ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

Warm-up
1. Are you concerned about the present ecological situation in the place where you live?
What are the most dangerous kinds of pollution?
How can you help save the environment?
What must be done to make the Earth a safer and better place?

2. In groups compare and comment on the following pictures. Make use of the following
words: pollution, disappearing, smoke, threaten, energy, poisoning, atmosphere,
exhausts, urgent, harmful, extinct, destroy, environment, lead, crisis, chemicals, global
warming, wasteland, protect, ill-health, recycling, endangered, consumption, greens.

3. Complete the following chart. Make use of the words and phrases from exercise 2. You
may include your own ideas as well.
For Against
developing heavy industry
within cities
using pesticides in agriculture

4. Explain the meaning of the following environmental problems: the greenhouse effect,
global warming, holes in the ozone layer, acid rain, the destruction of habitats.
 Reading
1. You will read the text about the ecological situation in the world. Before reading,
discuss the following in pairs:
 Do people’s activities and inventions harm the nature?
 What are the consequences of people’s activities and inventions? How do they affect
the ecology?
 What do you think the possible ways of solving ecological problems are?

2. Read and translate the text. Pay attention to the words and phrases in bold.
Environmental protection
We live in a changeable world where it’s very difficult to keep up with new ideas and
inventions. Our life becomes more comfortable and more interesting. We get to know
about the smallest details of a child’s birth and space, computers have become the part of
everyday life. We use new devices which make housework much easier. Technological
advances help us, but we seldom think that the majority of inventions and new
technologies bring about harm to the environment. Many environmental pollution
problems are the result of the rapid advances in technology that have been made since the
end of World War II. Gregory Bateson is right saying, “The major problems in the world
are the result of the difference between the way nature works and the way people think”.
Today the greatest problem for the humanity is pollution. Pollution is the
contamination of the environment including air, water and land with undesirable amounts
of material and energy. Such contamination originates from human activities that create
waste products. Nowadays this problem is not topical only for heavily industrialized
cities and towns where metallurgical plants, steel mills, mines, chemical plants are
situated. Modern man abuses nature and disfigures the landscape creating landfills
everywhere – in fields, in forests, in oceans and even in the space. It’s no wonder why new
diseases appear every year and mutation on different levels is progressing. We eat, drink
and breathe what we dump on the ground and emit into the atmosphere.
There are several kinds of environmental pollution. They include air pollution, water
pollution, soil pollution, and pollution caused by solid wastes, noise, and radiation. It’s
difficult to say what of them is the worst as all parts of the environment are closely related
to one another. So, a kind of pollution that chiefly harms one part of the environment may
also affect others. For example, air pollution harms the air, but rain washes pollutants out
of the air and deposits them on the land and in water bodies.
Air pollution turns clear, odorless air into hazy, smelly air that harms health, kills
plants, animals and damages property. Most air pollution results from combustion
processes. The burning of gasoline to power motor vehicles and the burning of coal to
heat buildings and help manufacture products are examples of such processes.
Uncontrolled emissions of harmful substances and dust pollute everything around us.
Very often they are the reason of acid rains which fall miles away from the plants and
poison earth and water. Studies have shown that particulates burn eyes and irritate lungs,
they cause asthma, bronchitis, cancer and emphysema. Besides, air pollution affects
climate intensifying greenhouse effect and air pollutants damage the ozone layer.
Another problem the mankind faces nowadays is the fresh-water-supply problem.
Water pollution reduces the amount of pure, fresh water that is available for such
necessities as drinking and cleaning, and for such activities as swimming and fishing. The
pollutants that affect water come mainly from industries, farms, and sewerage systems.
Another major pollutant is fuel oil, which enters oceans mainly from oil tankers and
offshore oil wells. Such spills ruin beaches and kill birds and marine life. People’s
carelessness costs high prices to the environment.
Often trying to get more and quicker, man destroys what has been created for
centuries. Soil pollution damages the thin layer of fertile soil that covers much of the
earth’s land and is essential for growing food. Natural processes took thousands of years to
form the soil that supports crops. People use fertilizers and pesticides to grow more and
better crops. But the use of large amounts of fertilizer may decrease the ability of bacteria
to decay wastes and produce nutrients naturally.
Solid wastes are probably the most visible form of pollution. Much of waste ends up
littering roadsides, floating in lakes and streams, and collecting in ugly dumps. They ruin
the attractiveness of the surrounding areas and cause the extinction of flora and fauna.
Some solid wastes need hundreds or even thousands of years to decay.
Besides the kinds of pollution mentioned there are invisible enemies that affect
everything alive. These are noise pollution and radiation problem. But if in the case with
noise pollution we can hear the enemy and try to minimize noise disturbance, radiation
affects noiselessly and brings disastrous effects on health. The latter causes different kinds
of cancer, stillbirths, leukemia.
Since the late 1960s, millions of people all over the world have become alarmed by the
danger of pollution. They have become environment-conscious, create disaster-
prevention programmes and attract public attention to burning ecological problems. Plants
and factories install purification equipment to reduce the air pollution index. Scientists
look for wasteless and cheap recycling technologies. People learn to use natural sources of
energy such as wind, sun, tides and nowadays there are many cars and houses using sun
batteries. There is a special green movement which calls for nature protection. Of course,
it’s not obligatory to be a member of Greenpeace to fight pollution. You can preserve
woodlands cleaning the picnic site after having a picnic, plant “green belts” or trees and
plants near your house, throw litter, garbage and junk in special garbage cans, protect
wildlife and what not. Remember the saying of Denis Hayes “Individually, each of us can
do only a little. Together, we can save the world”.

