Environmental Issues

Business and the Environment

Can business be Green?

• How important is the role of business in protecting or destroying the environment?

• To what extent are the natural resources being exploited by business? or is this a political issue to sort out/resolve?

• What are the dangers that threaten the environment?• Is it possible to reverse the current trend towards

ecological disaster?• What are the plans to halt the destruction of the planet?

What solutions are being proposed to reach sustainable development? What are the environment initiatives and renewable energy programmes?

• What about global warming? And the survial of the eco-system? And climate change.

• Business now needs to appear Green to maintain its popularity.

Vocabulary: match the words with meanings

1. Natural resources:

2. Global warming3. Greenhouse

effect: 4. Greenhouse

gasses: 5. To recycle:6. Eco-system7. Damage8. Irriversible9. Conservation 10. Sustainable

• a community of living organisms (plants, animals …)• When we refer to the continuing rise in the average

temperature of Earth's climate system. • The phenomenon whereby the earth's atmosphere

traps solar radiation.• something that people can use which comes from

nature. Substances that occur naturally.• a gas that contributes to the greenhouse effect• to make something new from (something that has

been used before)• (verb) to harm something• what can be used without being completely used

up or destroyed: this involves methods that do not completely use up or destroy natural resources.

• Polluter: To make harmful to living things• a process that is not reversible.• the action of conserving something.

Vocabulary:• Natural resources: A natural resource is anything that people can use

which comes from nature. substances that occur naturally• Global warming: refers to the continuing rise in the average temperature

of Earth's climate system. • Greenhouse effect: The phenomenon whereby the earth's atmosphere

traps solar radiation.• Greenhouse gasses: a gas that contributes to the greenhouse effect.• To recycle: to make something new from (something that has been used

before).• Eco-system: An ecosystem is a community of living organisms (plants,

animals …)• Damage: to harm something.• (toxic) Polluter: To make unfit for or harmful to living things.• Irriversible (ecological damage): a process that is not reversible.• Conservation: the action of conserving something.• Sustainable (development): what can be used without being completely

used up or destroyed: Sustainable development involves methods that do not completely use up or destroy natural resources.

The Worst Dangers: match with translations

• Nuclear reactors• Industrial emissions• The destruction of the rainforest• Industrial waste• Nuclear waste• Carbon monoxide fumes from

vehicles• Oil spills at sea• Chemical effluent• The greenhouse effect• The consumption of non-renewable

energy• The use of non-biodegradable

materials• Nuclear and chemical weapons build-

up

• Gli sversamenti di petrolio in mare • La distruzione della foresta pluviale • rifiuti industriali • reattori nucleari • emissioni industriali • effluenti chimici • L'effetto serra • Le scorie nucleari • Esalazioni/fumi di monossido di

carbonio dei veicoli • La corsa agli armi nucleari e chimiche• Il consumo di energia non rinnovabile • L'impiego di materiali non

biodegradabili

Worst dangers: KEY

• Nuclear reactors• Industrial emissions• The destruction of the rainforest• Industrial waste• Nuclear waste• Carbon monoxide fumes from

vehicles• Oil spills at sea• Chemical effluent• The greenhouse effect• The consumption of non-renewable

energy• The use of non-biodegradable

materials• Nuclear and chemical weapons build-

up

• reattori nucleari • emissioni industriali • La distruzione della foresta pluviale • rifiuti industriali • Le scorie nucleari • Esalazioni di monossido di carbonio

dei veicoli • Gli sversamenti di petrolio in mare • effluenti chimici • L'effetto serra • Il consumo di energia non rinnovabile • L'impiego di materiali non

biodegradabili • La corsa agli armi nucleari e chimiche

Match words to make collocations

1. Climate2. Global3. Sustainable4. Green5. Living6. Environmental

a. Warmingb. Growthc. Changed. Standardse. Activistsf. development

KEY collocations

1. Climate2. Global3. Sustainable4. Green5. Living6. Environmental

a. Changeb. Warmingc. Developmentd. Activistse. Standardsf. Growth

Fill in the gaps with a different form of the word in brackets. (the new word can be a noun, verb

or adjective)

1. Global …..(warm) and the …….(destroy) of the environment are ……..(threat) the planet.

2. Green …..(active) and other pressure groups are becoming increasingly …….(influence) in determining the……(environment) policies of large companies.

