📘 Part 3: Pollution

This episode's vocabulary

To publicise (verb) - to make information about something generally available.

Emission (noun) - the act of sending out gas, heat, light, etc..

Accord (noun) - (a formal) agreement.

Fossil fuels (plural noun) - fuels, such as gas, coal, and oil, that were formed underground from plant and animal remains millions of years ago.

Pollutant (noun) - a substance that pollutes.

Biosphere (noun) - a part of a planet's environment where life exists.

To biodegrade (verb) - to decay naturally and in a way that is not harmful.

To implement (verb) - to start using a plan or system.

Renewable (adj.) - Renewable forms of energy can be produced as quickly as they are used.

Energy source (noun) - something such as oil, coal, or the sun, which can be used to provide power for light, heat, machines, etc.

Scrubber (noun) - a system or piece of equipment for removing substances that are harmful to the environment from a gas.

Disposable (adj.) - a disposable product is intended to be thrown away after use.

Policy (noun) - a set of ideas or a plan of what to do in particular situations that has been agreed to officially by a group of people, a business organization, a government, or a political party

Regulation (noun) - an official rule or the act of controlling something.

To limit (verb) - to control something so that it is not greater than a particular amount, number, or level.

Natural resources (plural noun) - things such as minerals, forests, coal, etc. that exist in a place and can be used by people.

Greenhouse gas (noun) - a gas that causes the greenhouse effect, especially carbon dioxide.

Acid rain (noun) - rain that contains large amounts of harmful chemicals as a result of burning substances such as coal and oil.

To turn a blind eye (idiom) - to ignore something that you know is wrong.

To haunt (verb) - to cause repeated suffering or anxiety.

The polluter pays principle (idiom) - the idea that the person or organization that causes pollution should pay to put right the damage that it causes.

To reap what you sow (idiom) - to experience the result, often a bad one, of something that you did in the past.

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Questions and Answers

M: How can the air quality be improved?

R: The most publicised methods usually include reducing emissions from vehicles, factories and power plants. We could also use cleaner sources of energy and implement policies and regulations to limit pollution. I think, the Paris Accords were part of that. Weren't they?

M: Do you think the cities are cleaner or dirtier than the countryside?

R: The city definitely tends to be more polluted than the countryside due to, well, just the higher population density and therefore increased industrial activity. And that leads to increased pollution and waste, I suppose.

M: And is there more pollution now than in the past?

R: Yes. Increasing human activities and the use of fossil fuels or related chemicals are just releasing more harmful pollutants into the biosphere than before. There's a compound called C-8 that's in all the food chains and all blood of every living thing on earth now. And it doesn't biodegrade, so you can't get rid of it. And that never used to be the case.

M: Do you think the wind has any effect on air pollution?

R: Yeah, it could transport pollutants from fumes from one area to another, which spreads the effects of pollution over a wider area.

M: What can factories do to reduce pollution?

R: They could implement cleaner production technologies using renewable resources, renewable energy sources, sorry. And implementing pollution control measures like filters and scrubbers. I imagine we could also shut down those producing disposable goods that harm the environment too.

M: And what can people do together to improve the local environment?

R: Well, there are lots of community cleanup efforts and recycling initiatives that reduce the resources being used up and thrown away. Generally, supporting policies and regulations that limit pollution and protect natural resources also does a lot of good in this respect.

M: Do modern means of transport cause harm to the environment?

R: Well, definitely. Through emissions of greenhouse gases and pollutants that contribute to climate change and things like acid rain. People often turn a blind eye to it because of the convenience, but it does come back to haunt certain areas when the trees start dying.

M: Who should be responsible for protecting the environment?

R: That pretty much falls to everyone, since we all live on this planet. However, governments and businesses play a crucial role in implementing policies and practices that protect natural resources and limit pollution. There's this great principle called polluter pays that ensures those who cause pollution basically reap what they sow. It's a great way to determine the weight of responsibility. Though, we could all do our part to help.

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Discussion

M: Hey, thank you for your answers! So pollution and the air quality. You said that the most publicised methods. So publicised, you mean the most common methods? The most popular methods?

R: Well, the ones that are in the media the most often, I think, is what I meant. So the ones that you hear about all the time. So everybody here is about how emissions come from their cars. And of course you, any time... I don't know, any time you see a picture or a film of pollution, there's always this one shot of like this traffic jam of cars and their engines are running and you see the fumes going into the air. Or there's a picture of a factory with the smoke coming out of it.