After-Reading Activities
Exercises on the Contents
3. Say whether the statements (1-10) are true or false:
1 Modern technological advances of the 21st century contribute to pollution.
2 Pollution is disfiguring of landscapes, creating landfills and dumping of waste products
into the water.
3 Nowadays the problem of pollution is topical only for heavily industrialized cities and
towns where metallurgical plants, steel mills, mines, chemical plants are situated.
4 One can’t determine what kind of pollution is the worst because of interrelation
of all parts of the environment.
5 Asthma, bronchitis and emphysema are sure to be caused by air pollution.
6 Combustion processes such as burning of gasoline to power motor vehicles and the
burning of coal to heat buildings are the real reason of greenhouse effect.
7 The pollutants that affect water come only from industries, farms, and sewerage systems
that’s why installation of purification equipment can solve the freshwater-supply problem.
8. If people use fertilizes and pesticides, they affect the soil favourably as they help it to
grow more and better crops.
9. Among the invisible kinds of pollution are noise pollution, air pollution and radiation
problem.
10. The usage of alternative kinds of energy is the way of reducing pollution.

4. Answer the questions to the text:

1 What is pollution?
2 What kinds of pollution do you know? Are they closely related to one other?
3 What are the causes and consequences of air (water, land, noise, radioactive) pollution?
4 How can you explain the global interest to the problem of environmental protection
nowadays?
5 Are you environment-conscious? What do you do to fight pollution and protect nature?
6 Do you know any international or local ecological organizations? Describe their
activities.
7 Is it possible to solve ecological problems and live on a clean planet? What measures
should be taken?

5. Comment on the underlined sentences and quotations in the text.

Focus on Vocabulary
6. Match the following words and phrases with their meanings.
acid rains a heating of the atmosphere resulting from the absorption of certain
gases as carbon dioxide and water vapor, of solar energy that has
been captured and reradiated by the earth’s surface
greenhouse effect b to treat or process (used or waste materials) so as to make effect
suitable for reuse
pollution c the introduction of harmful substances or products into the
environment
to recycle d a place where waste is buried under the ground
global warming e general increase in world temperatures caused by increased
amounts of carbon dioxide around the Earth
 landfill f a gas or other substance that is sent into the air
emission g the air, water, minerals, organisms and all other external factors
surrounding and affecting a given organism at any time
environment h precipitation containing acid-forming chemicals, chiefly industrial
pollutants, which have been released into the atmosphere and
combined with water vapor; ecologically harmful

7. Study the Topical Vocabulary on the environmental protection and complete the
sentences given below using the phrases from the box.
Topical Vocabulary
to fight pollution/contamination to affect climate
to abuse nature to intensify greenhouse effect
to disfigure the landscape the fresh-water-supply problem
to create landfills/dumps oil spills/offshore oil wells
to dump on the ground/in the river fertile soil/derelict land
to emit into the atmosphere fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides
combustion processes extinction of flora and fauna
to create disaster-prevention programs to be environment-conscious
to damage the ozone layer acid rains
to install purification equipment to reduce the air pollution index
to preserve woodlands, to protect wildlife to plant “green belts”
1 Fuel oil enters oceans mainly from oil tankers and __________________ .
2 People use __________________ to grow more and better crops.
3 Air pollution affects climate ______________ and air pollutants __________________ .
4 If you water flowers, it doesn’t mean that you _________________ .
5 Many plants and factories don’t want _______________ as it’s very expensive.
6 _______________ is the first step to the extinction of human race.
7 It’s enough to leave a plastic bottle, a carton or some throw-away plates to
_____________ and contribute to pollution.
8 People believe that the decrease of livestock will reduce ________________ .
9 What is better to ____________ or take active measures and fight pollution?
10 Everyone can ________________ and help in recreating the planet’s lungs.
11 If people don’t protect rivers and lakes from industrial waste waters and sewerage, they
will soon face ______________ .
12 Do you know that _____________ are caused by chemicals in the air, for example from
cars and factories?

