UNIT 4

Population & environment

not to debate whether it is right to have high levels of
consumption: rather, we discuss where more resources
should come from. Should we use nuclear power, like
Japan or France, look for more oil and gas deposits
hidden in rocks or in inaccessible areas, or should we use
more renewable energy sources such as solar or wind
power? Should governments in areas short of water, like
Ethiopia, be allowed to build large dams and divert natural
water flows to increase water reserves in their territories?
D One thing we do know for sure is that the planet’s
environment is suffering and as levels of car ownership3
and industrial activity increase, more fuel is burnt,
leading to air pollution. Many urban populations have
to deal with the resulting smog: clouds of dangerous
The dramatic growth in the world’s population poses a number fumes and emissions that cause breathing difficulties
of threats to the environment. Is there enough food to feed the and respiratory disease. The destruction of green spaces
ever-growing population of the world? Will our water supplies leads to increases in city temperatures and a lack of places
be able to cope with so many people? Providing living space for to exercise and relax, and prevents water from entering
humans requires destruction of trees and other natural habitats the ground. Meanwhile deforestation leads to loss of
that support our animals and plants. These and other issues are habitats for wildlife, the extinction of many species, and
worthy of discussion. the destruction of natural ecosystems. It also affects rural
farming or hunting communities that depend on these
A When we discuss this topic we can see problems or
ecosystems. Conservation projects, ecotourism, and
challenges. Discussing challenges seems a little more
national parks all attempt to protect nature and limit the
positive than discussing problems. On a basic level,
damage done by industrial development, but they aren’t
there are two main challenges: population density and
always considered to be of high political priority.
economic growth. In just 100 years the world’s population
has quadrupled, from 2 billion to 8 billion, and the E The fear is that these changes will result in more
growth looks to be continuing at an ever faster rate. At the fundamental alterations to our environment. Perhaps
same time people have also become approximately four the most serious is the changing composition of the
times richer and, due to better medical care, are living air, which now contains higher levels of certain gases,
longer. These factors together mean there has been a vast including carbon dioxide (CO2). Carbon is normally held
increase in our use of resources. in plant life or in deposits of gas and oil, but as these are
burned it enters the air. Its main effect is to prevent heat
B First, let’s consider urbanization, where rural populations
from leaving the atmosphere, which has resulted in air
move to cities in search of work. The problem is that there
and water temperatures rising. As ice melts, sea levels
is often a lack of facilities to support these people: there
rise, which could result in the loss of low land areas like
may be insufficient housing, food and water, electricity,
the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean. And higher water
employment opportunities, doctors, schools, and so on1.
temperatures also lead to more powerful storms which
Prices rise as a consequence, and poor people are often
can cause loss of life through hurricanes and flooding.
forced to live in illegal settlements, where there is usually
Attempts to prevent global warming have included
a lack of sanitation and poor health standards. Solutions
schemes to charge for CO2 consumption, and calls to plant
range from controversial slum clearance programmes
more trees or farm fewer plant-eating animals for meat
to destroy these illegal settlements, to increased rural
production. But many are already saying that instead of
development to discourage migration to cities.
stopping the changes we must think about adaptation, and
C Housing, infrastructure, malls and other commercial learn to deal with a high-carbon future. Some companies
developments that provide services to ever increasing are thinking about how they can profit from it – by
populations consume vast areas of land and other accessing oil under the melting ice caps, for example. But
resources. Water, food and electricity are among the many what price are we really happy to pay for consumption?
commodities in demand, and in an attempt to provide
these, the world’s waterways and oil reserves are being 1 See Student’s Book page 38 for more discussion of overcrowding.
drained and huge forest areas destroyed2. And yet we tend 2 See Student’s Book page 41 for more discussion of deforestation.
3 See Student’s Book page 44 for more discussion of reducing car use.

Foundation IELTS Masterclass: Unit 4 Worksheet Photocopiable  © Oxford University Press 1

Vocabulary IELTS training
1 Complete the sentences with words in bold from 4 The Reading passage has five paragraphs A–E.
the text. Choose the correct heading for each paragraph
1 Areas of open land around a city where building is from the list of headings below.
strictly controlled are called .
2 When an animal or plant stops existing it is referred to as List of Headings
. i Overcrowding
3 is seen to be happening when the average ii Commercial opportunity
temperature of the earth’s environment shows a iii Climate change
continuing upward trend.
iv Negative environmental changes
4 We face when things test our abilities and
v Vanishing resources
skills to solve them.
vi Rapid growth
5 Residential areas which have been developed without
permission are called . vii Ecotourism
6 If something has become four times bigger it is said to viii Loss of opportunities
have . 1 Paragraph A
7 Forcing people to leave areas of rundown housing so 2 Paragraph B
they can be demolished is known as .
3 Paragraph C
8 When barriers are built across rivers in order to stop
4 Paragraph D
them flowing, are created.
5 Paragraph E
9 When there is a large amount of water covering an area
which is normally dry this is due to .

2 Choose the correct option in each pair.

Mini debates
1 Ecotourism / Ecosystems may need our protection. 5 Think of two advantages and two disadvantages
2 Loss of habitats / Oil and gas deposits may harm bird and for each of the issues below.
animal populations. 1 Increasing consumption of goods
3 Smog / Waterways may cause ill health. 2 Rising levels of car ownership
4 Adaptation / Conservation may prevent environmental 3 Finding new sources of resources like oil
damage. 4 Farming fewer animals for meat
5 Ice caps / Sea levels are slowly rising. 5 Investing in rural development
6 Nuclear power / Resources will eventually run out.
7 Renewable energy / Sanitation can be produced easily in
sunny or windy places.
8 Air pollution / Breathing difficulties may cause disease.

3 Discuss the meaning of the following words in

bold from the text
economic growth ​ consumption ​ car ownership ​
lack of facilities ​carbon dioxide ​population density

Foundation IELTS Masterclass: Unit 4 Worksheet Photocopiable  © Oxford University Press 2