XII. Make up your own text on any topic following the style and logical structure of Prince Charles’s speech. Use the phrases below.

‐ May I just start by thanking you for taking the time to ….

‐ One of the … strengths is that it ….

‐ It provides the potential to ….

‐ In this regard …, and more specifically, ….

‐ Now, you may wonder how ….

‐ In essence, ….

‐ Yet ….

‐ And to make matters worse ….

‐ Most critically, ….

‐ Why …? Often because …, quite understandably, ….

‐ So … years ago I … in order to …. … and our aim is to ….

‐ Unless, unless … we will ….

 

XIII. Watch an introduction to “The Rainforests Project” presented by Prince Charles (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8Zax3nryrk ) and answer the questions.*

1. What is the greatest threat facing mankind?
2. What is the single most significant action that can be taken now to stabilize global warming?
3. Where are rainforests situated?
4. How many people depend on rainforests for their livelihoods?
5. Which key role do rainforests play in our life?
6. What are the Amazonian rainforests famous for?
7. What is the amount of annual CO₂ emissions into the atmosphere?
8. How many rainforests have already been lost?
9. How many acres of rainforests are destroyed or degraded every year?
10. Why can’t we blame the rainforest countries for destroying rainforests?
11. Why does the whole world need to develop economic models for rainforests?
12. Why has Prince Charles established his rainforest project?
13. What does Prince Charles mean by saying “time is not on our side” and “nothing is ventured, nothing is gained”?
14. What will happen in the case of success or failure in solving the rainforest problem?

Part II. The IPCC Report on Climate Change

 

I. Provide brief information on the following points.

1. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (the IPCC).
2. Types of greenhouse gases.
3. The effect of digital revolution on climate change.

II. Explain the following concepts in English. Consult the dictionary. Pay special attention to the pronunciation of the words.

1. digital revolution [ˈdɪdʒɪtl ˌrevəˈluːʃn]
2. globally interconnected society [ˈɡləʊbəli ˌɪntəkəˈnektɪd səˈsaɪəti]
3. the Anthropocene [ˌænθrəpəˈ siːn]
4. pre-industrial level [ˌpriː ɪnˈdʌstriəl ˈlevl]

III. Read the IPCC report on climate change (http://ccclab.info/2014/01/07/climate-change-2014/) and translate it into Russian.

Our planet is vast. It is difficult to comprehend the scale. It is difficult too to comprehend the scale of humanity and the vast changes we’ve wrought in a lifetime.

 

Population, production and consumption have grown exponentially. Roads, railways, airlines, shipping routes. The digital revolution. We’ve created a globally interconnected society. Evidence is mounting we’ve entered the Anthropocene.

 

Humanity is altering Earth’s life support system. Carbon dioxide emissions are accelerating. Greenhouse gas levels are unprecedented in human history. The climate system is changing rapidly.

 

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assesses the risks and options for societies. Its latest report states it is extremely likely humans are the dominant cause of warming in the past 60 years.

 

Without deep emissions cuts, it is likely Earth will cross the target of two degree Celsius above pre-industrial levels — the target set by international policy. This could happen as early as 2050. If emissions keep rising at current rates, a four-degree rise by 2100 is as likely as not.

 

It is very likely heatwaves will occur more often and last longer. The Arctic will warm faster than the global average. It is likely sea ice will all but vanish in summer within decades if high emissions continue. It is very likely sea-level rise will accelerate. Cities and coastal areas are vulnerable.

 

In general, wet regions are set to get wetter, dry regions drier. Monsoons are likely to become longer, their footprint likely to grow and downpours likely to intensify.

 

The acidity of the ocean has increased 26% since the start of the industrial revolution. The full consequences of all these changes on the Earth system are unknown. Humanity’s carbon footprint is huge. Societies will need to adapt to climate change. The scale of change depends on decisions made now.

 

Can we remain below two degrees? It is possible. But it is up to societies now to decide the future we want. For a likely chance of achieving the two-degree target, societies can emit another 250 billion tonnes of carbon. We burn about 10 billion tonnes of carbon a year. At current rates we will use this budget in about 25 years.