8. Paraphrase the following sentences using the Topical Vocabulary on the environmental
protection.
1 Water pollution in this region is severe.
2 Air pollution destructs the ozone screen.
3 Nowadays automobiles are the main source of exhausting harmful gases into the
atmosphere in cities with little industry.
4 Is it possible to turn waste lands incapable of yielding crops into fertile ones?
5 Recycling reduces the amount of garbage sent to dumps and incinerators.
6 Environment-conscious people understand the necessity to protect forests and
their inhabitants.
7 We got frustrated when we saw somebody have spoilt our picnic site.
8 Ecologists elaborate a series of action to prevent disasters.
9 One of the ways to keep air clean is to use antipollution equipment.
10 Farmers consider extensive use of agrochemicals can provide excellent yield.

9. Do the multiple-choice task. Choose the best answer.

1. I didn’t know that species of fish was still _____________.
a) extant b) extent c) extinct d) extinguished
2. Most African countries have now ___________ the killing of elephants.
a) banned b) dismissed c) prevented d) refused
3. Animals should not be located in cages; they should be in their normal _____________.
a) environment b) home c) position d) residence
4. There is large _____________ for rare tropical birds in the National Park.
a) aviary b) cage c) reserve d) zoo
5. Many species of animals today are ________________.
a) endangered b) in risk c) risky d) under danger
6. A bird ___________ has been established on this island.
a) asylum b) haven c) refuge d) sanctuary
7. Much of our knowledge about prehistoric animals comes from the study of
__________.
a) artefacts b) fossils c) relics d) ruins
8. Unless we can prevent people from hunting snow leopards, the species will
___________.
a) die out b) drop out c) extinguish d) fall out
9. Unless stricter hunting laws are introduced, seals will soon be ____________.
a) archaic b) defunct c) extinct d) obselete
10. My friend is a keen amateur ______________.
a) natural historian b) naturalist c) naturist d) nature-lover

10. Make a list of the most severe ecological problems in the world. Compare your list to
your partner’s.

Speaking
1. Split into pairs and act out the situations:
 You are an ecology student working on the project “Polluting the water we poison
ourselves”. To do this project you are taking an interview with a fresh-water supply
engineer. Ask him about the main causes of polluting the water, its consequences for
people’s health and measures taken to fight water pollution. You may use these tips: to
dump uncleaned sewage/industrial waste waters into the rivers; to install purification
equipment, rational use of water resources; chemical and biological filters; cleansing and
recycling water; to shift to a closed production cycle; fatal risks for health.
 You are a local inspector who pays the visit to the Manager of the Open-Joint Stock
Company “Azot” with the annual inspection. The check-up gives reasons to accuse him of
violating the air pollution index and fine him. You may use these tips: to violate air
pollution index; to pollute the atmosphere with foul air; bronchial complaints; emission of
harmful gases and industrial dust; toxic substances; to install purification equipment;
fatal risks for health.
 You are a news reporter who is taking an interview with a representative of the
Greenpeace Organization at the meeting. Ask him about the reasons of organizing the
meeting, the current activity and campaigns, express the desire to join the moves of
Greenpeace and become its member. You may use these tips: to create disaster-prevention
programs; to harmonize industry and community; to protect and reproduce animal (fish,
bird) reserves; to reduce pollution; conservation movement; to abuse nature; clear
landscapes; country parks.
 You are an ecology student working on the project “The Affect of Noise Pollution on
Living Beings”. To do this project you are taking an interview with a retired knitting
factory worker. Ask him about the working conditions, the level of noise in the workshop,
the consequences of noise pollution for people’s health and measures taken to reduce noise
pollution. You may use these tips: to suffer from permanent or temporary hearing loss;
long exposures to noise; chronic exposure to high noise levels; to interfere with sleep; to
result in a feeling of fatigue; to cause irreversible changes in the nervous system.
 You have seen a documentary how man’s activity affects the nature and changes the
climate. Your friend happens to have seen this documentary as well. Share your thoughts
about the documentary’s stuff and what is possible to do to change the current situation for
better. You may use these tips: to threaten to destroy everything on earth; to intensify
greenhouse effect; global warming; unrestricted industrialization; deforestation; to affect
climate; merciless killing of animals; destruction of animal habitats; to link man to
nature; a purification plant; restoration of forests.

