Environment Conversation

become something of a rubbish dump and you can see

Part 1
1. How do you feel about protecting the environment?
Does it interest/bore you?
Outline problems that you often think about
Reasons?
Obviously, I think it's a good idea, but it's not one of my
main interests. I sometimes think about issues such as
protecting wild animals and pollution and we studied these
things a little when I was at secondary school. I have too
many other things to think about in my daily life, to be
honest.
2. What do you do to protect it?
Recycling (which items/materials?)
Transport (different methods)
Save energy (how?)
Don't drop litter
rubbish floating in it. It
smells too!
5. Have you ever been a member of an environmental
group?
Which group/organization?
Why did you join them?
What did they/you do?
If not, would you join such a group? Why or why
not?
No, I haven't. However, I am thinking about it. There
is a local environmental group in my city which is
trying to convince the local government to clean the
city up and they also organize clean up sessions in
areas that have been particularly affected by the
dumping of waste. They then send most of the waste
to be recycled.

I send some things to be recycled. There are collection

points in my city where you can put paper, glass, metal
objects, old clothes and other things to be recycled. I
generally use public transport, but I admit that this is
mainly because I cannot afford a car, not because of
environmental concerns.

3. Do/Did you study the environment at school?

Which level of education? (primary, secondary,
tertiary)
What did you learn about? (give specific examples)

No, we didn't study anything like that at school. It wasn't

considered to be important enough. However, things have
changed now and most children learn about protecting the
environment at primary and secondary school. I think it's
a good idea and I wish we had had such classes at school.

4. What state is the environment in where you live?

Give a general answer – good/bad
Why is it like this? (government, individuals,
companies)
How could it be improved?

Where I live, the environment is terrible. There is a lot of

pollution from factories and motor vehicles. A lot of
people are really concerned about its effects on their
health. There is also quite a lot of litter around, which
spoils the city. The main river going through my city has
 Environment Conversation
Part 2

1. Describe an environmental problem in your

country.
You should say:
what the problem is
how this problem developed
what could be done to reduce/solve it
and explain how serious you think this problem is.
Problems? (pollution – air, water, soil, light, ani-
mals/plants)
Causes? (cars, factories, individual people)
Solutions? (laws – new ones or enforce existing
ones, education)

One of the biggest environmental problems in Australia

are rabbits. They were introduced by the British to provide
something to hunt and food and maybe fur too. The
problem is that, as you probably know, rabbits breed very
quickly. In Australia there were no natural predators to
control the rabbit population, so it grew. Later, a disease
was introduced into the rabbit population to reduce the
numbers. It killed almost all the rabbits, but some had a
natural immunity to the disease and survived to breed
again. The rabbits are a problem because they eat so many
plants.

2. Describe something more people should do to

protect the environment.
You should say:
what it is
how it would help the environment
how many people already do this and explain why
more people don't do this already.
What? (recycling, use other transport, use less of
something)
How? (cleaner air/water, reduce use of natural re-
sources)
Why not already? (lazy, lack of education, money)

