There is now little doubt that global warming and climate change are the result of human activity. This has happened because of a failure in environmental policy by governments and a lack of concern for wasted energy by individuals.

It is almost universally accepted that climate change is the consequence of a number of environmental failings. Perhaps the most important of these is how fossil fuels such as gas and coal are still the main source of power. This is a problem because their use means that a large amount of CO2 is released into the atmosphere causing the greenhouse effect. Another serious issue is how illegal logging continues in rainforests and the Amazon Basin in particular. It should also not be forgotten that there is a connection between global warming and the inefficient use of energy by consumers in the home.

While governments must take prime responsibility for reducing climate change, individuals too can play a part. Political leaders across the globe need to cooperate so that research into renewable forms of energy such as wind and solar power is properly funded and the use of coal and gas in power stations is phased out. They must also of course ensure that regulations against logging are properly enforced. Consumers of energy can help by insulating their homes properly and using solar panels where possible so that less energy is required and wasted. These actions should limit the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere and so reduce the greenhouse effect.

In conclusion, while global warming is a serious threat to humanity, there are a number of steps that can be taken to reduce its effects.

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Structure:

This is a two-part question. To answer it, you must write about both

the causes of climate change and

what can be done about it by both governments and individuals The sensible approach is to use separate paragraphs for each point. The essay below is divided into two main topic paragraphs. You could use three if you wanted to write a separate paragraph for government and individual actions.

Choosing the language
You should see that you need this language for the essay:
(1) climate change vocabulary
(2) cause and effect vocabulary
Political issue: There are many political issues in America such as women’s rights and immigration.
Climate crisis: There are many political issues in America such as women’s rights and immigration.
Global warming: Global warming is causing polar bears in the north and deep south to die.
Green consumer: Becoming a green consumer can help fix the climate crisis in the world.
Carbon emissions: Reducing our carbon emissions can slow down the effects of global warming on our planet.
Historical average: The temperatures have risen and beaten the historical average.

Current levels: The current levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are dangerously high.

Carbon footprint: Every person must reduce their carbon footprint by mindfully treating the environment better.

Climate solutions: There are many climate solutions that can help our planet, but we all must do our part to make a change.

• suggestion vocabulary

Don’t forget this. You have options here too. The mistake is to go “must” “must” “must”. English had lots of words for this. Think of

• should
• need
• can

It cannot be disputed that the world is experiencing an environmental crisis. According to recent research, if nothing is done to tackle climate change in the near future, our planet will face the devastating consequences of global warming. Undoubtedly, it is the role of governments and corporate organisations to take action, however I strongly feel that individuals need to make a contribution to deal with this pressing problem as well.

Politicians could certainly invest public finances in order to research the issues connected with climate change and, furthermore, could pass laws in relation to industrial pollution, which is making a major contribution to the greenhouse effect. Nevertheless, it requires constant pressure from citizens, either alone or in environmental pressure groups, on our leaders to make this happen. The general public can protest, lobby their politicians or vote for a political party who proposes introducing green policies if elected.

Similarly, corporate businesses should be adopting more sustainable working practices, for instance, by switching to more environmentally-friendly ways of manufacturing using renewable energy such as solar panels. Likewise, the individual as consumer can play a role here too, by refusing to purchase products which have been manufactured in a way that damages the environment.

It must also be acknowledged that individuals have a moral responsibility to care for our planet. For example, reducing consumption of fossil fuels whenever possible, becoming self-sufficient by growing their own vegetables and switching off lights when they are not needed. Although some of these actions may seem minor, the cumulative effect of everyone taking such actions would be enormous.

It is probably certainly the case that governments and international companies are the key players with responsibility for protecting our planet. Nonetheless, I am still convinced that ordinary people, either individually or cooperatively, can help to make the changes necessary to have a significant impact on our future.

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It is common for a student to take a gap-year in a foreign country or even work for a year prior to university. Whether a student should engage in travelling or working before embarking on a formal qualification has been a topic of debate for various years. Firstly, the advantages of such activities will be discussed, followed by all the economical disadvantages one encounters on such endeavours.

The benefits of resisting university for a year to travel or work open the students mind to new worlds, such as having responsibility at work or learning a new language abroad. Having spent a year in Australia prior to university I learnt how to look for work, become responsible with finances and other essential life skills such as cooking. Upon starting university various tasks such as money management and employment were second nature thus allowing more time for studies. Without having gone abroad university life would undoubtedly be more challenging.

The disadvantages are mainly cost related, the airfare, travel insurance, national insurance and personal living costs are large sums. However, finding another opportunity to go abroad is difficult once the pattern of normal life is resumed. In addition, it also an opportunity to experiment with different jobs before choosing a career at university. Therefore, there is a considerable advantage of taking a year out before higher education.

To conclude, the main disadvantages are the costs involved, however the benefits dramatically outweigh the disadvantages. Time should be spent wisely as it can never be recuperated unlike money which can be spent and earned. 