2. You are a representative of the Ministry of Environmental Protection paying a visit to

one of local schools. Explain school kids what they should and shouldn’t do to help the
environment. The example is done for you.
You should switch off when you leave the room.
You shouldn’t peel off the bark of trees.
3. You are a participant of the conference “Save the World. It’s our Home”. Make a report
on: a. greenhouse effect; b. fresh-water-supply problem; c. recycling: pros and cons;
d. alternative sources of energy.
 ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION: WATCHING

Lead-in
1 Pair Work. Look at these pictures. Then discuss the questions below.
Deforestation Water pollution Air pollution

Do you have these environmental problems where you live?

What can be done to prevent it? (Talk about each)
What other environmental problems do you have?

2 Read the words and phrases in the box and write them next to the right definition.
ozone layer / environmentalist / exhaust fumes / global warming / acid rain /
pesticides / environment / greenhouse effect / water contamination
a- Toxic gases expelled by cars ______________
b- The rise in temperature caused by gases in the atmosphere ________________
c- Polluted water falling from the clouds _____________
d- It protects us from harmful sunrays ______________
e- The natural world where people, animals and plants live ____________
f- A chemical substance used for killing insects that eat food crops _____________
g- Add a chemical substance which makes the water harmful ________________
h- A person who wants to protect the environment ________________
i- The process by which the Earth is heated when the atmosphere traps heat from the
Sun: _______________

Watching
Pre-watching
What type of pollution do you think is the most serious? Put this list in your personal
order of seriousness (most serious/least serious)
 Traffic fumes
 Aircraft noise
 Dirty rivers and beaches
 Polluted drinking water
 contaminated food
  Use of pesticides and fertilizers

While watching
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vP3pbh_-pu8
1 What types of pollution does the video mention?
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
2 Watch the video and find out the answers to the following questions: What can happen
if we don't stop polluting our planet? What measures can be taken to reduce pollution?

After watching
1 Complete the table:
Types Aspects and effects Sollutions

2 Group work. Work in groups: Let's fight pollution! Get the facts!
A Now you are organizing a campaign to make people aware about the dangers
threatening our planet. Group1: Think of a slogan to your campaign and draw a poster.
Group2: Make a list of all the measures mentioned in the previous activity. Group3:
Write an acrostic poem.
B Use the notes from the table in Ex. 1 to write a ten-line article about pollution.
Match the columns of causes and problems and find a solution for each problem.
 CAUSES PROBLEMS
SOLUTIONS
recycling
waste destruction of forests
air filters
chemical pollutants destruction of ozone layer
treatment of used water
overuse of land, overpasting release of toxic chemicals in the
alternative energy
air
biodegradable materials
industrial activity water pollution
co-operation at international levels
need of energy acid rains
forestation
transportation of greenhouse effect
birth control
petrol
environmental education
use of pesticides desertification
environmental protection laws
cars and buses lung decease
garbage nuclear radiation
superpopulation soil erosion
mining operations overloaded landfills
nuclear weapons oil spills
need of more extinction of species
cultivable land
aerosol sprays affects the ozon layer
Slash and burn extinction of species,
deforestation soil erosion

What other solutions could you suggest?

Use: Why don’t we
We could
What about
How about
Let’s

Speaking: Discuss the pictures using the chart above. What problem do they show?
THINGS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY CAN DO TO HELP THE PLANET
-Take short showers to save water.
-Turn off the lights when you leave the room.
-Don’t leave the fridge door open for too long.
-Don’t leave water running when you brush your
teeth.
-Turn of TVs and stereos, don’t leave them on
standby.
-Don’t put batteries in the rubbish bin. And use
rechargeable batteries.
-Sell or give away clothes and objects you don’t use.
-Use eco-friendly products.
-Walk or ride a bicycle or use public transport. Cars
create air and noise pollution and traffic. Pollution from cars and power stations cause
acid rain which can harm trees and damage buildings and can kill fish.
-Always pick up your rubbish.
-Plant a tree, trees protect the soil from erosion and purify the air by converting carbon
dioxide into oxygen. They also provide food and shelter for other fauna and flora.
-Use recyclable paper and don’t waste paper and paper products.
-Use shopping bags, not plastic bags. Every minute, one million plastic
bags are used around the world : that’s 500 billion plastic bags a year.
The bags last 20 to 1,000 years, because they are not biodegradable.
Thousands of marine animals die every year because they accidentally
eat old plastic bags.
-Insulate buildings to stop wasting energy.

