Climate Change

CLIMATE CHANGE
The world is getting hotter. We have to take drastic measures to combat global
warming; but can we do this quickly enough, or are we going towards a climate
catastrophe?
Twenty years ago, people could perhaps imagine that climate change was not a real problem,
because some scientists still had doubts.
Today almost all the world's scientists agree: the world is getting hotter, and it is the fault of human
beings. Our planet is going towards a climate catastrophe, but we can stop its worst effects. Indeed
we must do everything possible to stop them.
In November 2021, world leaders (or most of them) met in Glasgow, in Scotland, for the COP26
summit. They took quite a few decisions, to try and stop the Earth getting too warm. Many
countries promised to become "carbon neutral" before 2050. Some have promised to become
carbon-neutral even faster. World leaders agree that we have to stop using coal and oil
to generate heat and electricity; we should use green energy sources instead, known as
"renewables."
Before the year 2100, all the energy that we use may perhaps come from renewable sources; the
sun, the sea, the wind and rivers can produce more than enough energy for everyone on our planet,
but we still have a long way to go.
The green energy revolution has already begun, but the challenges are still enormous. "Going
green" will cost an enormous amount of money, and use some kinds of technology that do not yet
exist. Also there are some people who believe that it will be too expensive.
Although most people care about our planet and know that we have to act now to avoid a climate
catastrophe, there are other people who have different priorities. There are people who just don't
care, and there are people who care more about themselves than about the world around them.
There are people and big companies that just want to make money, and are not interested in
anything that gets in their way. Most importantly, there are politicians who are frightened of doing
anything that other people will not like; they make promises, but they do not keep them.
The coal dilemma

At COP26, people agreed that we will have to stop using coal as soon as possible, because it is
the dirtiest of fuels. Yet for some countries this will be very difficult. Most of their electricity is
generated by burning coal, so if they stop using coal, people will not have enough electricity. In
developed countries, everyone uses electricity, and industry uses lots of electricity.
No countries can stop using coal unless they have another source of electricity to use instead.
The cleanest electricity comes from the wind and the sun, but it takes time to build enough solar
power plants and wind turbines for a whole country. Then there is another big problem;
we cannot depend on solar power and the wind, because the sun does not shine at night, and the
wind does not blow all the time. These kinds of green power are not reliable, so we need other
ideas too.
Climate change is mostly caused by CO2 and other gases in the air. Many countries are now
producing less CO2 and less air pollution than they used to. Cars are cleaner, heating is cleaner,
more things are being recycled. The problem lies in poorer countries which cannot afford the new
technology, and do not have the systems in place; it also lies in countries like China or Poland or
Greece, where coal is still a vital source of energy, of jobs or of exports.
Some people believe that we cannnot afford to fight climate change because it will cost too much.
The truth is that we cannot afford not to fight against climate change, because the cost of a climate
catastrophe will be even higher
WORD GUIDE
agree: to have the same opinion - the fault of : caused by - effects: consequences -
met: came together - coal: a black rock that can be burned - generate: make, create -
challenge: difficulties - priority: something that we believe is most important - don't
care: are not interested - gets in their way: tries to stop them - industry: factories -
reliable: dependable

Climate Change

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Climate Change

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Climate Change

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

CLIMATE CHANGE

The coal dilemma

You might also like