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Introduction
How ‘on earth’ do you you talk about Climate Change in IELTS Speaking?
You need to think not only about language, but ideas too!
In this IELTS Speaking lesson on the topic of CLIMATE CHANGE, you will learn the language and ideas to talk confidently about the causes of Climate Change, the effects it has and some model answers on this topic.
Table of Contents
IELTS vocabulary: Climate change
Let’s look first at some essential vocabulary and collocations you can use to talk about the potential IELTS Speaking topic of Climate Change.
Collocations for Climate
- Inhospitable (=not kind)
- severe
- mild (=not hot/not cold)
- hot
- tropical
Collocations for Weather
- Extreme
- changeable
- good
- beautiful
- atrocious
- awful
- dismal
- fair
We can also describe the weather as….
- nippy =cold
- chilly =quite cold
- bone dry =very dry
Weather – is more about short term changes – Weather tells you what to wear each day.
Climate – is more about longer term changes – Climate tells you what types of clothes to have in your wardrobe!
Here are key phrases and ideas you will need to know to talk confidently about Climate Change.
Global Warming – An increase in the global average temperature on earth
Climate Change – the change in general weather conditions on the earth over a long period of time.
For example, we see more extremes weather nowadays, such as storms, tornadoes, and floods than in the past.
Gas emissions – the production of gases like carbon dioxide (CO2), and methane (CH4).
The Greenhouse effect – greenhouse gases trap heat from the sun in the atmosphere. The heat cannot escape and so the planet gets hotter.
Fossil fuels – non-renewable fuels, e.g. coal, carbon, oil, gas
Deforestation – the cutting down of trees on a large scale
Habitats – where animals and plants live
An ecosystem – a community of living things connected to their environment
A Carbon footprint – the number of greenhouse gases produced by any person or organization’s activity.
I can reduce my carbon footprint by using less electricity at home.
Renewable energies – water (hydro), wind, sun (solar)
Try to solve / tackle / address climate change / global warming
We need to tackle climate change head-on (=directly)
Mitigate climate change (=reduce, alleviate, minimize)
When it comes to answering questions, you can use the following expressions to show off your language.
I am by no means an expert, but…
I don’t know a great deal about this but…
Debates and discussions about climate change
Causes of climate change
Here are some useful phrases you can use to discuss the causes of Climate Change.
- The main human cause is probably the burning of fossil fuels, like coal, oil, and gas, for electricity, heat, and transportation.
- When we use cars, planes, and other forms of transport we burn fossil fuels and emit greenhouse gases into the atmosphere
- The exhaust fumes from cars produce CO2
- When we use electricity at home, we are most likely burning fossil fuels and so producing greenhouse gases which cause global warming.
- Deforestation is a major cause of climate change. Trees take in CO2 and produce oxygen, so when we cut down trees this stored CO2 is released.
- Also, as there are fewer trees, this balance of CO2 and oxygen is lost.
- Tree roots hold the soil together and keep the soil fertile. Without trees the land is less farmable, and also the soil moves leading to both landslides and possible drought.
- Farming, including raising livestock (e.g. cows, sheep, and goats) produces harmful greenhouse gases because cows emit methane gas when they fart (when they defecate).
- When farmers use this as fertilizer, it is also emitting more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
- Apparently, the fashion industry that pushes us to buy new clothes every season, produces vast amounts of greenhouse gases.
- These come from the processes needed to produce the fabrics, especially man-made ones, and also the transportation needed for the complex supply chains.
- Did you know a shirt made of man-made polyester has twice the carbon footprint of a cotton shirt?
- Such consumerism also leads to huge amounts of waste and non-biodegradable fabrics that damage the environment.
Is climate change a problem?
- In the past, the climate occurred in regular cycles and it used to rain during a particular season but now, it rains heavily any time and this is leading to floods.
- The Ozone layer is being depleted due to daily increasing CO2 emissions.
- Such gaps in the Ozone layer mean the sun’s harmful rays are doing more damage to the planet.
- The polar ice sheet is melting (thawing out) and the sea levels are rising.
