Word Example sentence Meaning

acid rain noun Burning fossil fuels in one rain that contains harmful
country can cause acid rain in chemicals that collect in the
other countries. atmosphere when fossil fuels are
burned

ban verb Our school has banned plastic to not allow something (eg.
bottles because they're so smoking, alcohol, plastic bags,
bad for the environment. protest marches, etc.)

carbon-dioxide or Trees and plants absorb a gas that's released by plants and
carbon (colloq.) carbon-dioxide and release by burning fossil fuels
noun oxygen into the air.

carbon footprint Travelling by air, driving a car a measurement of the amount of

noun or using coal-generated carbon-dioxide a person adds to
electricity will make your the atmosphere
carbon footprint bigger.

carcinogen noun Cigarette smoke contains a a substance that has been linked
number of carcinogens. to causing one or more types of
cancer

carpool verb I carpool to work with two of to share a car instead of driving
my neighbours who also work one alone
downtown.

clear-cut verb Forests never recover fully to destroy a forest by cutting down
after being clear-cut. all the trees

clearcutting (also Did you know that a forestry or logging practice in

Word Example sentence Meaning

clearfelling) noun clearcutting is the worst way which most or all trees in an area
to use a forest's resources? are cut down

climate change Do you really think you know global changes in temperature,
noun more about climate change wind patterns, rainfall, etc. mainly
than a real climate scientist? caused by the burning of fossil
fuels like coal and oil

compost verb Since we started composting to put organic waste like

we've reduced our garbage by vegetable peels, uneaten food,
half. grass clippings and leaves into a
large container that breaks it
down into healthy soil

commute verb Imagine how much pollution to travel from home to work and
you cause by commuting by back
car for two hours a day?

conservation noun Conservation wasn't a big the protection and preservation of

issue until the book Silent natural environments and
Spring was published in 1966. resources

consume verb Americans consume more to use things like energy, fuel,
than their share of the earth's materials, food, water, etc.
resources.

contaminated adj. Their contaminated milk carrying harmful bacteria or toxins

powder made lots of babies that can cause disease or death
really sick.
Word Example sentence Meaning

developing country We moved our factory to a a poor nation that's gradually

noun developing country because becoming richer and more
of cheap labour and weak advanced
environmental laws.

domestic waste How much domestic waste rubbish or garbage from a house
(also household does your family produce or apartment
waste) noun every day?

donate verb If you donate money to to give money or goods to an

Greenpeace, you'll be helping organization you want to help or
endangered animals. support

dump verb You can be sent to jail for to put waste in the wrong place
dumping hazardous waste, (eg. put toxic waste into a river)
you know.

eco-community or Our kids want to live in that a community with

ecovillage noun eco-community near the environmentally-friendly buildings,
forest. clean technology and renewable
energy like solar and wind

endangered Every year more animals are animals or plants in danger of

species noun listed as endangered species. becoming extinct or disappearing
in the near future

energy-efficient Those energy-efficient light able to use less energy (esp. of

adj. bulbs are much cheaper these vehicles, appliances, buildings,
days. etc.)
Word Example sentence Meaning

environmentalist Fossil fuel companies have a person who protects the natural
noun tried to damage the image of world and educates others about
environmentalists and climate environmental problems
scientists.

ecosystem noun All those plants, insects and the complex system of
birds in your garden are part relationships between living things
of an ecosystem. and their environment

emit verb Cars emit harmful pollutants to release or project something

into the atmosphere. (eg. light, sound, smoke, gas,
radiation, etc.)

extinct adj. Lots of Australian animals no longer existing or lost forever

have become extinct since (of an animal, bird or plant
the British took control. species)

fertilize verb If you are going to fertilize to add chemicals or organic

your lawn, make sure to use material to soil so that plants
an organic fertilizer. grow better

food chain noun We need to know where each the order in which organisms in an
species fits in the food chain. ecosystem eat one another

fossil fuel noun Burning fossil fuels is a major a fuel like oil or coal formed from
cause of global warming. very old plant and animal fossils

global warming Rising sea levels, melting ice higher air and sea temperatures
(also climate caps and coral reef bleaching partly caused by man-made
change) noun are caused by global warming. increases in greenhouse-gas
Word Example sentence Meaning

levels

green adj. If you want to save the planet, concerned with protecting the
join one of the green political natural environment and the
parties. planet

greenhouse gas The more greenhouse gases a gas in the atmosphere that stops
noun we produce, the worse heat from escaping into space
climate change will get.

habitat noun Lots of animals will become the place in which a species
extinct if their natural normally lives
habitats are destroyed.

hazardous waste They increased their profits dangerous substances that need
noun by dumping hazardous waste careful disposal (eg. toxic or
into the ocean. nuclear waste)

minimize verb Taking public transport to reduce as much as possible

instead of driving a car
minimizes your impact on the
environment.

pesticide noun Can't we find a pesticide a chemical that's sprayed on crops

that's safe? to stop insects from destroying
them
Word Example sentence Meaning

pollutant noun The Environmental Protection a substance or material that

Agency checks levels of damages the natural environment
pollutants.

pollute verb Fumes from factories pollute to release waste substances into
our air. the air, water and soil

pollution noun All the pollution around here the contamination of the
comes from factories and environment, esp. by industrial
mines. waste products and chemicals like
pesticides

preserve verb We need stronger laws in to keep something in its original

order to preserve our forests. state

protect verb It's really important to protect to keep from harm

our water supply.

protest verb Environmentalists will protest to show you disagree with

if the loggers try to destroy something, esp. as part of a group
the forest. of protesters

recycle verb The green bin's for things that to make something new from
can be recycled like paper materials that have been used
and glass. before

reduce verb You can reduce your to use less or make something
household waste by buying smaller
products with less packaging.
Word Example sentence Meaning

reforestation noun Plant twenty trees in our the planting of trees and plants to
reforestation project and help a damaged or destroyed
you'll get into our dance party forest recover
for free!

renewable adj. We're producing cheaper can be used without running out,
renewable energy these days. esp. of energy sources like solar
and wind

renewables noun If you want to make money, forms of energy that can be
invest in renewables. replaced naturally, such as hydro-
electricity, solar energy and wind
power

rely on verb We won't have to rely on to depend on (or need) someone or

power companies if we use something
solar and wind power instead.

reuse verb We try to reuse things like to use again

plastic bags and bottles.

self-sufficient adj. We're going to live in a self- able to function, or produce all
sufficient farming community. that's needed, without outside
help

smog noun The smog was so bad that we a thick dirty cloud at ground level
had to wear air-filter masks. caused by pollutants reacting to
sunlight

throw away verb Don't throw away your grass to get rid of something you don't
Word Example sentence Meaning

clippings; leave them on your want

lawn.

toxic adj. After the mine released toxic deadly or poisonous (of waste,
waste into the river, all the chemicals, pollutants, etc.)
fish died.

toxin (toxic Smoke from factories often a poisonous substance that

chemical) noun contains dangerous toxins. damages health or the
environment

use up verb We are using up the earth's to use something until there's
natural resources faster than none left
ever.

waste verb Don't waste toilet paper; use to use more than necessary, or to
one or two sheets instead of use inefficiently
three or four.

wildlife noun I love taking pictures of animals, birds, insects, etc. living
wildlife in the forest. naturally in the wild

zero-emission adj. Zero-emission vehicles like releasing no greenhouse gases

electric cars are much like carbon-dioxide or methane
cheaper now.

Environment Vocabulary Quiz