Welcome to educational set on IELTS Vocabulary to check and expand your knowledge of useful words and phrases.
The Topic of Environment in IELTS
The topics related to the environment are very common in IELTS.
They are included in Reading, Listening, Speaking and can be targeted in Writing as well.
Below are three sub-topics related to the environment.
Each of them contains some words or phrases that you can come across when listening or reading IELTS texts or can be a good add to your answers in Speaking and Writing sessions of the test.
Nature
| Word/Phrase | Meaning | Common Collocations | Example |
| habitat (n) | the natural environment where an animal or plant lives | natural habitat, wildlife habitat, threatened/endangered habitat, damage/destroy a habitat, conserve/protect a habitat, loss of habitat | I believe new measures are necessary to protect wildlife habitats. |
| biodiversity (n) | the number and types of plants and animals in a specific area or in the world | biodiversity loss, biodiversity conservation, global biodiversity, preserve biodiversity | Biodiversity conservation plans should be a priority for governments around the world. |
| ecosystem (n) | all the people, animals and plants living in an area and the way they affect each other and the environment | forest ecosystem, healthy ecosystem, maintain the ecosystem, benefit the ecosystem, damage the ecosystem, species in an ecosystem | It is well known that commercial fishing can have a very negative impact on the ecosystem, yet little has been done to address this. |
| endangered species (n) | a type of plant or animal that might stop existing | save endangered species, critically endangered species | There are many organizations that are committed to saving endangered species. |
| vegetation (n) | plants in general | natural vegetation, green vegetation, dense/lush/thick vegetation, native vegetation, destroy the vegetation | Vegetation regions can be divided into five major types: forest, grassland, tundra, desert, and ice sheet. |
| carnivore (n) | a plant or animal that eats meat | obligate carnivores, some / many / small / large carnivores | A carnivore, or meat-eater, is an animal or plant whose food and energy requirements derive from animal tissues (mainly muscle, fat and other soft tissues) whether through hunting or scavenging |
| herbivore (n) | an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material | some / many / small / large herbivores | Gorillas are an endangered species of herbivore native to central Africa. Lowland gorillas feed mostly on fruit, while highland gorillas feed mostly on leaves and roots. |
Environmental Problems
| Word/Phrase | Meaning | Common Collocations | Example |
| global warming (n) | a gradual increase in the earth’s temperature caused by gases surrounding the earth | contribute to global warming, combat/fight/tackle global warming | We have to fight global warming before it’s too late. |
| pollute (v) | to make air, water or soil dirty | pollute the environment, pollute the air/water/soil | If we continue to pollute our environment, our children and grandchildren will have to pay the consequences. |
| deforestation (n) | the cutting down of trees in an area | mass deforestation, illegal deforestation, reduce deforestation | Forest biodiversity is threatened by mass deforestation carried out around the world. |
| climate change (n) | changes in the world’s weather, in particular an increase in temperature, caused by human activity | the impacts/results of climate change, climate change talks, climate change sceptic/denier (someone who does not believe in climate change) | Personally, I don’t think that climate change can do us any good. |
| extinct (adj) | no longer existing | be extinct, become/go extinct, completely/totally extinct, almost/nearly/practically/virtually extinct | Many species of plants and animals have become extinct due to human activity. |
| land degradation | Soil and land pollution as as desertification | severe land degradation, causes of land degradation, physical land degradation, components and processes of land degradation | Land degradation is the result of human-induced actions which exploit land, causing its utility, biodiversity, soil fertility, and overall health to decline. |
| resource depletion | Lack of natural resources worldwide | natural resource depletion, resource depletion occurs, faster / slower depletion of natural resources | Resource depletion occurs when the renewable and non-renewable natural resources become scarce because they are consumed faster than they can recover. The term resource depletion is commonly associated with water usage, fossil fuel consumption, trees and fishing. |
Protecting the Environment
| Word/Phrase | Meaning | Common Collocations | Example |
| sustainable (adj) | causing little or no damage to the environment and therefore able to be continued over a long period of time | sustainable growth, sustainable development, sustainable communities, sustainable energy sources | Big companies should donate a percentage of their profits to support sustainable development. |
| renewable energy (n) | energy that is produced using natural resources such as the wind, sun, etc. | renewable energy industry, renewable energy projects/sources/technology, demand for renewable energy | The environmental benefits of renewable energy are countless. |
| conservation (n) | the protection of animals, plants, natural areas and natural substances | wildlife conservation, energy conservation, water conservation, nature/environmental conservation, conservation area | Energy conservation saves us money and helps the environment. |
| environmentalism (n) | the study of or an interest in the environment and the belief that it must be protected from harmful human activity | promote environmentalism | Some believe that eco-tourism can promote environmentalism. |
Idioms Related to the Environment
| Idiom | Meaning |
| 3R’s – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle | phrase used to encourage people to waste less and use things again to protect the environment |
| to go green | to change one’s lifestyle to help protect the environment |
| to have a green thumb | to have the ability to grow plants well |
| to go solar | to collect solar energy by using solar energy panels |
| carbon footprint | a carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases (including carbon dioxide and methane) that are generated by humans’ actions |
| green consumer | “purchase and use of products with lower environmental impacts, such as biodegradable products, recycled or reduced packaging, and low energy usage”; use of organic products, made with processes that provide energy savings, then by the action of recycling |
| greenhouse effect | the gradual warming of the air surrounding the Earth as a result of heating trapped by pollution |