The Academic Language of Climate Change: An Introduction for Students and Non-native Speakers

This chapter provides an overview of climate change and its impacts and outlines some of the challenges that need to be considered in order to address them.

Agriculture is a sector highly dependent on climate, and thus it will experience multiple impacts from climate change. In contrast, agriculture is also one of the main contributors of climate change, emitting greenhouse gases, mainly related to land use, fertiliser application and livestock production. Higher temperature and atmospheric CO₂ concentration, changes in precipitation patterns and more frequent extreme weather events are expected to have a negative impact on crop productivity, water and soil resources. Coordinated mitigation and adaptation practices have to be a worldwide priority in order to maintain productivity levels and food production.

This chapter focusses on the interaction between climate change and tourism. It is divided into three main sections. The first one describes in a useful and understandable way the contribution of touristic activities to climate change on the one hand, and the vulnerability of tourism to direct and indirect impacts of climate change on the other hand. The second one presents in brief the main points of mitigation policies that aim to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in the tourism sector. Furthermore, it highlights adaptation measures that aim to implement the suitable policies, so that the adverse effects of climate change can be addressed. The third section provides a set of reading comprehension, grammar and vocabulary exercises that aim to practice the skills needed to effectively access a relevant text.

Climate change causes unprecedented changes in the environment, ecology, economy and health of the population and presents new challenges in protecting workers from occupational hazards. It affects the safety and health of workers worldwide. Many employees in various industries and business sectors face dangers due to rapid climate change. This chapter is structured in three distinct parts. There is a detailed report on climate change factors and any possible hazards or health issues threatening workers in the first part. Furthermore, it reports strategies that can reduce the risk of work-related illnesses and injuries from climate change. The second part provides the necessary vocabulary related to climate change and the health and safety of workers. Finally, the third and last part includes a variety of exercises aiming to consolidate further the terms mentioned above to improve the grammatical and syntactical skills of students.

Climate change is shaping up to be one of the greatest challenges of the century. Although research has focussed a lot on its generating factors, there has not been much talk about the role of gender in the development and intensity of the phenomenon. While there is significant research on ecofeminism, much less interest has been shown in how certain masculinities influence environmental issues. The chapter has three main sections. The first examines the correlation between gender and climate change while the second provides a glossary of the most important terms used in the first section. Finally, the third provides a wide range of exercises aiming to improve students’ skills in grammar, vocabulary and syntax.

This chapter delves into adaptation options broadly classified as structural/physical, institutional and social. Building upon these, it focusses on adaptation forms: autonomous versus planned, reactive versus proactive, short run versus long run, private versus public and incremental versus transformational. In doing so, it draws attention to the complexity of climate change adaptation.

This chapter has two focal points. First, it concentrates on the increasing impact of climate change on human mobility, emphasising the most vulnerable regions and populations. Second, it introduces the concept of ‘nexus dynamics’, which primarily refers to the entanglement of climate change and disasters with political, economic and social factors.

The chapter highlights the necessity to develop interventions for the mitigation of climate change (CC) and to provide CC education as one of the cornerstones of climate action. Although a mandatory environmental protection course has been included in all study programmes of higher education institutions in Latvia, they have considerable autonomy in implementing CC education content across the curriculum. It is important that training programmes on CC are designed considering the target groups’ background knowledge and labour market needs due to the highly interdisciplinary content, rapidly changing concepts and emerging new terminology.

Although fossil fuels have been used to produce energy since approximately 1850, emissions resulting from fossil fuel-based energy production are closely associated with the increase in global mean temperature, which, in turn, has affected the climate. As a result of climate change, ecosystems and humans are already experiencing adverse effects such as prolonged heat waves and extreme droughts. A realistic approach to the mitigation of climate change is the deployment of renewable energy sources; that is, naturally replenishing sources such as wind and sun, which can produce infinite energy with significantly lower emissions, compared to fossil fuels. In order to help students understand the intricate relationship between climate change and energy, this chapter presents significant information and provides exercises which help students practice their knowledge and language skills.

Climate change is not only an environmental but also a mental issue. Due to a new expansion in media interest on eco-anxiety or ‘solastalgia’, the chapter intends to examine the multi-faceted nature of the concept within the recently developing area of environmental psychology. Remediation activities are likewise examined as means that can guarantee individual and societal health when combined with dynamic cooperation in endeavours for climate change alleviation.

Climate change can affect public and individual health through many causal pathways. Climate impacts such as meteorological phenomena, extreme weather, disturbances of air quality, impact of environmental contaminants and other risk factors such as sanitation and access to clean water can affect health both directly and indirectly. Notable findings of health outcomes include infectious diseases, mortality through extreme environmental patterns as well as respiratory, cardiovascular and neurological disorders. Temperature and humidity are most often related etiologically with outcomes as mentioned above. Nevertheless, temperature is associated with adverse nutritional outcomes, skin diseases and allergies. A thorough overview of the research already conducted with regard to health impacts of climate change is crucial in order to move human behaviours towards sustainability in energy, mitigation and adaptation responses that support climate and consequently health.

This chapter deals with the impacts of climate change over food production and safety at every level, agriculture–aquaculture–livestock system–consumers, and attempts to propose possible solutions.

