Pre-reading questions:
- Do you think carbon dioxide is good for the environment? Why or why not?
- Kindly share the pandemic safety guidelines in Japan.
Vocabulary:
- volume /VOL-yoom/
- industry /IN-duh-stree/
- measure /MEZH-er/
- circumstance /SUR-kuhm-stans/
- predict /pri-DIKT/
[noun] the number or amount of something in general
The volume of this container is 3 cubic meters.
[noun] the companies and activities involved in the process of producing goods for sale, especially in a factory or special area
The hotel and casino industries are working hard on improving their images.
[verb] to discover the exact size or amount of something
It is impossible to measure the total amount of money in the bank.
[noun] a fact or event that makes a situation the way it is
She wished for a more relaxing life, but that was impossible under the circumstances.
[verb] to say that an event or action will happen in the future, especially as a result of knowledge or experience
It is impossible to predict what will happen.
The volume of carbon dioxide (CO2) that humans make during the coronavirus pandemic has been reduced by 17 percent since April, matching the daily average for 2019. The total of planet-heating pollution is the same as what it developed in 2006, showing the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that have multiplied for the last 14 years. Most of the cut of CO2 occurred from manufacturing, power generation, transportation and shipping. The most afflicted among them is the aviation industry, reducing its carbon footprint by 60 percent.
However, scientists and environmentalists are not delighted about the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Shutting down of businesses caused people to stay home in an effort to mitigate the stretch of the coronavirus, but it is not enough to stop the effect of climate change. Emissions for 2020 are likely to drop constantly, causing the reduction of pollution by four percent. Study authors and public health experts say that if restrictions are still enforced, there could be up to seven percent drop. This measures an earlier calculation of a relatively eight percent drop this year from the International Energy Agency. “Eight percent is not an awful lot in the grand scheme of things”, Sean Sublette, a meteorologist at the nonprofit news organization Climate Central announced. “It’s like a bathtub and you’ve had the spigot on full blast for a while, and you turn it back 10 percent, but you’re still filling the bathtub,” he added. This circumstance could bring to a climate crisis that is worse than what was predicted before COVID-19 if governments do not respond to climate change.
However, scientists and environmentalists are not delighted about the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Shutting down of businesses caused people to stay home in an effort to mitigate the stretch of the coronavirus, but it is not enough to stop the effect of climate change. Emissions for 2020 are likely to drop constantly, causing the reduction of pollution by four percent. Study authors and public health experts say that if restrictions are still enforced, there could be up to seven percent drop. This measures an earlier calculation of a relatively eight percent drop this year from the International Energy Agency. “Eight percent is not an awful lot in the grand scheme of things”, Sean Sublette, a meteorologist at the nonprofit news organization Climate Central announced. “It’s like a bathtub and you’ve had the spigot on full blast for a while, and you turn it back 10 percent, but you’re still filling the bathtub,” he added. This circumstance could bring to a climate crisis that is worse than what was predicted before COVID-19 if governments do not respond to climate change.
Comprehension Questions:
- What chemical compound is mentioned in the article?
- How much is the carbon footprint reduction in the aviation industry?
- Who are not delighted about the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions?
- Who is the meteorologist at the nonprofit news organization Climate Central mentioned in the article?
- What will happen if the governments postpone its action on climate change?
Discussion Questions:
- What do you think will happen if there is no carbon dioxide in the atmosphere?
- Do you think following safety protocols during the coronavirus pandemic has a huge effect on reducing carbon emissions? Why or why not?
- What are the good and bad effects of reducing carbon emissions?
- What are your thoughts about the industries that use CO2? Please explain your answer.
- What can you contribute to stop climate change? Please give examples.