M: So how can we improve the air quality? We reduce emissions from vehicles like these, gases from vehicles. Also, we can use cleaner sources of energy. Like solar power, power from the sun and implement policies to limit pollution. So implement policies. We introduce policies and regulations, rules to limit pollution. So you said that the city tends to be dirtier than the countryside? Yeah, so tends to. Like cities tend to be much dirtier than the countryside. And then why? Due to higher population density. So population density, like how many people live in the one square metre, yeah?

R: Well, or maybe not in one square metre but in square kilometre. Can you imagine how many people live in a square metre, like I'm hoping even fewer than one person, to be honest. Because you need more of that space than that to live. Although, apparently, there was an economist that did this statistical model and he wondered, if you concentrated everybody in the world into one place and gave them a space to live, where could they all live? And it was some... It was like a city the size of Texas in America that they could all be and live with enough room. So maybe they don't need that much space. On the other hand, I have no idea what the calculations were. So take that with a grain of salt.

M: So we talk about increased pollution, so pollution like in general, right? Air pollution, water pollution. But if we talk about increased waste. So waste. What do you mean by waste? Is it the same as rubbish?

R: Well, waste is just what remains after you've used something. I mean, usually, it's used to talk about excess things that you could have used. But it can also talk about or used to talk about things that are left over as well. So nuclear waste is obviously the spent fuel from nuclear reactions. But waste food is food that you could have used but you just threw out, because you didn't need it.

M: So food waste, nuclear waste, yeah.

R: It's to do with this idea of something extra, really. Or something after a process.

M: A typical question is about comparing now and the past. And Rory told us that today we have this increasing human activities, right? Humans are really active and we have increased human activities. And also you can say something about the use of fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are coal, gas...

R: Coal, gas and oil?

M: Oil, yeah. Fossil fuels and some toxic chemicals. So we use these harmful pollutants. So harmful, bad and pollutants, like from pollution, so something which actually pollutes the air. So human activities, fossil fuels, chemicals release harmful pollutants into the air, water and soil. Soil is this land, the ground, yeah? We walk on. So there are lots of harmful pollutants in the air. And then, Rory, you told us about this C-8, a compound called C-8. Something from chemistry?

R: Yeah... Oh, God. I can't remember the name that the use for it. It was just the descriptor. And the name, the actual name of the thing is like really, really long. But it's basically the chemical that's used to treat non-stick pans and it's called C-8. Or at least it was used and now it's everywhere. Like it's inside us right now.

M: Oh, my God, oh, my God!

R: I wouldn't panic. It's not going to... Well, it's probably not going to hurt you, but it is there. It's a pollutant, it shouldn't be there.

M: So it's in people's blood, it's everywhere in all the food chains. It doesn't biodegrade, so it just stays there.

R: Yeah, you can't get rid of it. But you could, but it would involve an undertaking unlike any that has ever been initiated in the history of humankind. And all for what? To remove a chemical? You know, in huge quantities it is extremely harmful. In small quantities, it might be. We don't really know. It's difficult to tell.

M: So, dear listener, you can say that yes, now we do have more pollution because of human activities, chemicals, harmful pollutants and a strange biodegradable substances. Non-biodegradable, yeah?

R: Oh, yeah. They're non-biodegradable. That means they don't degrade.

M: The wind and air pollution. An interesting question. So the wind moves the pollution, the wind moves all these harmful pollutants in the air or not? Rory told us that the wind can transport pollutants.

R: Well it can if they're in the air, can't it? It's the same way that it does it with clouds.

M: So the wind moves the clouds, the wind moves pollutants from fumes. So we have fumes from cars, from vehicles, from power plants, power factories. So these fumes, like harmful gases, emissions. And the wind moves pollutants from these fumes from one area to the other. And the wind spreads the effects of pollution over a wider area, yeah? So the wind spreads chemicals, the wind spreads bad air. All around the city over to the countryside. And also, we can talk about smog here.

R: Yeah, we can.

M: This smog, you know, dear listener, from all these cars. A typical question about factories and what they can do to reduce pollution. So Rory told us they can implement cleaner production technologies, so use cleaner production technologies or implement, right? Implement regulations.

R: It's important to point out that this is also... This could be used for any way to suggest a solution. Just say, oh, they could implement solutions like... So it's not just for talking about pollution. For example, can we have another question? About a different subject?

M: What could people do to be more focused on their work?

R: Well, I suppose they could implement some kind of schedule or regime for doing things. There you go, implement.

M: Yeah. Also, you can use the second conditional here. If factories could implement cleaner production technologies, it would be good for the air.

R: For everybody.

M: For everybody. Yeah. So the second conditional is... Also works hard. If factories could use renewable energy sources, pollution would be reduced, yeah? Renewable energy sources, solar energy, wind power, yeah?

