This episode’s vocabulary
Revolutionary
adj — involving or causing a complete or dramatic change. → Taking small steps is good, but we need a revolutionary approach to tackle climate change.
Massive overhaul
n — a complete and radical change or renovation. → The education system doesn't need a massive overhaul to include environmental topics.
Conserve
v — to protect something, especially an environmentally or culturally important place or thing, from harm or destruction. → It's important to conserve what we have rather than using it all up.
Bear the burden
idiom — to accept or carry the responsibility for something difficult or unpleasant. → Companies should bear a greater part of the burden for protecting the environment.
Wreck
v — to destroy or damage something severely. → We must not wreck the planet with reckless waste and resource use.
Reckless
adj — showing a lack of care about danger and the possible results of your actions. → Reckless waste from factories is a major source of pollution.
Contamination
n — the action or state of making or being made impure by polluting or poisoning. → Water contamination is one of the most serious environmental problems we face.
Indispensable
adj — absolutely necessary; essential. → International cooperation is indispensable for solving environmental problems.
Collaborate
v — to work jointly on an activity, especially to produce or create something. → Countries need to collaborate to find effective solutions.
Overnight
adv — very quickly or suddenly. → We can't expect to solve these complex problems overnight.
Take the actions required
phrase — to do what is necessary in a particular situation. → The question is whether people will take the actions required to make a difference.
Questions and answers
What can ordinary people do in their everyday lives to help protect the environment?
Well, generally speaking, they could use less and be more mindful of their use of resources. That could be as simple as not boiling so much water for tea or coffee or double-siding paper when doing printing to save on the paper. Small steps really, nothing revolutionary.
Should schools teach children how to protect the environment?
I think it depends on how you see the role of schools, but at the point of them is to help train people to be responsible adults. Then part of that should probably include some input in terms of how to keep the planet safe, but that probably doesn't have to require a massive overhaul of the education system to achieve it.
Do you think most people now agree that protecting the environment is necessary?
Good question. I think the vast majority would agree it's important to protect the one planet we can survive on, since the opposite basically involves destroying it and ourselves in the process. I think the main issue is how do we achieve that? Is it by conserving what we have or developing it further to allow more efficient use?
In what ways can industries and businesses damage the environment?
All kinds of ways. The most obvious is through excessive pollution and waste being just piled into the environment to the extent that it starts to damage various systems like the water cycle or local biospheres by disrupting the animals and plants that make them viable. Individuals can also do this, but corporations make this happen at scale. So the damage done is probably more concentrated and widespread.
How much responsibility should companies have for protecting the environment?
Well, I think it's fairly easy to say they should bear a greater part of the burden compared to individuals, but that's proportionate, isn't it? Like I said, they're focal points of waste and pollution generation. So it makes sense to focus efforts there, rather than on individual people, which might fragment things quite a lot.
Do you agree that companies have to be environmentally friendly if they want to be successful today?
Well, it depends on how you define the conditions of success, doesn't it? If we mean making millions or billions and excessively high profits, then no, being environmentally friendly will not make that happen. I mean, it might even reduce the likelihood since it entails controlling resources and setting limits on production. But if you mean doing well enough to survive and not wreck the planet with reckless waste and resource use, then it will make them successful. Yes.
What are the most serious environmental problems facing the world today?
I'm not sure really. We hear so much about various crises taking place around the world and even on a global scale. However, since water is the thing that we need to live and supplies are either low, at risk of contamination or being contaminated, then I'd say that's probably the big one to address first before we do anything else.
How important is international cooperation in solving environmental problems?
Well, it's indispensable. You need to collaborate. Otherwise, the alternative is just countries taking unilateral action in each other's territory. And I think that's basically a precursor to or an actual condition of being at war with each other, which would just worsen various things going wrong.
Will scientists find solutions to even the most serious environmental problems?
Well, I feel like they have. The question is, are people going to be reasonable enough to actually take the actions required? We have access to nuclear power, which can solve our energy demands basically overnight, but because of so many instances where people have been irresponsible and not done the right thing, that solution is politically and socially non-viable. So, it's not a question of technological solutions. It's more about people just doing the right thing and being responsible, and then all of our problems would be solved.