- We are disrupting the balance in the ecosystem
- It leads to the melting of the polar ice sheets
- It leads to the destruction of wildlife and their habitats
- Some species are becoming extinct
- It might lead to sea-level rise which in turn causes damage to coastal regions.
- The earth is getting hot and hotter and so there are more droughts which has a devastating impact on farming and the livelihood of local communities.
- At the same time, we are experiencing increasingly adverse and extreme weather conditions. Floods and flooding are more and more commonplace.
- When we have floods, contagious diseases can spread like wildfire.
- Farmers face problems due to soil erosion and so use artificial fertilizers which can cause water and air pollution.
Solutions to climate change
- We can change the way we travel, opting for public transport and avoiding travel by plane whenever possible.
- We can eat less meat, and so reduce the demand for livestock and cattle.
- We can shop locally, so food supply chains do not need excessive travel by train, boat, or plane.
- By and large, we should consume less, whether it be for electrical appliances or clothes. We shouldn’t be a victim of fast fashion.
- We can also consume less electricity at home, by using energy-saving bulbs and be more careful to turn off lights and save energy.
Students' questions about climate change
Keith, what do you think about climate change?
Well, for sure, climate change is a hugely controversial subject nowadays and I think, it’s a problematic thing, it’s a problematic issue, clearly because of the growing rise in the temperature, the global warming we are experiencing, is having a huge impact on our lives, and on nature and the the world around us.
For example, climate change… the increase of the temperature that is happening due to the emission of methane from cows or carbon missions from traffic, is leading to this increased temperature which in turn leads to the sea level rise which is getting worse and worse, and that’s destroying habitats for animals like the polar bear and penguin. But not only that, it’s having a really detrimental impact on coastal cities and lower-level land. It can lead to tsunamis, flooding in lots of areas around the world and that’s gonna have a really really bad impact. So, personally, I think climate change is a serious problem {and} that we need to take radical action, right now. I go along with Greta Thunberg saying we need to wake up to the reality around us. don’t really go along with the skeptics who don’t believe it’s a serious problem. I think it a problem and we need to take action.
Why is climate change important for you?
Well. It’s a very good question and I’d like to answer the question in two parts. First of all, I think it’s important politically and I think it’s important environmentally. Firstly, politically, this is an important agenda on any prime minister or any president’s to-do-list; looking at the impact of climate change around the world. So, yes it’s hugely important for countries and politicians, but more importantly, moving on to the second point, it’s hugely important for our environment because we are destroying the environment around us. We are destroying habitats through the rise in the sea level. We are destroying habitats through deforestation, cutting down trees across the world which in turn leads to droughts, the growth of arid land which could no longer be used for farming and droughts have a really, obviously, negative impact on populations, especially in tropical areas. So, it’s a hugely important issue for all of humanity.
Keith, what can we do to stop climate change?
A3.
Well, I think there is a number of things that we can do. First of all, as countries, we can introduce policies that will prevent, for example, deforestation. Policies that will encourage countries to take positive actions towards climate change, but there is also things that we as individuals can do. For starters, we can save energy at home, we can be turning off lights when we don’t need them so we are using less electricity. We can take public transport, so reducing our carbon footprint, so there are fewer greenhouse gas emissions. We can also vote with our feet when it comes to consumerism, and we can choose to buy fewer clothes so that we are not pushed by the fashion industry to be consuming all of these fabrics that then are just left as waste and are having a negative impact on the balance of the ecosystem as well. So, I think both of these areas we need to address in order to tackle climate change head-on.
Useful links: Topic of climate change
Simple lesson introducing climate change
More in-depth talk about climate change
A children’s guide to Climate Change
https://www.science-sparks.com/what-is-climate-change/
An official guide to climate change.
https://www.nrdc.org/stories/global-climate-change-what-you-need-know
More IELTS Speaking Lessons
If you liked this lesson, leave a comment below!
There are more lessons you can follow in the links below too.
CITIES in IELTS Speaking. Learn how to introduce your city, as well as talk about advantages and disadvantages of living in cities.
ENVIRONMENT in IELTS Speaking. Learn different ways to protect our environment and discuss it with idioms and vocabulary in this lesson
NOISE POLLUTION in IELTS Speaking. How to talk about different types of noise, and how noise pollution affects our lives today.
