IELTS Speaking Part 2 : Talk about global warming
Describe an environmental problem (global warming).
You should say:
- What the problem is.
- What is the cause of it.
- What the effects of the problem are.
- and explain how we can solve this problem.
Sample Answer
The world is facing a number of environmental issues, such as waste disposal, deforestation, biodiversity…you name it. The problem I’d like to draw more attention to today, though, is global warming – one that has understandably attracted much public attention.
To give a simple definition, global warming is a phenomenon in which the annual global temperature rises at a much faster rate. Since the industrial revolution, we have witnessed some of the hottest years ever recorded, with numerous studies claiming that the world is running against the clock to alleviate this issue.
The cause for this problem lies mostly in the different heat-trapping pollutants in the atmosphere, including carbon dioxide, methane and synthetic fluorinated gases, which trap the sunlight heat that is supposed to escape into space. These pollutants are attributable to human activity – especially that of burning fossil fuels for transportation or electricity generation.
One can already see the detrimental impacts that this environmental issue poses on the world. According to scientists, rising average temperatures are fueling longer heat waves, more extreme droughts, heavier rainfall and more severe tropical storms. The aforementioned natural disasters put a lot of people’s health and safety at risk, causing tens of thousands fatalities every single year and eradicating the homes of countless communities.
Also, global warming causes climate change, which disrupts the natural habitats of many species and plants, hence driving them to extinction. And that is just naming two of the many adverse effects of global warming. In order to solve this issue, a very deep cut of emissions is needed, and more alternative energy technologies need to be implemented.
This requires immediate, concrete steps taken by governments and companies in setting up policies to meet or exceed the new environmentally friendly standards of manufacturing. Each person could also be a part of this worldwide campaign by limiting their own carbon footprint. Only by doing that will we, as a community, maintain a sustainable environment for our future generations.