1) Fill in the blanks with 10 words from the box. There are two extra words.

environment – fight – at – species – on – pollution – change – noise –

industry – farmland – pollutants - released

Of all living things, humans have the most impact ------------------- their
environment. They ----------------- their habitat to suit their needs, more so than most
other -----------------. When a growing population finds there are fewer resources than
before, it responds by expanding cities and ----------------, throwing the natural
---------------- off balance. Many human activities that relate to agriculture, transportation,
and ---------------- create different kinds of -----------------. Whether they are
----------------- into the water, the air, or the ground, ----------------- waste no time
spreading throughout an ecosystem. The planet’s health and future depend on the
willingness not just of individuals, but governments around the world, to ----------------
the causes of pollution and to work hand in hand to prevent it.
2) Circle the right option each time.
 The planet’s water reserves are constantly polluted by waste from agriculture,
industries, and sewers. Since water (was / is / has) always circulating through the
environment, it transports the (pollution / polluted / pollutants) it contains from one area
to the next. A pesticide that is (sprayed / spread / crowded) on a field, for example, seeps
into the groundwater, finds its way to a (stream / streamer / streaming), and finally ends
up in the ocean. These toxic (substances / substance / substancial) harm aquatic plants
and animals, and also infect the food chain, causing certain plant and animal species to
become (extinct / extinction / exctincted). They can also (breathe / contaminate / effect)
humans who eat fish. Even though (dumping / dump / dumped) garbage in the ocean is
strictly forbidden, (much / many / little) countries release their untreated sewer waste and
dispose of their garbage (out of / in / into) the water. (Because / In addition / While) to
this, more than 6 million tons of oil are accidentally (spilled / sprayed / increased) into
the ocean every year.
3) Put the bracketed words in the right form or tense.
Every year, millions of tons of industrial waste, household garbage, fertilizer, and
pesticides are (dump) ---------------- into nature. Many of these (substance) ----------------
are not biodegradable, which means that microorganisms in the ground cannot break
(they) --------------- down. Things like metal cans and most plastics (accumulation)
--------------- in the environment. That is why it is important to (recycle) ----------------
and to reuse things instead of (throw) ---------------- them out. Most nonbiodegradable
(pollute) --------------- in the ground come from industries, which emit thousands
substances. Some of (this) --------------- are (high) ---------------- toxic chemicals that seep
into the ground and (contaminated) --------------- watercourses. In spite of efforts to
regulate garbage disposal and farming practices, (country) --------------- around the world
are continuing to contaminate more and more of their soil.

1) Fill in the blanks with words from the margin.

Many human activities over the last 200
years have been responsible (1) ------------- 1) Into / of / at
polluting the air and (2) ------------ people’s 2) Healing / breathing /
health. Automobile engines and power plants damaging
(3) ------------- combustible fuels like gasoline 3) Burn / burned / burning
and coal and allow (4) ------------- gases and 4) Noisy – fluid – toxic
smoke to escape into the (5) --------------. 5) Air – land – water
Some pollutants help destroy the ozone (6) 6) Liar – lawyer – layer
-------------, which is the thin blanket of gases 7) Hazard – hazardous –
that protects Earth from the Sun’s (7) hazards
-------------- ultraviolet rays. Other pollutants 8) In / to / into
contribute (8) --------------- global warming by 9) Harmful – toxic - acid
adding to the planet’s natural greenhouse
effect. Still others help to create (9)
-------------- rain, a phenomenon that has disastrous effects on lake and forest
habitats

2) Use the following notes to write a ten-line article about pollution.

Types Aspects and effects Sollutions

- Ground / soil - Extinction of animal - Renewable energy

pollution species - Recycling of plastic
- Air pollution - Asthma and substances
- Water pollution breathing problems - Sensitizing
- Noise - Contamination of - Walking for short
water, food … distances
- Car honks, earache - Minimizing the use
and deafness of fertelizers
- Protecting
endangered /
thretened animal
species

https://www.esolcourses.com/content/lifeintheuk/london/air-pollution/london-
smog-lesson-activities.html

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/1710/171023-pollution.html
https://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/reading-pollution-environment-
issues.php
https://www.esolcourses.com/content/topics/environment/climate-change/climate-
change-listening-activities.html
http://ieltsliz.com/world-environmental-problems-vocabulary/
http://ieltsliz.com/tag/environment-and-the-natural-world/
https://www.usnews.com/news/healthiest-communities/articles/2019-03-26/focus-
on-the-true-foundations-of-health
https://www.livescience.com/22728-pollution-facts.html
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/269409535_Environmental_Problems
 Match the synonyms:
1) conserve a) cope with
2) combat b) in danger
3) address c) damage
4) impact d) effect
5) contaminate e) serious
6) at stake f) preserve
7) destroy g) pollute
8) severe h) fight

2. Look at the picture and discuss the questions using the words from ex. 1:

1 What methods of environment protection do the icons show?

2 What do you do to preserve the environment?
3 What danger does your country pose to the environment?
4 What eco-friendly initiatives do you know? Has your country introduced any?