R: Well, it's interesting. We should talk about that. Because it's a renewable source of energy, the wind and the sun. But using solar panels and the windmills is not, because you need to be able to create the materials in order to build these things. And some of the chemicals or compounds that are used in solar panels are also poisonous and toxic. So, yeah. It's not just like solar panels are going to save us all, unfortunately. We do need to do some hard work and rethink this.

M: Factories could implement pollution control measures.

R: Oh, I've used the word implement again.

M: Rory gives us an example, pollution control measures such as filters and scrubbers. So filter, like to filter water, right? But what do you mean by scrubbers?

R: Well, a filter is something that you pass through, whereas a scrubber is usually some kind of active agent. By agent, I don't mean like a secret agent. I mean, it could be a chemical or a process that cleans something. Kind of like how you scrub your dishes to get them clean.

M: And a simple solution is just to shut down some factories producing disposable goods that harm the environment. Just shut them down, close them, close the factories. And Rory, what do you mean by disposable goods?

R: Disposable goods are just things that you use and get rid of.

M: Like plastic bags, for example?

R: Yeah, well, I don't know. I try and reuse my plastic bags. But yes, most people treat them that way.

M: So kind of a lot of plastic, I don't know, things, plastic bags that do harm to the environment. So these factories which produce them could be shut down. Well, as a solution, yeah?

R: Like packaging. How much packaging do you really need?

M: Oh, packaging, yeah. Packaging these days.

R: It's crazy.

M: Crazy, huh? You just buy a pair of socks and all these, you know, labels, all this stuff that they put there on clothes. It took me, like, 2 hours to get rid of it all yesterday.

R: From your clothes?

M: Yeah.

R: Is that because there was too much packaging or just because you have, like, an insane amount of clothes?

M: Oh, both. Yeah, you see, dear listener, my problems, you see.

R: The most first world of problems.

M: Yeah, but I just felt like I was creating all this, you know, waste. All these papers and plastic and... People can do something together to improve the local environment. So in their neighbourhood, in the city they live in. And here you can talk about communities. There are a lot of communities. So where people get together and they... What do they do? They clean up certain areas.

R: Well, you would hope they would clean them up anyway. So they have clean-up efforts where they aim to clean up these things or a cycling initiatives. Initiatives are like programs that aim to do something and continue the process.

M: And these initiatives reduce the resources being used up. So people are using up the resources, right? So we're using, using and using and the resources are kind of running out. We are running out of resources, we don't have enough resources or may not have enough resources in the future.

R: So they're being used up and thrown away. Oh, my God, used up and thrown away. What kinds of words could those be?

M: Phrasal verbs.

R: I'm not going to do the advertising because it's on premium and everyone is probably sick of it right now. But you know where I'm going with this.

M: So people can reduce the waste, which is thrown away. So we throw away rubbish, we throw away waste. And also stop using up the resources. And also you can talk about supporting policies and regulations that limit pollution and protect natural resources. We say something does harm, harm to the environment or something does a lot of good. So it does good.

R: And then we refer back to our established knowledge. Does a lot of good in this respect to. And this respect just means improving the environment.

M: Yeah, in this respect to improve the local environment people can do this and that.

R: Yeah.

M: Modern means of transport do cause harm to the environment. So they don't do any good, they cause harm.

R: Well, I don't know about that.

M: But you said definitely.

R: Do they do? They must do some good, surely.

M: Well they move people around, yeah?

R: But maybe not for the environment. I don't know if moving people around is good for the environment or not. Is it?

M: We talk about emissions. Emissions, fumes from vehicles, from cars. We talk about greenhouse gases. All these, you know, gases from heavy vehicles and all possible vehicles. Pollutants that contribute to climate change. Pollutants, chemical gases that contribute to acid rain. Acid rain is this toxic rain with some harmful water coming down the sky.

R: Maybe not just water. It's like, what is it? It's sulphur dioxide in the atmosphere. It falls. It can damage your skin. Probably not so much, because you've got water inside you to dilute it. But it annihilates the bark on trees and kills them, which is not good at all.

M: Do we actually have acid rain these days?

R: We do. Some countries will have some acid rain. It's not as... At least in Europe, it's not as prevalent as it was. I couldn't speak for other places in the world.

M: And then, dear listener, Rory used an idiom. Wow.

R: Did I? Where?

M: It's an idiom, yes. You said that people often turn a blind eye to it.

R: Hey!

