Green Line Oberstufe • Ecological challenges • Vocabulary sheet

Spot on facts Global facts

Word/phrase Translation Usage/memory aid

Consequences of the exploitation of natural resources

exploitation (no pl) Ausbeutung  sexual/economic exploitation

 the (over-)use of sb or sth (e.g. workers or natural
resources) for profit
 exploitation → to exploit (v)
 Fr. exploitation (f)

to accelerate beschleunigen  to accelerate economic growth

 to become faster
 to accelerate = to speed up
 to accelerate → accelerator (n)
→ acceleration (n)

deforestation (no pl) Abholzung; Entwaldung  The deforestation of the rain forests is killing
hundreds of species a year.
 the act of cutting down or burning the trees in an
area

oxygen (no pl) Sauerstoff  Almost all creatures need oxygen to survive.

 chemical element; gas that is present in air and
water and is necessary for people, animals and
plants to live
 Fr. oxygène (m); Lat. oxygenium (nt)

habitat Lebensraum; Standort  loss of habitat

 the place where a particular type of animal or
plant is normally found
 habitat → habitable (adj) → habitation (n)
 Lat. habitare

species (pl) Spezies; Art  non-native species, endangered/extinct species

 scientifically named groups of similar or related
living creatures or plants
 always used in the plural form
 Lat. species (f)

endangered gefährdet  The tiger and the blue whale are on the list of
endangered species.
 endangered = to be put at risk
 endangered → danger (n) → to endanger (v)

to boost antreiben; steigern;  The increase of skilled immigrants boosted the

fördern economy.
 to boost = to raise = to push = to support
= to improve = to increase
 to boost ↔ to decrease, to reduce
 to boost → boost (n)

greenhouse gas Treibhausgas  to release greenhouse gases

 any of the gases that are thought to cause the
greenhouse effect

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Green Line Oberstufe • Ecological challenges • Vocabulary sheet

Spot on facts Global facts

Word/phrase Translation Usage/memory aid

emission Emission; Ausstoß  to reduce emissions

 gas etc. that is sent out into the air
 emission → to emit (v)
 Fr. émission (f); Lat. emissio (f)

principally hauptsächlich;  The environmental protection law is principally

vorwiegend; in erster Linie aiming to reduce ocean pollution.
 principally = chiefly = especially = essentially
= above all

peat bog Torfmoor  Due to the lack of water, some peat bogs started
to burn.
 wet, soft, black or brown ground, formed from
decaying plants

vapour (BE) Dampf  vapor (AE)

 vapour = steam
 vapour → vaporous (adj) → to vaporise (v)
→ vaporisation (n)
 Fr. vapeur (f); Lat. vapor (m)

moist feucht  You must water plants regularly to keep the soil
moist.
 slightly wet
 moist ↔ dry
 moist → moistness (n) → to moisten (v)
→ moisture (n) → to moisturise (v)

flood Flut; Hochwasser;  Too much rain can cause floods.

Überschwemmung  a large amount of water (e.g. covering an area
that is usually dry)
 flood → to flood sth (v) → flooded (adj)

to ravage verwüsten  Civil war ravaged the country.

 to damage badly
 usually passive
 to ravage → ravages (n)

resource Ressource; Rohstoff;  natural resources

Bodenschatz  sth (material, e.g. coal, or immaterial, like
workpower) which is available to be used when
needed
 usually plural
 resource → to resource sth (v)
 Fr. ressource (f)

to pollute verschmutzen;  The increasing number of cars pollute the air.

verunreinigen  to add dirty or harmful substances to land, air,
water etc.
 to pollute → polluter (n) → pollution (n)
→ pollutant (n)
 Fr. polluer; Lat. polluere

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Green Line Oberstufe • Ecological challenges • Vocabulary sheet

Spot on facts Global facts

Word/phrase Translation Usage/memory aid

global warming (no pl) globale Erwärmung  One of today’s biggest challenges is slowing
down global warming.
 the increase in temperature of the earth’s
atmosphere

ozone layer (no pl) Ozonschicht  a layer of ozone high above the earth’s surface
that helps to protect the earth from harmful
radiation from the sun
 Fr. ozone (f)

radiation Radiation; Strahlung  the sun’s radiation is absorbed/trapped,

solar/infrared/harmful radiation
 heat, energy, etc. that is sent out in the form of
rays
 radiation → to radiate (v)
 Fr. radiation (f); Lat. radiāre

degradation (no pl) Verschlechterung;  the process of sth being damaged or made worse
Schädigung  degradation → to degrade (v) → degrading (adj)
 Fr. dégradation (f)

reef Riff  reef-building corals

 a line of rocks, sand or coral near the surface of
the sea

mammal Säugetier  Humans, cows and whales are all mammals.

 any animal that gives birth to live babies, not
eggs, and feeds its young on milk
 Lat. mamma (f)

extinction (no pl) Aussterben  There are several different theories to explain the
extinction of the dinosaurs.
 extinction → extinct (adj) → to extinguish (v)
 Fr. extinction (f); Lat. exstinctio (f)

biodiversity (no pl)  Artenreichtum;  Global warming is threatening biodiversity

Artenvielfalt because the living conditions of many species are
changing too quickly for them to adapt.
 the existence of a large number of different kinds
of animals and plants
 Fr. biodiversité (f); Lat. diversitas (f)

ecosystem Ökosystem  The ecosystem of the rainforest is threatened.

 all the plants and living creatures in a particular
area considered in relation to each other and their
physical environment

Responsibility to preserve nature

awareness Bewusstsein  The advertising campaign has raised awareness

of the situation of women in Indian society.
 to raise/increase/show/create awareness of sth;
environmental awareness
 awareness→ to be aware of sth (v)

© Ernst Klett Verlag GmbH, Stuttgart 2015 | www.klett.de Green Line

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Green Line Oberstufe • Ecological challenges • Vocabulary sheet

Spot on facts Global facts

Word/phrase Translation Usage/memory aid

energy-saving energiesparend  More and more energy-saving heating systems

have been developed.
 energy-saving ↔ energy-wasting

heating Heizung; Erwärmung heating system

alternative forms of alternative Energieformen  Solar, wind and geothermal energies are
energy alternative forms of energy.
 using different sources of energy
 alternative forms of energy ↔ conventional forms
of energy

fuel-saving treibstoffsparend  The car industry has invented fuel-saving

engines.
 fuel-saving ↔ fuel-wasting

environmental Umweltschutzgesetze Governments have to pass more environmental

protection laws (pl) protection laws to save our planet.

eager eifrig  If you want to do sth very much, you are eager to
do it.
 eager = keen
 eager ↔ indifferent
 eager → eagerness (n) → eagerly (adv)

to meet the interests of den Interessen von jmdm.  How can we best meet the interests of all these
sb entgegenkommen; die groups?
Erwartungen von jmdm.  to do or satisfy what is needed or what sb asks
erfüllen for

© Ernst Klett Verlag GmbH, Stuttgart 2015 | www.klett.de Green Line

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