The World’s Best Friend Is YOU!

Vocabulary air, land, water pollution to protect the earth the environment the greenhouse effect endangered animals, plants to recycle wastes to throw away litter nuclear power stations carbon dioxide deforestation ozone layer acid rains ozone hole

The wastes are not recycled. Air, land and water pollution. Ecological problems The wastes are not recycled. Air, land and water pollution. Deforestation. Many animals, birds and plants disappear. Greenhouse effect.

The earth has been getting hotter because we are producing too many greenhouse gases. This gases hold heat. Trees and plants help to take gases, such as carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, but we have now destroyed too many trees. Polluting gases fall as acid rains. Smoking chimneys and car exhaust pipes are pumping tons of rubbish into the air all the time, and we breath it in.

There is a layer of gas called ozone. It covers the earth There is a layer of gas called ozone. It covers the earth. It protects us from the dangerous rays of sun. But if ozone comes close to earth, in acid rains, for example, it is also very dangerous itself and causes diseases. There are now holes in the ozone layer because there are too many “greenhouse” gases. Scientists say there are over the South Pole and over New York.

Because the earth is getting hotter, the ice is melting Because the earth is getting hotter, the ice is melting. Because the ice has been melting, the level of the sea is slowly rising. Scientists say that in the year 2050 some parts of Great Britain will be under the sea. A giant iceberg, the size of Hong Kong, is slowly melting. It is the world’s largest iceberg. It broke away from Antarctic. It was 152 km long and 35 km wide. Now it is 10 km shorter because it is melting.

If you go camping in a Canadian national park, you will be told: “Walk lightly on the earth. See but don’t be seen. Hear but don’t be heard. What you carry in, carry out. Take only memories; leave only footprints.”

Since the last Dodo bird died in about 1681, thousand of other species of animals and plants have become extinct or endangered. The Blue Whale, the Panda, The California Big Tree are on the verge of extinction now. Gone forever are dinosaurs, passenger pigeons, California grizzly bears. Elephants, jungle-cats and Asian rhinoceroses are being killed off their ivory tusks, furs, or horns. Many animals have gone forever, as their habitats have been destroyed at an alarming rate : 340 miles a day!

One of the most serious problem is litter. It is not recycled One of the most serious problem is litter. It is not recycled. In 1985 the average Briton threw away 291 kg, the average Japanese 342kg and the average American 742 kg. Much of this can really be used again. New Yorkers are so concerned about the problem that the city has policemen who check through people’s dustbins. If they find anything that could have been reused they fine the owners.

This is how long it takes for some rubbish left to disappear naturally: Cigarette butts – 1 – 5 years Aluminium cans – 500 years Glass bottles – 1,000,000 years Plastic bags – 10 – 20 years Plastic photo-film containers – 20 – 30 years Nylon fabric – 30 – 40 years Rubber boots – 50 – 80 years Orange and banana peels – about 2 years Plastic bottles - indefinitely

Nuclear power is cheap, clean and safe… sometimes Nuclear power is cheap, clean and safe… sometimes. The explosion in Chernobyl shows it can go wrong. Nuclear weapons can destroy the world. Nuclear weapon tests increase the amount of radiation in atmosphere. Nuclear power produces high-level radioactive waste which can be dangerous for thousands of years.