M: Yeah, this idiom was used very naturally and correctly. So people ignore this problem, people just don't notice. They're not aware, they don't notice. So they turn a blind eye to it. A blind, when a person is blind, the person can't see. So the idiom is to turn a blind eye to something. We don't change the idiom. So when you want to say that people ignore it, people don't pay attention to it. People often turn a blind eye to it, because of the convenience, yeah? Rory, could you say this sentence naturally, without stressing the idiom?

R: People often turn a blind eye to their problems and then it comes back to haunt them. Or in this case, people often turn a blind eye to it. People turn a blind eye to pollutants that cause acid rain, because of the convenience. But it does come back to haunt certain areas. Coming back to haunt, meaning it comes back to do bad things or the consequences happen.

M: Yeah, dear listener, so this is a good idiom to use about pollution. Because many people just prefer to ignore certain things. So, you know, what can people do together to improve the local environment or what can factories do to reduce pollution? And you can say like, many factories turn a blind eye to it, to the pollution because of the convenience. It's just convenient, yeah? So it's convenient not to do anything about it, right? And then another good word is... Well, not an idiom, but a good verb is to haunt. Like ghosts haunt people, yeah? So these environmental problems come back to haunt certain areas, right? So people ignore these problems and environmental issues come back to haunt certain areas. Like ghosts haunt a Scottish castle, where Rory used to live when he was a child.

R: I don't know about that.

M: No, but Rory, we should have a legend about you. Rory Duncan, the highlander, used to live in a Scottish castle, which was haunted by Scottish ghosts. Woo! You see, you are now much more interesting.

R: Am I?

M: Yeah. Well, you lived in a castle, when you were a child.

R: I did not live in a castle.

M: Yes, you did, you just don't remember it. Come on.

R: Could you imagine if I lived in a castle? Like, that's crazy.

M: Awesome, yeah.

R: I like that. Crazy-awesome is what you mean.

M: Yeah. You go to the exam and the examiner asks you, right, so let's talk about accommodation. Where did you leave, when you were a child? And you say, oh, in a Scottish castle.

R: Where do you live? I live in a castle.

M: I lived in a castle. And Rory would just say, yeah, I live in a flat, I live in a castle. Just you know, as if it's like normal. And most people live in castles.

R: No, no.

M: Dear listener, if you have any doubts about using an idiom in speaking, do not use it. Because if you misuse an idiom, if you make a mistake with an idiom, this would be very strange. This will be very strange. And the examiner will not be happy, okay? People should be responsible for protecting the environment. Factories should be responsible, the government should be responsible for doing something. And Rory used a nice collocation, a nice phrase here, this falls to everyone. So this responsibility falls to everyone, which means everyone is responsible.

R: Yes.

M: Yes, dear listener, and you too.

R: So if the responsibility falls to you, it's like you have no choice. It's yours, you can't get rid of it. Sorry.

M: And then we talk about governments. So careful, the government, but governments without the. Governments in the plural. Governments and businesses play a crucial role. An important role, a crucial role. So to play a crucial role in implementing policies, right? Again, implement introducing policies and practices. So like good, healthy. Healthy practices that protect natural resources.

R: Play a role, play a part. Oh, and also play a role in. It's got a preposition.

M: And then here Rory, as an educated native speaker, demonstrates his knowledge by saying polluter pays. So some... A principle, which is called polluter pays. I have no idea what he means. Rory, maybe you tell us? You educate us.

R: Polluter pays is just where you identify the source of the pollution and you make sure the costs of paying just deal with the pollution falls to that source. It's good because it means that... It's like... What's the best way of saying it? It's fair because it's the person or the people causing the problem that have to pay to deal with it. It's complicated and that sometimes identifying the source of the pollution is hard.

M: And another idiom here is we reap what we sow. So reap what we sow. Sow, we usually use it with plants. There we go. Seeds.

R: Yes. But it can also be used to talk about actions. So you sow, it's what you put out and you reap is the things that you get back. So it's like a way of saying, if you put out bad things into the world, then you get them back. And bad things happen to you.

M: And the actual idiom is, as you sow, so shall you reap. So, it's a bit, I don't know, literally saying.

R: It's a bit old.

M: Yeah, it's a bit old. But this is like the original version. But it's better to say that people reap what they sow. So you put something in the ground and then it grows and then you just take what you put in the ground, yeah? And we can talk about the weight of responsibility. This responsibility is quite heavy. And this weight, this heavy weight of being responsible for the environment. And we can all do our part to help. So everyone can do their part to help protect the environment. Hey.

R: Nice.

M: Sweet. Thank you very much for listening! We're going to get back to you in our new premium episode. Thank you for being with us. Thank you for listening and your attention. Bye!

R: Bye!

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