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Innovation in Learning

TM

GENERAL ISSUES

Global Warming
Lesson code: F3M3-122B-FVC1-B UPPER INTERMEDIATE +

1 Warm-up
What is global warming? Study the following words and phrases. Which of them are causes of global warming and and which are effects? Can you think of any other effects? carbon dioxide emissions greenhouse gasses rising sea levels melting glaciers deforestation droughts forest fires

2 Key words
Complete the sentences below with the words in the box:
archipelago refugee dismantle sink eroded submerged low-lying vanishes

1. A 2. If something 4. If something is

island is very near the level of the sea. , it disappears completely. . , it is completely under water.

3. If something cannot stay above the surface of water, it will

is someone who has escaped their country because of politics, religion, war, 5. A environmental changes, etc. 6. If something, e.g. a cliff or a coast, is by water or wind. 7. If you 8. An , it is gradually reduced in size or destroyed e.g.

something, you separate it into different parts. is a group of small islands in the sea.

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Global Warming
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lingua house
Innovation in Learning

TM

GENERAL ISSUES

3 Find the information

Read the article below on how rising sea levels are affecting Pacific islanders. Find the following information: 1. the height above sea level of Kiribati 2. the population of Kiribati 3. the predicted rise in sea level in the Asia-Pacific region by 2070 4. the number of refugees from Pacific islands in New Zealand in 2004-2006 5. the number of refugees from Pacific islands in New Zealand in 2003

Rising tide of global warming threatens Pacific island states

By Kathy Marks, Asia-Pacific Correspondent Adapted from The Independent, 25 October 2006
1 While rich nations try to implement policies that may reduce their carbon dioxide emissions, low-lying South Pacific nations such as Kiribati are sinking beneath the waves. 2 Kiribati, an archipelago of 33 coral islands barely 6ft above sea level, is vanishing because of global warming and rising oceans. Yesterday, its president, Anote Tong, warned Australia and New Zealand - the two developed countries in the region - to prepare for a mass exodus within the next decade. 3 Speaking at the annual South Pacific Forum in Fiji, Mr Tong said that rising sea levels would create countless environmental refugees. "If we are talking about our island states submerging in 10 years' time, we simply have to find somewhere else to go," he said. 4 Environmentalists have warned that global warming, caused by a build-up of greenhouse gasses, will cause glaciers to melt. That could lead to seas rising by up to 23ft, and would be devastating for countries such as Bangladesh, India, Vietnam and China. But the tiny nations of the Pacific, where some of the world's lowest-lying islands are situated, would be the first to be submerged. 5 In the archipelago Vanuatu, an entire coastal village on the island of Tegua is being forced to move to higher ground, its huts flooded by rising seas. In Kiribati, too, a former British colony known as the Gilbert Islands, people are having to take drastic action. 6 The islands, which are spread across two million square miles of the Pacific, are home to 92,500 people. The beaches on the main island are so eroded that sand has been imported from Australia. Dozens of families have been forced to move, dismantling their wooden huts piece by piece and reassembling them further back from the water. 7 Environmentalists have predicted that the effects of rising sea levels will mainly affect the world's most impoverished countries, which make a negligible contribution to global warming. An Australian government report this month forecast that global warming in the Asia-Pacific region could see seas rise by up to 19 inches by 2070. 8 It warned of a flood of refugees, pointing to increased levels of migration already from South Pacific countries. About 17,000 islanders applied for residence in New Zealand in 2004-2006, it said, compared with 4,000 in 2003. While New Zealand has been generous so far, and has a sizeable Pacific population, accepting large numbers of refugees could risk a political backlash. 9 Australia's government has not yet decided to take refugees. Ian Campbell, the Environment Minister, said the focus should be on helping islanders stay in their home countries. 2/3
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Global Warming
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Innovation in Learning

TM

GENERAL ISSUES

4 Checking understanding
On the basis of the article decide whether the following sentences are T (True) or F (False). 1. Global warming is responsible for the rise in sea levels in the South Pacific. 2. Only the South Pacific islands will be affected. 3. The South Pacific islanders are trying to leave their islands. 4. Countries that are most responsible for global warming will be affected most by rising sea levels. 5. Australia and New Zealand are both ready to accept refugees.

5 Find the words

Find a word or phrase in the text which means: 1. `only just' (adverb, P2) 2. the movement of a lot of people from a place (phrase, P2) 3. causing a lot of damage or destruction (adj., P4) 4. whole, complete (adj., P5) 5. do something extreme and sudden (phrase, P5) 6. putting together again (verb -ing, P6) 7. very poor (adj., P7) 8. a strong feeling among a group of people in reaction to a recent political event (two-word noun, P8)

6 Adjectives of quantity
Study the following adjectives in context and say whether they mean `very large' or `very small'.
countless (P3) mass (P2) negligible (P7) sizeable (P8) tiny (P4)

7 Talking point
Are people in your country aware of environmental issues? What actions do they take to protect the environment?

8 Flashcard review
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Global Warming - Key

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lingua house
Innovation in Learning

TM

GENERAL ISSUES

1- Warm-up Encourage a short discussion. Global warming is the gradual increase in world temperatures caused by polluting gasses such as carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide emissions - amounts of carbon dioxide gas that are released into the air Greenhouse gasses - gasses, especially carbon dioxide, which are believed to cause the gradual warming of the surface of the Earth Deforestation - the destruction of forests by people Other possible effects of global warming include the extinction of certain animal species due to changing ecosystems, increased spread of diseases in developing countries, more extreme weather conditions, etc. Positive consequences might include fewer cold-related deaths and increased yields of certain crops.

carbon dioxide emissions - cause greenhouse gasses - cause melting glaciers - effect rising sea levels - effect (caused by melting glaciers) deforestation - cause (trees absorb carbon dioxide) droughts - effect forest fires - effect
2- Key words

1. low-lying 5. refugee
3- Find the information

2. vanishes 6. eroded

3. sink 7. dismantle

4. submerged 8. archipelago

1. 6ft

2. 92,500

3. 19 inches

4. 17,000

5. 4,000

4- Checking understanding

1. T
5- Find the words

2. F

3. T

4. F

5. F

1. barely 5. take drastic action

6- Adjectives of quantity

2. mass exodus 6. reassembling

3. devastating 7. impoverished

4. entire 8. political backlash

VERY LARGE: countless; sizeable; mass VERY SMALL: tiny; negligible

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