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WORKSHEET-
TOP TEN GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS
Q Here is a list of top ten global environmental problems. Which of them are on your list? Which of them have you not thought about?
1.	Human greed	6.	Unsustainable agriculture
2.	Poverty in the developing world	7.	Desertification
3.	Growing human population	8.	Industrial pollution
4.	Global warming	9.	Nuclear waste
5.	Lack of fresh water	10.	Biodiversity loss
Q Do you know the meaning of the following words?
Which of them can be related to the problems stated above?
Bad sanitation
Melting glaciers
Floods
Droughts
Fertilisers
Pesticides
Overfishing Contamination Disposal site Irrigation Overcultivation Carbon dioxide
Animal and plant species Exploitation Deforestation Greenhouse gos Genetically modified crops Overgrazing
........g<------------------------
O Here is a list of top ten global environmental problems. Which of them are on your list? Which of them have you not thought about?
1.	Human greed	6.	Unsustainable agriculture
2.	Poverty in the developing world	7.	Desertification
3.	Growing human population	8.	Industrial pollution
4.	Global warming	9.	Nuclear waste
5.	Lack of fresh water	10.	Biodiversity loss
Q Do you know the meaning of the following words?
Which of them can be related to the problems stated above?
Bad sanitation
Melting glaciers
Floods
Droughts
Fertilisers
Pesticides
Overfishing Contamination Disposal site Irrigation Overcultivation Carbon dioxide
Animal and plant species Exploitation Deforestation Greenhouse gas Genetically modified crops Overgrazing
C
© Read the following texts. Complete them with the words in brackets.
Does the text mention any more problems which are on your list of global environmental problems?
1. Human greed
It is us, people, who are the_of iiost environmental problems below. Herman_and disrespect "or the
rest of the world combined with uncontrolled resource and energy_and armed conflicts and wars are the most
serious_to nature locally, regionally and globally.
(threats, cause, greed, consumption)
2. Poverty in the developing world
More than one billion people, i.e. one-sixth of the world's_, live in extreme poverty in slums or in rural areas
of_countries. Bad sanitation and lack of_water, food and wood for cooking lead to_
environmental destruction.
(developing, serious, drinking, population]
3. Growing human population
Today over 6 billion people live on the Earth and the_is huge pressure on the world's_. Over the next
25 years, the global population will_by another 2 billion.
(resources, grow, result)
4. Global warming
Global warming is becoming a critical_with wild weather occurring all over the world. The_
are drastic: melting glaciers, frequent hurricanes, floods and_are only some of them.
(issue, consequences, droughts)
5. Lack of fresh water
Lack of fresh water could become one of the biggest_in the 21 st century. There is already not_
clean fresh water in the Middle East and in many_of Africa.
(parts, issues, enough)
6. Unsustainable agriculture
We all need to eat, but the way we__our food today raises a number of questions about the environment.
Water is_by fertilisers end pesticides; agriculture_odoui 25 % of carbon dioxide, the main
greenhouse gas. Genetically modified crops are also highly_.
(polluted, produce, controversial, produces)
7. Desertification
Currently many deserts are_much raster than they have in the past. The main reasons for desertification are
overgrazing, over-cultivation,_irrigation methods, deforestation and_climate change
(incorrect, expanding, global)
8. Industrial pollution
Air, water and_contamination are the major forms of pollution_by industry
and_.
(caused, transportation, soil)
9. Nuclear waste
The disposal of nuclear waste is one of the most problematic issues related to nuclear power. Governments
_are spending large amounts of money on finding a long-term_, but so far no__
disposal site has been created. (worldwide, safe, solution)
10. Biodiversity loss
The_of_for wood,_and agricultural land has led to massive deforestation.
Deforestation is a major contributor to the fast loss of plant and animal species.
Similarly life in oceans which_the greatest variety of life on earth is_by overfishing,
petrochemicals, coastal development, the effects of climate change and many other factors.
(supports, forests, fuel, exploitation, threatened)
O Match two halves of each sentence.
1.	A great number of environmental problems	A.	ive in rural areas.
2.	More then 1 billion people in the world	B.	threatened by overfishing.
3.	Soon there will be lack of	C.	pressure on resources.
4.	Life in oceans is	D.	live in extreme poverty.
5.	Lack of fresh water is	E.	caused by deforestation.
6.	The fast loss of species is	F.	waste must be solved.
7.	The major contributor to air	G.	are caused by people.
8.	The growing human population puts	H.	clean fresh water in some regions of the world
9.	A lot of poor people	1.	pollution is industry.
10.	The problem with nuclear	J	one of the biggest issues of the 21 st century.
Sources:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn, http://www.canadianwild.ca
TOP TEN GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS Statement A
Deforestation is the major contributor to the loss of endangered species across the planet. For example, the rate of destruction of the Amazonian rainforest increased by 40 % between 2001 arid 2002. More than 25,000 sq km were cleared in a year, mainly for farming. That represents an area of land larger than Russia.
True: Go to H False: Go to I
Statement H
"There is enough for everyone's need but not enough for everyone's greed." George W. Bush.
True: Go to E False: Go to K
Statement L
In the last 50 years we have lost 300,000 species. Species are disappearing between 1 00 and 1,000 times as fast as they were before humans arrived.
True; Go to B False: Go to K
Statement F
Statement I
Meat production continues to increase. As a country, China now consumes more meat than the USA (although its consumption per person is much lower). One of the arguments for eating less or no meat is the inefficient use of resources. It takes 1,000 litres of water to produce 1 kg of beef but only 500 litres for 1 kg of potatoes.
True: Go to F False: Go to E
Statement G
Irrigation allows wastage on a huge scale, with around 10 % of the water getting away or evaporating before it can do any good.
True: Go to L Folse: Go to H
Statement D
Fossil fuels stiil provide almost 80% of the word's total energy needs and more than six billion tonnes of carbon emissions are produced annually from burning fossil fuel.
True: Go to F False: Go to B
Statement K
The Green revolution of the 1 860s combined better varieties of wheat and rice with pesticides and chemical fertilisers, This brought great benefits to production in countries such as India but at extreme environmental costs.
True: Go to G False: Go to A
Statement E
1
By the year 2032, more than 70 % of the Earth's land surface is likely to be destroyed, fragmented or disturbed by cities, roads, mines and other infrastructure of human civilisation. The present level is about 50 %.
True: Go to J False: Go to C
Statement C
The amount of pesticide sprayed on crops around the world has increased 26 times in the last 50 years.
True: Go to D False: Go to I
Statement J
Some 50 billion people a year already have to deal with flooding caused by storm surges. If the sea rises by one metre, it will flood 1 % of Egypt's land, ó % of the Netherlands and 17-5% of Bangladesh.
By 2025, the number of people who do not have enough water is expected to reach 2.5 billion. \
True: Go to C False: Go to A
Statement B
The main greenhouse gas is carbon dioxide, which is produced
by burning of fossil fuels. Levels in the atmosphere have increased by a third since the industrial revolution started in the
1760s.
True: Go to D
False: Go to L
True: Go to G
False; Go to J
m
Global issues