VIDEO & DISCUSSION

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vP3pbh_-pu8
Pollution comes in a variety of different ways …
 Environmental pollution is a term that refers to all the ways that human activity
harms the natural environment. Being one of the most serious problems facing
humanity and other life forms today, it affects air, water, land, forests, people, animals and
plants. In other words, the pollution does not actually dirty the land, air, or water, but
reduces the quality of life for people and other living beings.
Technology has an important role to play in reducing pollution and developing new
means for reducing harmlul emissions. It can be used to protect the environment in
several ways, including basic chances which result in less waste or pollution and
developing ways to recycle materials. Waste materials which were previously dumped
can be converted into useful products. "End-of-pipe" systems can be installed to clean
up emissions. And cleaner or less harmful alternative products may be manufactured.
Air pollution is the biggest problem in large cities and in areas with concentrated
industrial production. Emissions range from smoke, dust, and smells to car and lorry
exhausts. Smoke contains sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and carbon dioxide which
are produced by coal-fired power stations and industrial plants burning fossil fuels.
Substances such as sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide can cause major changes in the
environment which can lead to climate changes. These substances mix with water
vapour in the atmosphere and form sulphuric acid and nitric acid. Sunlight turns these
acids into poisonous oxidants which fall in the form of rain (acid rain) or snow onto
trees and gradually kill them.
Trees are vitally irnportant for our life because they are the lungs of our planet. They
absorb carbon dioxide from the air and give out oxygen in return. In some parts of the
world, such as Asia and South America, trees are not threatened by pollution, but by
people. The great rain forests are being destroyed for firewood and building materials.
Since the Amazon rain forest covers an area as large as the whole of Europe and contains
one third of the world's trees, scientists believe that it provides 50 per cent of the world's
annual production of oxygen. If we lose tropical forests, it will become more difflcult,
perhaps even impossible, to breathe. With more carbon dioxide in the air, the temperature
will rise, the icecaps at the North and South Poles will melt, and the sea level will rise
which will result in the flooding of many coastal cities.
Several gases have been identified as contributing to the "greenhouse effect", which
can also cause climate change. Without this "greenhouse effect" there could be no life on
earth because the earth is warmed up naturally by the atmosphere which traps solar
radiation. But manmade atmospheric emissions, such as carbon dioxide (produced by
burning fossil fuels), nitrogen oxides (from car exhausts), CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons
from aerosol and refrigerators), methane (a byproduct of agriculture frorn rice, cattle and
sheep) and water vapour prevent the heat from excaping. The result is a rise in the
Earth's temperature, the melting of arctic ice and the flooding of areas situated near sea
level.
Ozone is another air pollutant that contributes to the "greenhouse effect" at lower
atmospheric levels. It is produced by the reaction of sunlight on car exhaust fumes and is
a major air pollutant in hot summers. On the ground level ozone can cause asthma
attacks, corrosion of certain materials and stunted growth of plants which lowers the
yields of some crops. On the other hand, ozone forms a layer in the upper atmosphere
which protects life on Earth from ultraviolet rays, which is a cause of skin cancer. A
continent-sized hole has formed over Antarctica as a result of damage of the ozone layer,
caused in part by CFCs.
Smoke from coal fires which causes smog, also represents a considerable problem in
large cities and threatens life.
How can the problems of air pollution be solved. First of all, people should try to use
alternative sources of energy, such as solar, water, wind, geothermal and perhaps tidal
energies, or at least to burn smokeless fuels – carbon dioxide emitted by power plants
and industrial plants can be reduced by energy efficiency in the generation of power, for
example by means of combined heat and power schemes to use waste heat from power
stations more efficiently as well as by switching from coal to high-efficiency gas-fired
plants. In industry energy efficiency can be reached by means of low energy lighting or by
looking for other sources of energy such as solar energy (mostly for domestic heating) or
energy coming from methane from landfill waste sites, which will also contribute to
reducing the threat of global warming.
There are more ways to reduce air pollution caused by road traffic. First, it is possible
to switch freight from road to railways and to support public transportation. In addition,
people should be encouraged to drive at the speed limit in order to use fuel more