3. Their government’s ….(economy) strategy is one of rapid (industrialize). This has both…….(strong) and ……..(weak).

Key

1. Global warming and the destruction of the environment are threatening the planet.

2. Green activists and other pressure groups are becoming increasingly influencial in determining the environmental policies of large companies.

3. Their government’s economic strategy is one of rapid industrialization. This has both strengths and weaknesses.

Complete with the correct word

contaminated – issue - pollution – fumes – waste – dumping .

One serious….is water pollution. This is largely caused by factories……chemicals and……..products in rivers with result that the water has become………… . Another urgent problem is air…………. . In some cities, the smog is so terrible that people have to walk around wearing masks so that they do not breathe in the dangerous ……….. .

KEYOne serious issue is water pollution. This is largely caused by factories dumping chemicals and waste products in rivers with result that the water has become contaminated. Another urgent problem is air pollution. In some cities, the smog is so terrible that people have to walk around wearing masks so that they do not breathe in the dangerous fumes.

Extra Background knowledge(to help better understanding the

reading in dispensa p.86-87)

• Chernobyl Disaster• The Union Carbide Company• The Exxon Valdez• The Shell Brent Spar Oil platform• The kyoto Agreement:• Fukushima Disaster

Chernobyl disaster(extra)

• 1986 nuclear power plant accident in Ukraine.• The Chernobyl disaster is one of the worst

nuclear power plant accidents in history in terms of cost and resulting deaths.

• An explosion and fire released large quantities of radioactive particles into the atmosphere, which spread over much of the western USSR and Europe.

• long-term effects such as cancers and deformities are still being accounted for.

The Union Carbide Company(extra)

• The Bhopal disaster was an industrial disaster that took place at a Union Carbade India Limited pesticide plant in the Indian city of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.

• On 3 December 1984, gas was accidentally released from the plant, exposing more than 500,000 people to MIC gas and other chemicals. The government of Madhya Pradesh confirmed a total of 3,787 deaths related to the gas release. It left an estimated 40,000 individuals permanently disabled or suffering from serious illness, making it one of the world's worst industrial disasters in history.

The Exxon Valdez(extra)

• The Exxon Valdez oil spill occurred in Alaska, on March 24, 1989, when Exxon Valdez, an oil tanker (ship) spilled 260,000 to 750,000 barrels (41,000 to 119,000 m3) of crude oil into the sea. It is considered to be one of the most devastating human-caused environmental disasters.

The Shell Brent Spar Oil platform(extra)

• Brent Spar Oil platform was considered to be of no further use/value in 1991. Brent Spar became an issue of public concern in 1995, when the British government announced the platform would be disposed/dumped in deep Atlantic waters.

• Greenpeace organized a worldwide, high-profile media campaign against this plan. Greenpeace activists occupied the Brent Spar for more than three weeks.

The kyoto Agreement:(extra)

• The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement linked to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which commits its Parties by setting internationally binding emission reduction targets.

• It entered into force in 2005.

Fukushima Nuclear DisasterMarch 2011

(extra)

• The Fukushima nuclear disaster was a catastrophic failure at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant resulting in a meltdown (overheated reactors) of three of the plant's six nuclear reactors.

• The plant was hit by the tsunami triggered by an earthquake.

• The plant began releasing substantial amounts of radioactive materials becoming the largest nuclear incident since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.

Reading page 87 -88“Managing the Planet”

According to the text …

•Big business is responsible for most of the world’s environmental damage, but, ironically only big business can reverse it.

•Big business and heavy industry single-handedly wrecked the planet in the last 100 years or so.

•But Green is now fashionable and business leaders are keep to appear more environmentally friendly.