How Has Climate Change Impacted Your Country?

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Materials Daily News

Intermediate

Learning Objectives

In this lesson you will:

Improve your ability to talk about climate change.

Exercise 1

Warm-up

Have a short conversation based on these questions. Make sure you ask your tutor some questions too!

What is the weather usually like at this time of year where you live?

What's the most extreme weather you've experienced?

Exercise 2

Vocabulary

Listen and repeat these words and phrases with your tutor.

A young Caucasian woman sitting on a couch in the living room, breathing fresh air from a floor fan, struggling with the heat due to the lack of air conditioning during summer weather.

heat wave

Typhoon Talim approaching China and Taiwan, with satellite imagery provided by NASA illustrating the storm's massive size and swirling clouds.

typhoon

An up-close view of Alaska wildfires, with intense flames and smoke engulfing the forest, capturing the raw and personal impact of the blaze.

wildfire

A snow-covered city street during a heavy snowfall in Russian Far East, with snow on the sidewalk, cars, and tree branches, as women walk around the winter city in snowy weather.

heavy snowfall

The drying lake illustrates the effects of extreme weather and heat waves in summer, highlighting the impacts of climate change and drought.

drought

A woman in a brown coat holding an umbrella crosses a busy street in heavy rain, amid heavy precipitation and flooding of city streets.

heavy rain

A landslide on a mountain road, with rocks and trees blocking the way due to a slope slide.

landslide

Flooded cars on a city street after heavy rain, highlighting the risk of water entering the engine, transmission parts, or other components.

flooding

Let's Practice

Fill in the blanks using "often," "sometimes," or "never" to make these sentences true for you.

Heat waves occur in my region.

Typhoons hit my country.

Wildfires occur in my country.

Heavy snowfall occurs in my town or city.

Droughts happen in my country.

Heavy rain hits my town or city.

Landslides occur in my region.

Flooding occurs in my town or city.

Exercise 3

Useful Language

Listen and repeat these phrases with your tutor.

introduce carbon tax
avoid fast fashion
save energy
eat less meat
invest in renewable energy
offer incentives for renewable energy
reduce food waste
introduce stricter regulations
buy from sustainable businesses
ban single-use plastics

Let's Practice

Tell your tutor which of the items on the list can be done by individuals, which can be done by governments, and which can be done by both.

Exercise 4

Dialogue

Read the dialogue aloud with your tutor, then answer the questions.

	Yan-ting Has your region had a lot of extreme weather in recent years?
	Hannah Yes, we've experienced more heat waves and heavy rainfall. Typhoons have also become stronger and more frequent. How about where you live?
	Yan-ting Yep, we've had two record-breaking years for snowfall in a row. What parts of your country have been affected by climate change?
	Hannah Coastal areas have been hit pretty hard by typhoons, which often cause flooding and landslides. Last year, hundreds of towns were completely cut off due to landslides.
	Yan-ting Wow, that's pretty scary. What steps have you taken to reduce your impact on the environment?
	Hannah I try to do as much as I can, because I believe small things can have an impact. I try to avoid single-use plastics, for example. How about you?
	Yan-ting I try to support sustainable businesses whenever possible. I eat less than I used to as well, and I try to reduce food waste.
	Hannah Do you think your government is doing enough to stop climate change?
	Yan-ting Not really. Our country recently banned single-use plastic bags, but we need to do more.
	Hannah Do you think climate change will be stopped before it's too late?
	Yan-ting It's hard to say. But I certainly think governments need to invest more in renewable energy and have stricter regulations on polluting industries.

Check Your Understanding

How has Hannah's region been affected by extreme weather recently?

What does Yan-ting do to reduce his impact on the environment?

Does Yan-ting think climate change will be stopped before it's too late?

Exercise 5

Find the Mistake

Find and correct the mistake in each sentence. Be careful — not all sentences have a mistake!

The government is recently started offering incentives for renewable energy.

Do you think climate change will be stopping before it's too late?

The government should bring up stricter regulations.

I try to avoid fast fashion.

What parts of your country have been affected by climate change?

Making a shopping list has helpful in reducing food waste.

Have your region had a lot of extreme weather in recent years?

Some parts of the country have experienced severe droughts.

Exercise 6

Fill in the Blanks

Read the dialogue aloud with your tutor and fill in the blanks. You will be Zach. Use the Answer Pool below to help you.

	Kyoko Adachi Has your region had a lot of extreme weather in recent years?
	Zach Yes, we've experienced more frequent (1). The summers are hotter, and droughts are lasting longer. How about where you live?
	Kyoko Adachi Flooding has become a major issue for many towns and cities. What parts of your country have been affected by climate change?
	Zach Well, the mountainous (2) have seen a lot of (3) over the past couple years because of all the rain they've been getting.
	Kyoko Adachi What steps have you taken to reduce your impact on the environment?
	Zach I really try to (4) fast fashion. And I try to (5) energy by using LED light bulbs and things like that.
	Kyoko Adachi Do you think your government is doing enough to stop climate change?
	Zach Not really. Offering incentives for (6) energy was a good step, but I think we need to introduce a carbon (7) to encourage businesses to reduce emissions.
	Kyoko Adachi Do you think climate change will be stopped before it's too late?
	Zach I certainly hope so, but I know that some people think it's already too late. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't try. I believe that small changes in our daily (8) can add up to make a big difference.

Choose answers from the options below that fit in blanks 1 to 8

Answer Pool (Questions 1-8)

tax
renewable
regions
wildfires
habits
landslides
save
avoid

Exercise 7

Conversation

Have a conversation based on these questions. Don't forget to ask your tutor some questions too!

Has your region had a lot of extreme weather in recent years?

What parts of your country have been affected by climate change?

What steps have you taken to reduce your impact on the environment?

Do you think your government is doing enough to stop climate change?

Do you think climate change will be stopped before it's too late?