just go through the statements and make sure you understand all the words!), 2 & 5 & 6
Climate tipping points (CTPs) are conditions beyond which changes in a part of the climate system become self-perpetuating. These changes may lead to abrupt, irreversible, and dangerous impacts with serious implications for humanity. (source)
[...] there are now 16 major tipping points, almost all of which could reach the point of no return if global warming continues beyond 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit (1.5 degrees Celsius) above preindustrial levels. (source)
Section 5
1. What do you think is the most pressing environmental issue facing the planet today? Is it global warming, deforestation, plastic pollution, or something else?
2. At what point do you think we will reach the "point of no return" when it comes to global warming? How can we prevent this from happening?
3. What are some of the critical tipping points in the Earth's climate system, and what can we do to prevent them from being reached?
4. How can individuals take action to address global warming and other environmental problems? Are there specific steps you've taken or plan to take in your own life?
5. Do you think governments and corporations have a responsibility to take action on climate change? If so, what steps should they take?
6. What are some of the economic and social costs of inaction on global warming? How can we balance these costs against the costs of taking action?
7. How can we encourage more people to become actively involved in environmental issues? Are there any strategies or approaches that have been particularly effective?
8. How can we address the unequal impact of climate change on different groups of people, such as those in developing countries or low-income communities?
9. What role do you think technology can play in addressing global warming and other environmental challenges? Are there any innovations that you're particularly excited about?
10. How do you see the future of the planet if we continue on our current trajectory? What kind of world do you want to leave for future generations?
Read up on WED
June 5th
link 1: World Environment Day
link 2: worldenvironmentday.global
You'll find even more interesting news at the Green Institute.
Climate 'points of no return' may be much closer than we thought.
The "tipping points" are also more numerous than researchers previously realized. (Space.com, September 22)
Opinion: We are close to the point of no return
We must make 2021 the year when climate action came of age, or face disaster, writes Inger Andersen, the executive director of the UN Environment Programme. (DW.com, January 2021)
‘Point of no return’: UN report to provide stark climate warning
New synthesis report will play a pivotal role when governments gather in Dubai in December for the UN climate summit.
(Al-Jazeera, March 2023)
The Climate Point Of No Return Is Looming. How Can We Bend The Emissions Curve? (Forbes.com, january 2023)
'Past a point of no return': Reducing greenhouse gas emissions to zero still won't stop global warming, study says. (USA Today, 1 min video+text, November 2020)
20 words
Greenland's ice sheet melting has passed the point of no return | Climate Change | GHG (1:41)
We're going to create a Quizlet with your words!
Choose 20 useful environmental words
from the sites and video linked on the slides above.
List them here.
Please make sure you've spelled the words correctly!
(menti)
Grammar - revison
-
words of quantity (section 5.3, ex. 12)
-
VÄLIMERKIT (section 7, ex. KK1, KK2, KK5)
Section 7
section 5.3: ex. 22:
Listening comprehension:
Biodiversity Hotspots
Section 5.3
Section 5 #1, 2022
By Krista Kindt-Sarojärvi