efficiently. Another way is to encourage tree planting, because trees absorb carbon
dioxide. Then all new petrol-driven cars will have to be fitted with three-way catalytic
converters in their exhaust systems, which turn dangerous gases (oxides of nitrogen,
hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide) into CO2, nitrogen and water vapour. Lead
emissions can fall if we reduce lead content in petrol and encourage the use of unleaded
petrol. All new cars are also built to run on unleaded petrol and developed countries use a
tax advantage to favour the use of it. Among the measures which can reduce the amount of
sulphur dioxide are switching from coal to gas for power generation, greater use of low-
sulphur coal, and installation of flue gas desulphurisation plants at some power stations.
Water pollution results from harmful industrial processes and households, from
pesticides and otlrer chemicals (e.g. fertilizers) used in agriculture, from waste disposal
sites, substandard sewage treatment plants and fiom ships. Concentrations of heavy metals,
such as mercury, cadmium, lead, or copper are increasin-e. Nitrate can pollute inland
waters by leaching from farmland. Much of this comes from organic nitrogen in the soil
but some also from organic and inorganic fertilizer use.
If we want to have cleaner waterways, some measures must be taken. First, discharges
to water from industrial processes should be controlled and the number of sewage
treatment plants should be increased. We should also find technologies for saving water
and reduce the amount of chemicals. New technologies should develop environmentally
friendly pesticides. Pollution occurring from waste silage effluent or slurry leaking and
entering watercourses should be minimized or stopped. To prevent nitrate leaching into
water, fanners can change their farming practices, for example by growing "green cover"
crops in the autumn to take up residual nitrogen.International agreements control oil
discharges and dumping of land-generated wastes. Oil and chemical spills from ships at
sea are dealt with by chemical dispersants spread onto it from specially equipped aircraft.
Soil can become contaminated as a result of industrial waste and other causes. Much
domestic rubbish is disposed of in landfills. Waste disposal should be controlled and
maintained properly. How do we reduce the waste which seems to grow more and more?
Before waste is landfilled, it can be treated in other ways to reduce the volume of landfill it
takes up - e.g. it can be shredded or compressed into bales. But in many cases landfill can
be avoided by re-using, recycling or energy recovery from the waste rnaterial. A great deal
of industrial waste has traditionally been reclairned. Not only bottle bins or containers, but
also can containers, plastic containers and paper containers should be installed where the
public can deposit used glass containers, cans, plastic and waste paper for recycling.
Domestic rubbish should be sorted out too. Kitchen garbage and garden waste of organic
origin can be composted and turned into fertilizer. Organic waste in landfills can be re-
used in the form of biogas which comes from natural decay. Litter, dust and rubbish in the
streets also threaten the environment. Everybody knows that it is wrong to littcr but many
people still do it. The law should be stricter on those who break the rule and fines should
be introduced for dumping waste.
Land can also become contaminated by radioactive substances. More than 80 per cent
of radiation to which the public is exposed, comes from natural sources. Only about a
thousandth of the total comes from the disposal or discharge of radioactive waste. Strict
controls should be placed over the storage, use and disposal of radioactive substances. The
storage of spent nuclear fuel is being discussed, but generally such waste has to be stored
in concrete blocks or at least 50 years to allow much of the heat and radioactivity to decay.
People should also be aware of the hazard posed by naturally-occurring radon gas.
Noise poses a considerable problem for many people. It results in stress, lack of
concentreltion, defective hearing or sleeplessness. Neighbourhood noise can be tackled in
various ways. First of all, we should be considerate to one another. Noise from new motor
vehicles and aircraf is regulated. Airport services are restricted at night.
Environmental protection should also include animal and plant protection because the
balance of species of plants and animals has also been affected by human activities. Some
animals are protected (bats, badgers), others (otters, some species of birds, such as owls)
are bred in captivity for release in the wild so they have the best chance of survival. The
introduction of new species (e.g. Colorado beetle or the grey squirrel) should be strictly
controlled or even prohibited, because their increase in number can easily slip out of
control.
What is the way out of these problems? It is evident that life, health and the
environment are closely bound together. Let us hope that common sense will win over
ignorant and unscrupulous people. Remedies will not only be achieved by the important
decisions of politicians but also by our everyday behaviour.