I think that people should recycle more. There is already a

lot of recycling in my country, but many things that could
be recycled are not. We need more collection points where
people can leave materials and we urgently need far more
recycling plants. These would probably be expensive to
construct, but they would be able to make some money
from selling paper, metals, plastic, glass and other things.
All this recycling would mean that our country would
not have to import so many raw materials.
 Environment Conversation
Part 3
Protecting the Environment
1. In what ways is the environment protected in your
country?
National parks (protected areas)
Protection of animals/plants (give examples)
By laws (enforcement)
Financial incentives
Education
Well, there are plenty of laws limiting the amounts of
pollution that vehicles, factories and so on can produce.
There are also several areas of the country that have been
designated as national parks for the protection of the
countryside and the plants and animals that live there.
Indirectly, the environment is protected by having
teachers teach children about it at school and there are also
a lot of TV and radio programs about it.
2. Who do you think should pay for cleaning up the
environment?
Government
Companies (that cause it)
Individuals (that cause it)
Who currently pays? (Remember that many people
pay taxes!)
I think that, wherever possible, the people and
organizations that create the problems should pay for
cleaning it up. Sometimes, it's quite easy to identify the
source of the problem, for example if a factory dumps
some chemicals into a river. However, it can be more
difficult, so the government may have to pay for the clean-
up, though it could raise money for this by taxing
polluters. Taxing petrol and using some of the money from
that is one example.
3. How is your government educating people about
the environment?
Schools?
Advertisements?
Leaflets?
TV/radio shows?
Government inspectors?
How successful are these?
How could the government do more?
Consider the financial costs to the government
The government has funded some TV and radio programs
about it. State schools provide classes for students about it
and the subject of the environment frequently appears in
school examinations. Occasionally, the government
broadcasts some public service advertisements on TV and
radio and there are leaflet campaigns from time to time. I
think the government does this quite well, but it needs to
change some of its policies. For example, it should, in my
opinion, invest more in renewable energy and in recycling.
Waste Disposal
4. What are the sources of waste in society?
Give 2 or 3 of the most common
Consider individuals and companies
Is the waste avoidable?
Can the waste be recycled? Is it?
Whenever people consume, they create waste. One major
source of waste is used packaging. Another is when people
buy things that they do not really need. Very often, they
throw them away after a very short time. Another common
form of waste in my country is food. A lot of people buy
more food than they need and then throw it out or, if they
are in a restaurant, leave it for the restaurant staff to throw
out.
5. Do you think elderly people produce as much
waste as young people?
Consider waste produced when goods are bought
(packaging)
Waste of food?
Can you think of reasons for this situation?
No, I don't. I think the main reason is that young people
tend to buy more things – they consume more. For
example, they tend to follow fashion and buy clothes more
often than older people, even though they don't really need
them. Young people also buy more electronics than older
people and replace them more frequently as newer models
are brought out by manufacturers.
6. Do you think that recycling is important?
Consider the effects on the environment
Consider the effects on the economy
Is there a lot of recycling in your country?
How could recycling be increased?
Definitely. Recycling allows us to reuse resources. This is
quite easy with many materials, such as glass bottles,
aluminum cans and newspaper, but it can be more difficult
with certain kinds of plastics. In my country, some
manufacturers take back – or even buy back – old
materials so that they can reuse them in new items. I think
that this is something the government should encourage
more.
 Environment Conversation

National Parks

7. Why do countries protect wildlife and nature in

certain areas?
Natural beauty
Tourism
Protect (rare) animals and plants

I think the main reason is to promote tourism, rather than

actually protecting the environment. I mean, the two are
connected, but if an area is beautiful and tourists go there,
it makes money for the government through taxes. On the
other hand, simply protecting an area doesn't usually make
any money for the government. Environmentalists want to
protect wildlife and plants in certain areas because they
believe we need to protect biodiversity and many
scientists want to do it because they believe the protected
species may have beneficial uses for humanity.

8. What are the (dis)advantages of allowing people to

visit such areas?
Education?
Money from tourism?
Connection with nature?
Tourism destroys nature?
Pollution (litter, cars)?

The main advantage is that it promotes tourism and so

benefits the local economy by providing jobs. Another
advantage is that such areas provide nice places for people
to relax and spend time alone or with families and friends.
A lot of people want to go to these areas to feel a
connection with nature. However, there are disadvantages.
Too many tourists can destroy the environment that we are
trying to protect. They might create a littler problem or
increase pollution by driving their cars there.

9. What may the future hold for these protected

areas?
Population pressure?
Demand for more space for farms/business?

In my country, the population is rising, so I think that these

areas will come under pressure as demand for land for
homes and farms increases. I think the government will
find it hard to resist the demands of the population. As a
result, scientists are rushing to move some species of
plants and animals to areas where they are likely to be
safer.