Environment and Climate Vocabulary in English: Words, Examples and Quiz

the usual weather in a place over a long time

The south of Turkey has a Mediterranean climate, with hot, dry summers.

the long-term change in the world's weather, mainly caused by human activity

Climate change is making summers hotter.

the slow rise in the average temperature of the earth

Global warming is melting the ice in the Arctic.

a gas, such as carbon dioxide, that traps heat around the earth

Cows produce a greenhouse gas called methane.

the gas that people and animals breathe out and that burning fuel produces; also written CO2

Trees take in carbon dioxide from the air.

gases that cars, factories and power stations send into the air

The city wants to cut emissions from traffic.

fuels made from plants and animals that died millions of years ago, like coal, oil and gas

Most electricity still comes from fossil fuels.

the amount of carbon dioxide that a person's activities produce

Flying less is one way to reduce your carbon footprint.

the average height of the sea, used to measure land height

Rising sea levels are a danger for coastal cities.

how hot or cold something is

Temperatures reached forty degrees last July.

dirty or harmful things in the air, water or ground

Air pollution is a big problem in many cities.

to make air, water or land dirty and harmful

The factory polluted the river for years.

a mix of smoke and fog that makes the air dirty in cities

You can't see the mountains because of the smog.

things that people throw away because they no longer need them

Each family produces a lot of plastic waste.

paper, cans and other rubbish left on the ground in public places

Volunteers picked up litter on the beach.

a light material made from oil, used for bags, bottles and packaging

Many shops no longer give free plastic bags.

poisonous and dangerous to living things

The fire released toxic smoke.

cutting down large areas of forest

Deforestation destroys the homes of many animals.

the natural home of a plant or animal

Wetlands are an important habitat for birds.

in danger of disappearing from the world

Sea turtles are an endangered species.

no longer existing anywhere in the world

Dinosaurs became extinct millions of years ago.

to harm something so it is broken or not as good

Oil spills damage the sea and the coast.

a long time with little or no rain

The drought destroyed the farmers' crops.

a lot of water covering land that is usually dry

After the storm, the floods closed many roads.

a period of very hot weather; also written heat wave

Schools closed early during the heatwave.

a large fire that spreads fast in forests or grassland

Wildfires burned thousands of hectares of forest.

very bad weather with strong wind and rain

The storm knocked down trees across the city.

a very strong storm with violent winds, especially in the Atlantic

The hurricane hit the coast on Monday night.

an event in nature, like an earthquake or flood, that causes great damage

The region is still recovering from the natural disaster.

energy from sources that never run out, like the sun, wind and water

The country wants half its power from renewable energy.

electricity made from the light of the sun

We put solar panels on the roof to use solar power.

a tall machine with blades that makes electricity from the wind

You can see wind turbines on the hills near the coast.

a hard black material from under the ground that people burn for energy

Burning coal pollutes the air.

energy produced by splitting atoms

Some people think nuclear power is clean; others think it's too risky.

a car that runs on a battery, not on gas or diesel

More people are buying electric cars.

using little energy to work well

These new light bulbs are much more energy-efficient.

the air, water, land, plants and animals around us; the natural world

We all need to look after the environment.

not harmful to the natural world; also eco-friendly

This soap comes in environmentally friendly packaging.

to treat used things like paper, glass and plastic so they can be used again

We recycle all our bottles and newspapers.

to use something again instead of throwing it away

I reuse glass jars to store rice and pasta.

to make something smaller in amount or number

We're trying to reduce the amount of food we waste.

to keep something safe from harm

New laws protect the forests in this area.

the work of protecting nature, animals and plants

She works for a wildlife conservation group.

able to continue for a long time without harming the environment

We need more sustainable ways of farming.

able to break down naturally in the ground without causing harm

These bags are biodegradable, so they don't stay in the soil for years.

grown or made without artificial chemicals

They only buy organic vegetables.

animals and plants that live in nature, not on farms or in homes

The park is full of wildlife, from deer to eagles.

a person who works to make governments and people act on climate change

Young climate activists organized a march in the city.