Questions on the text:

What areas does pollution atfect?
What is the role of technology in reducing pollution'l
What causes air pollution and what kind of
emissions are emitted into the air?
How can acid rain be caused'?
How does acid rain affect our environment?
Why are trees important for lite on earth'l
Explain the "-ereenhouse effect".
How does ozone act in the atmosphere?
What kind of climate changes can air pollution cause?
What are the ways of reducing air pollution?
How does car exhaust pollute the environment'l
What measures can we take to reduce air pollution by
road traffic?
13. How do catalytic converters work'l
14. How does water pollution occur'l
15, What can be done to reduce water pollution?
I6. How is land pollution caused'?
17. What are the possibilities of re-usin-e waste materials'l
18. How can we
-eet rid of waste of all kinds'l
19. What can be done with rubbish in the streets'?
20. How can we prevent contamiation from radioactive
waste?
2l. What causes noise pollution and how can we reduce it?
22. What kind of protection do animals and plants need'l
23. Why are green belts around large cities established?
 ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION IN UKRAINE
Searching for more comfort and conveniences the humanity has forgotten about its
environment. Nowadays all countries in the world, small and large, highly developed or
developing face one global problem – pollution. The latter is wisely determined by the
American philosopher, systems theorist, architect, and inventor R. Buckminster Fuller in
the following way: “Pollution is nothing but the resources we are not harvesting. We allow
them to disperse because we’ve been ignorant of their value”. And it is a hundred per cent
true.
Today Ukraine contains some of the most polluted landscapes in Eastern Europe and
the name of the country associates with Chernobyl. Such a situation explains why nature
protection, conservation of a favourable for life environment, ecological safety all together
are becoming top national priorities in Ukraine.
Pollution became evident in Ukraine with industrial development in the 19 th century.
Nowadays the economy of Ukraine is consuming annually 1.3 – 1.5 billion tons of natural
materials. Most of them are returned back to the environment as waste of industries and
consumers. Up to the present day problems concerning the treatment and storage of highly
toxic waste as well as household and industrial waste haven’t been solved yet.
Air pollution is especially severe in many of the heavily industrialized cities and towns
of southeastern Ukraine, notably in Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk and
Zaporizhia. Coal-using industries, such as metallurgical cokechemical plants, steel mills,
and thermal power plants are the major sources of high levels of uncontrolled emissions of
sulphur dioxide, dust, unburned hydrocarbons, and other harmful substances. But over
one-third of the emissions into the atmosphere originate from automobile transport that
doubled during the last decades. The use of leaded gasoline and inefficient engines
provoke air pollution in cities with little industry, such as Uzhhorod, Poltava and
Khmelnytskyi.
Almost all surface waters of Ukraine belong to the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov
basins. The high population density, heavy industrial development, and relatively low
freshwater endowment of those basins have given rise to chronic and serious levels of
water pollution throughout Ukraine. The most heavily polluted rivers are in the catchment
areas of the rivers Zakhidny Bug, Siversky Donets and in the area of the Sea of Azov.
They pose fatal risks to the people who depend on them. The famous English churchman,
writer and historian Thomas Fuller is right pointing out, “We never know the worth of
water till the well is dry” or, continuing his quotation, we can’t drink from it. These rivers
are polluted mainly by chemical fertilizers and herbicides applied in the fields and washed
off into the rivers and by industrial waste dumping.
The situation with marine resources is not better. The Sea of Azov suffers from serious
and chronic coastal water pollution. That shallow and previously biologically rich and
commercially productive body of water has experienced serious problems of industrial and
municipal waste-water contamination. Scientists have been observing the increase of the
sea’s salinity since the 1950s. Combined with the pollution that increase resulted in a
dramatic drop in fish catches. Ecologists claim that the situation continues to deteriorate
and this sea is under threat of disappearing.
During some period of time nuclear power stations were considered to be safe. In 1986
Chernobyl disaster showed that nuclear energy could be extremely dangerous. The
Chernobyl nuclear plant, about 130 km north of Kyiv, was the site of the world’s worst
nuclear-reactor disaster on April 26, 1986, when the plant’s № 4 reactor exploded. The
accident occurred while an experiment was being conducted with the graphite-moderated
reactor running but its emergency water-cooling system turned off. A series of
miscalculations permitted neutron buildup in one area of the core where the nuclear
reaction suddenly went out of the control. The disaster killed 31 persons immediately and
caused the hospitalization of about 500 others. Over the next few days people living within
30 km zone were evacuated. The accident at Chernobyl sent a cloud of radioactive
pollution over Scandinavia and Western Europe. This pollution travelled for more than
1,000 kilometres. Radioactive fallouts polluted significant areas of agricultural and forest
lands of Ukraine, Belarus and Russia making them unsafe for human occupancy and food
production for upwards of 8 thousand years. The accident caused numerous deaths by
radiation sickness, elevated levels of spontaneous abortions, stillbirths, birth defects,
highly elevated levels of childhood leukemia, thyroid cancer etc. After entombing reactor
№ 4, two of the three remaining reactors were in operation. But a series of accidents at
Chernobyl nuclear plant persuaded Ukraine’s government to shut it down in 2000.
Still a pressing problem in Ukraine is the storage of radioactive waste (RAW) and the
use of radioactive materials. First of all, this concerns the enormous amounts of RAW
resulting from the Chernobyl radiation accident. Secondly, attention should be drawn to
more than one thousand sources of radiation that are being applied for industrial,
agricultural, medical and scientific purposes. In the third place, more than 70 million cub.
m. of RAW are dumped or stored by the uranium industry, mining and processing
industries.
Some years ago some attempts were made by foreign companies to bring into Ukraine
from abroad raw materials that were in reality mere waste. Usually this is waste that is
difficult or expensive to treat and often it consists of toxic chemicals. There is an urgent
need for arranging an ecological service that will operate at the country’s borders and
regulations should be worked out and adopted at the international level in order to stop
Ukraine becoming a dumping place for the rest of Europe. As Franklin D. Roosevelt said
“The nation that destroys its soil destroys itself”.