Unprecedented changes in the planet’s climate have taken place in recent years. Global warming is causing increased and, in some cases, irreversible changes in rainfall, oceans and winds in all parts of the world. However, the course of events can be reversed with the help of people and forests. Forest ecosystems play a critical role in mitigating the phenomenon of climate change, reducing its negative effects. Forests are the main source of life on our planet, providing multiple benefits of unique importance to the environment and humans. Besides, for this reason, the majority of countries of our planet in the Paris Agreement (2015) are committed to take action to mitigate climate change, supporting forest ecosystems. However, nowadays, forests are facing many serious problems. The most important issue is deforestation, which is the cause of further environmental problems. For this reason, there is an urgent need for sustainable management of forest ecosystems in order to tackle these problems effectively and to ensure that future generations will enjoy the benefits of forests. In order to achieve this, education has a key role, as environmental knowledge will be transferred through the school and environmental education.

Climate change is expected to affect people’s psychological well-being. Worldwide research indicates that humans need to interact with nature and its ecosystems to enhance cognitive, emotional, spiritual, and aesthetic development, in conjunction with art.

This chapter is structured in three distinct parts. The first part provides a detailed report on climate change and its impact on the everyday life of citizens. Furthermore, it attempts to link the development of art from rubbish and recyclable materials, as a way of awakening citizens to tackle climate change. The second part provides the necessary vocabulary related to climate change and trash art. Finally, the third and last parts include a variety of exercises aiming to further consolidate the terms mentioned in the text, in order to improve the grammatical and syntactical skills of students.

Systems thinking is a comprehensive approach to analysis and problem solving that examines the relationship between different parts of a system and the environment in which the system operates. Climate change and environmental issues directly affect humanitarian activities, and the impacts can threaten people’s lives and livelihoods. This chapter provides an overview of how the systems thinking approach can integrate with impact assessment techniques to determine the effects of climate change on organisations. An illustrated case of the internal and external interactions of a small vegetable farm is presented, along with an exercise of assessing the impact of climate change on organisations.

Climate change and crucial environmental issues, such as global warming, soil degradation and water pollution have incited concern over the natural environment and have provoked both government and individual interventions in order to amplify constructive actions for environmental protection and restoration. Food is considered to be one of the most impactful consumption domains that substantially contribute to the overall carbon footprint. This chapter discusses the incentives and interventions oriented to support the transition to more sustainable agro-food systems. Furthermore, it provides a broader picture of stakeholders’ perceptions and adaptation to climate change uncertainties, as well as how climate change is perceived by consumers and how this may affect their food patterns, turning them to a more sustainable direction. Finally, a vocabulary of climate-related terms and a set of various exercises are presented, aiming to enhance students’ learning and critical thinking skills in the key role of the agro-food systems in climate change, sustainable development and environmental security.

In many parts of the globe, drought is becoming frequent and severe. Drought is related to water and for that reason, this chapter begins by describing the movement of water on planet earth. In a second phase, the drought concept is defined and the different types of drought are identified. At the end, the impacts and the relationship between climate change and drought are described.

Climate change is a global threat that now concerns a large proportion of scientists. Its effects on many areas of human activity are significant. One of these areas is the employment and working conditions of employees. Many jobs are threatened by extreme weather events, and global warming has a significant impact on labour productivity and income distribution. Job losses are expected in the future in many occupational sectors, such as agriculture and tourism in countries that are more exposed to global warming. In addition, the various extreme weather events will have a significant impact on the health and safety of workers working mainly outdoors, such as in the construction sector. In contrast, new jobs are expected to be created related to the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, but also agriculture in some countries due to climate change and the possibilities that lead to the creation of new crops. This chapter consists of two sections. The first examines the changes observed in the field of employment due to climate change, while the second provides some exercises aimed at understanding the concepts and improving the vocabulary, grammatical and syntactic skills of readers.

The aim of this chapter is to present the various and multifaceted effects that climate change has on tourism and investigate the paradox in which (1) the more the tourism industry flourishes, the more it intensifies climate change and (2) the more climate change is intensified, the more the tourism industry goes in decline. The chapter then aims to provide a suggestion for a viable solution that can mitigate the devastating effects of tourism on the environment, and effectively on itself, so that tourism and the environment can both flourish in harmony.

Drawing from recent research on the West African country the Gambia, the proposed chapter illustrates the interactions between climate change and land use and management in a developing country and, in addition, explores the drivers of national climate change impacts on agriculture and other land uses.

Climate change is one of the most important problems of our time. This is evident both from the scientific research on the subject but also the mitigation and adaptation policies which have been applied to address the issue. This chapter looks at the present and future consequences of climate change on forest ecosystems of the Mediterranean.

There is no doubt that global climate change poses a threat to human health in a number of ways. Globally, 23% of all deaths in 2012 were attributed to the environment and an additional 250,000 potential deaths per year from 2030 to 2050 due to the effects of climate change. Heat waves, storms, droughts and floods pose an immediate risk of infectious diseases in humans. Temperature affects the survival rates of pathogens. Some populations and some areas are more vulnerable to infectious diseases due to their lack of ability to respond effectively to the stresses of high temperatures. Excessive rainfall could cause sewage to overflow and promote the onset and spread of infectious diseases ranging in severity from mild gastroenteritis to life-threatening illnesses such as cholera, dysentery and other diseases. Infectious diseases are a category of health problems that are particularly affected by climate change. Infections that occur are air-borne, water-borne and zoonotic. They are affected by the increase of the temperature, but also by the increase of the viral load in the water due to changes in the rainfall. Transmission can also take place through the migration of environmental refugees. Such an important topic could be the subject for students learning English. The purpose of this study will be to highlight the association of climate change with infectious-communicable diseases in order to take action and to create the structure by which students could learn English by studying these definitions.

In the sixth Assessment Report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change focussed on five scenarios for the future of climate change. The use of scenarios makes possible the exploration of different possible evolutions of human societies and their consequences for the climate. Studying a range of futures can help governments and societies make the right decisions.