acid rain: rain that has increased acidity caused by environmental factors (such as atmospheric pollutants)
noun. Sulfuric acid rain killing the vegetation.
air pollution: The presence in the atmosphere of large quantities of particles or gases produced by human activity; these are harmful to both animal and plant life.
noun. How air pollution affects our everyday life.
climate change: significant and long-lasting change in the Earth's climate and weather patterns
noun. Addressing climate change is therefore essential.
coastal flooding: Flooding that occurs from storms where water is driven onto land from an adjacent body of water
noun. Note that no one disaster will cause all the coastal flooding shown on this map.
deforestation: the action or process of clearing of forests
noun. Overall rates of deforestation are declining.
desertification: the process of becoming desert (as from land mismanagement or climate change)
noun. Intensive agriculture and wastage of water intensifies desertification.
endangered species: a species threatened with extinction
noun. The Hawaiian petrel is an endangered species.
fossil fuel:a fuel (such as coal, oil, or natural gas) formed in the earth from plant or animal remains
noun. The exploitation of this non-conventional fossil fuel is costly.
global warming: an increase in the earth's atmospheric and oceanic temperatures widely predicted to occur due to an increase in the greenhouse effect resulting especially from pollution
noun. Due to global warming, penguins are endangered.
greenhouse gas: any of various gaseous compounds (such as carbon dioxide or methane) that absorb infrared radiation, trap heat in the atmosphere, and contribute to the greenhouse effect
noun. It is the third most important greenhouse gas.
overfishing: to fish to the detriment of (a fishing ground) or to the depletion of (a kind of organism)
verb. Mediterranean swordfish are heavily depleted after many years of overfishing.
solid waste: A collective term for garbage, refuse, rubbish, and trash, each term representing a definite category of solid-waste materials
noun. Large-capacity storage unit for recycling solid waste.
untreated sewage: means sewage that has not been treatedby a type approvedsewage treatment plant, or that has not been comminutedand disinfected.
noun. That was untreated sewage flowing close by on its way to the sea.
Carbon dioxide (CO2): a heavy colorless gas CO2 that does not support combustion, dissolves in water to form carbonic acid, is formed especially in animal respiration and in the decay or combustion of animal and vegetable matter
noun. The carbon dioxide was usually wasted.
cutting: something cut or cut off or out: such as
noun. Useful for cleaning and cutting operations.
melting: Causing to melt; becoming melted
adjective. Gold has an extremely low melting point.
