Part III The Earth at Risk (II)

A. Listen to the sencon part of the interview. Note down the key words in the notes column. Then answer the questions.

 Questions:

 1. Why is some flooding man-made?

  Trees would hold rainfall in their roots. When forests in the hinger up-river have been destroyed by men, all the rain that falls in the monsoon season flows straight into the river and starts the flooding.

 2. What does Bran imply when he says the national governments have to be forward-looking?

   He implies that some national governements just consider the results of their policies in the near future, or just think as far ahead as the next election.

Tapescript:

            I--- Interviewer          B--- Brian Cowles

I:  So, Brian, would you agree that what we generally think of as natural disasters are in fact man-made?

B:  Yes, by and large. I mean, obviously not hurricanes or earthquakes, but take flooding, for example. Practically every year, the whole of Bangladesh is flooded and this getting worse. You know, the cause is that forests have been cut down up in Nepal and India, I mean, higher up-river in the Himalayas. Trees would hold rainfall in their roots, but if they’ve been cut down all the rain that falls in the monsoon season flows straight into the river Ganges and floods the whole country. The reason for flooding in Sudan is the same --- the forests higher up the Blue Nile in Ethiopia have been destroyed too.

I:  Well, this all sounds terribly depressing. What is to be done? I mean, can anything be done, in fact?

B:  Yes, of course it can. First, the national governments have to be forward-looking and consider the results of their policies in ten or twenty years, not just think as far ahead as the next election. Somehow, all the countries in the world have to work together on an international basis. Secondly, the population has to be controlled in some way: there ar too many people trying to live off too little land. Thirdly, we don’t need tropical hardwood to make our furniture --- it’s a luxury people in the West must do without. Softwoods are just as good, less expensive and can be produced on environment-friendly “tree farms”, where trees are replaced at the same rate that they are cut dowm.

I:  And, presumably, education is important as well. People must be educated to realize the consequences of their actions?

B:  Yes, of course.

I:  Well, thank you, Brian.

B. Now try this: listen to a more authentic version of the second part of the interview. Complete the outline.

Outline (II)

  II. Reasons for some “natural” disasters ---mainly man-made

    A. flooding in Bangladesh

   B. flooding in Sudan

 III. Action to be taken

   A. national governments --- forward-looking

   B. population control

   C. stopping using hardwood for furniture-making

   D. educating people to realize the consequences

Tapescript:

            I--- Interviewer          B--- Brian Cowles

I:  So, Brian, would you agree that what we generally think of as …er… as er… natural disasters are in fact man-made?

B:  Yes, by and large…er… I mean, obviously not hurricanes or earthquakes, but take flooding, for example. I mean, practically every year, the whole of Bangladesh is flooded and this getting worse. You know, the cause is that forests have been cut down up in Nepal and India … I mean … higher up-river in the Himalayas. Trees …er … would hold rainfall in their roots, but if they’ve been cut down all the rain that falls in the monsoon season flows straight into the river Ganges and floods the whole country. The reason for flooding in Sudan is the same --- the forests higher up the Blue Nile in Ethiopia have been destroyed too.

I:  Well, this all sounds terribly depressing. Um ...what is to be done? I mean, can anything be done, in fact?

B:  Yes, of course it can …er… First, the national governments have to be forward-looking and consider the results of their policies in ten or twenty years, not just think as far ahead as the next election. Somehow, all the countries in the world have to work together on an international basis. Secondly, the population has to be controlled in some way: there ar too many people trying to live off too little land. Thirdly, we don’t need tropical hardwood to make our furniture --- it’s a luxury people in the West must do without. Softwoods are just as good, less expensive and can be produced on environment-friendly “tree farms”, where trees are replaced at the same rate that they are cut dowm.

I:  And, presumably, education is important as well. People must be educated to realize the consequences …um … of their actions?

B:  Yes, of course.

I:  Well, thank you, Brian.

Part IV More about the topic: The Effects of Global Warming

Listen to the material. Complete the outline.

Outline

I. Warming up of the world

  A. average temperature

  B. yearly increase

II. Causes of global warming

III. Effects of global warming

  A. great changes in rainfall

  B. rise in the sea level

  C. reduced potential for food production

  D. health and social problems

1. environmental refugees

2. change of patterns of distribution of insects and infective agents

3. change of patterns of heat-related food poisoning, etc.

IV. Time to take action

Tapescript:

  The world is warming up. We know this because average temperatures are the highest since scientists started measuring them 600 years ago. The increase is about 0.2 ℃ every year. This may seen very slight, but we know that slight changes in temperature can have a big effect on other things. Most scientists now believe this global warming is due to human activity.

  Jeff Jenkins is head of Britain’s Climate Prediction Centre. He explains how global warming can happen.

  “Sunlight strikes the earth and warms it up. At the same time heat leaves the earth, but part of that is trapped by carbon dioxide and other gases in the earth’s atmosphere. That has been happening ever since the earth was formed. But the fear is that increasing amounts of carbon dioxide produced by industrial processes and transport and so on will lead to a greater warming of the earth’s surface. So that’s the global warming that people are concerned about.”

  People are most concerned about the use of fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are oil, coal, wood and so on. When these burn, they produce the gas carbon dioxide. Many scientists agree that an increase in the amount of carbon dioxide and some of the gases in the atmosphere will increase the amount of warming. Computers are being used to predict what this may mean. They showed that there could be great changes in rainfall and the rise in the sea level as ice caps in the north and south poles melt. Thhis could have a serious effect on agriculture according to Prof.Martin Perry of university College in London. He says it could become more difficult to grow food in the tropics at lower latitudes nearer to the equator.

  “The most clear pattern emerging is the possiblilityy of reduced petential production in lower latitude regions, and most generally speaking, increased potential in higer latitude regions. Lower latitude regions are already warm, to put it extremely simply, and plants there are quite near their limits of heat and drought stress. An increase in temperature or reduction in moisture would place limits on crop growth.”

Woman: Global warming could reduce food production in lower latitude regions. Lower latitude regions are already warm. Global warming could put more stress on plants and place limits on crop growth.

  Food production is only one area that could be affected. There could also be health and social problems. Prof. Anthony McMichael of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine believes that some rural areas are already suffering. And the insects and bacteria could spread disease more easily.

  “Already a number of rural populations around the world are suffering from the decline of agricultural systems. Climatic change would add to this. And we would expect that it would accelerate the flood of environmental refugees around the world. But it includes not just the food production systems, but the patterns of distribution of the insects and infective agents around the world. It includes likely effects on patterns of hear-related food poisoning, water contamination and diarrhea diseases, lots of things like this that would respond very sensitively to change in climate.”

Woman: Global warming could affect the distribution of insects. Global warming could change patterns of hear-related food poisoning.

  Many countries now agree that something must be done to reduce the danger of global warming. But a worldwide agreement on lowering the production of carbon dioxide has been difficult to reach. This is because many economies depend on fossil fuels like oil. Scientists believe it’s now the politicians in every region of the world who need to take action.