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Student and worker mobility are ever increasing trends, their drivers being either local circumstances or their desire and curiosity to explore. In the current economic climate, it has become more common to relocate. Although there are costs and cultural challenges, I believe the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages.

Firstly, there is the cost of having to move and possibly live in the new city without having secured work first. However, with careful planning such as organising work before arrival through the internet, and sound financial preparation these factors can be mitigated. For example, the Erasmus grant is a European funding facility to assist students who are interested in experiencing a semester in a foreign country. Once overcoming the financial hurdles, the migrant student or worker has opened the doors to a richer educational experience or an improved economic future than awaited at home.

Secondly there will undoubtedly be cultural challenges nevertheless these must be seen as an advantage to relocating. For example, overcoming a language barrier maybe painful at first however the long-term benefits of having learnt the language are incredible. This is another clear advantage of relocating away from one’s home town.

To conclude, with careful planning to reduce initial expenses the financial disadvantage can be drastically reduced. In addition, a second language and a cultural education are clearly greater than the cost of early challenges in a country. Due to these beneficial factors out numbering the drawbacks this trend can only continue to grow.

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The debate over a child’s moral education is difficult due to the various viewpoints each party holds. The question of discipline is exceptionally important, moreover whether to treat good behaviour with a neutral attitude or to just focus on correcting incorrect actions. My personal opinion is that any positive actions ought to be immediately recognised by the parent and vice versa for negative conduct. This balanced approach makes for a more positive outcome for both the child and family.

Firstly, rewarding a good act immediately signals a positive reaction in the child’s brain which should encourage the child to want to behave similar in the future. Failure to recognise such behaviour leaves the child with the same emotional feeling as if they had done nothing. Therefore, rewarding the child regularly for good behaviour enforces the action making it more likely to repeat itself in the future.

Secondly punishing the son or daughter is also necessary, failure to discipline could have serious consequences in the future. For example, if a child has no clear concept of respect for elders or authority it is quite possible to encounter more serious problems later in life. This pattern is prevalent in marginal neighbourhoods throughout the world. Therefore, it is essential to immediately discipline the child whenever witnessing an unruly act so as to enforce the correct behaviour from an early age.

To conclude both bad and good actions need to be recognised and dealt with immediately to correct or encourage the future actions. Failure to do either of these could result in a less fortunate life or a youth who rarely performs any good acts for anyone. Therefore, it is critical that both types of behaviour are recognised dealt with accordingly for the benefit of the child in the future.

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Over the last 30 years the West has witnessed the East strive for a larger ‘piece of the economic pie’, aiming for similar living standards to the EU and US. This has increased pressure on natural resources and prompted suggestions for governments to limit consumption. This idea is severely flawed because it reduces product safety and ‘building products to last would harm the poor.

Firstly, the suggestion that governments should discourage consumers from purchasing ‘up to date products’ would eliminate the opportunity to improve their safety. This is because as technology improves, new discoveries can be used to increase their utility. Take for example the car industry, here technology such as ABS brakes, air-bags, seat belts have all been derived from a constant flow of improvements. Therefore, if the authorities were permitted to limit purchases, car companies would be reluctant to invest in new features, and safety would never improve.

Secondly, it is true we are consuming more, through ever increasing populations, nevertheless, the argument that ‘products should be made to last’ is redundant. If products were built stronger, they would be more expensive. This would harm the less wealthy consumer, furthermore with modern technology these products can often be recycled at a later date anyway. Glass, plastic, paper, batteries, and even mobile phones are now collected to be re-purposed, reused and recycled. Therefore, durable products are unnecessary and would harm lower income demographics.

To conclude it is clear that if the public sector were allowed to discourage consumption it would harm product improvements and ultimately consumer safety. Meddling with product durability would most likely harm the poor. Therefore, I am strongly opposed to both of these notions.

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Commerce is without doubt the most essential type of assistance that can be given. If the lesser developed country has the opportunity to develop trade it will build strong capabilities to serve it for the long term. These strengths can develop the local economy and are more reliable than education or health. For example, while trading with the richer country the government can search for other foreign markets to trade with. This would offer more stability and diversification for the nation.

Commerce is without doubt the most essential type of assistance that can be given. If the lesser developed country has the opportunity to develop trade it will build strong capabilities to serve it for the long term. These strengths can develop the local economy and are more reliable than education or health. For example, while trading with the richer country the government can search for other foreign markets to trade with. This would offer more stability and diversification for the nation.

Biology is one of the most important areas of science due to its direct relationship to survival and health. Observing the rapid advances made, it has been suggested that it is presently the optimum time to be alive. I strongly agree with this affirmation for two reasons, firstly lives have been improved, and secondly risks have been reduced.

First, comparing life with a century ago it is possible to list new benefits available such as hospitals, doctors, medicines, diagnoses, donors, and transplants, all of which were extremely rare previously. Advances in the sciences have improved lives across society considerably. For example, consider an operation in France several years ago whereby a woman received a complete face transplant. This would be unthinkable in 1910, therefore, due to science her life has undoubtedly improved.

Secondly, health risks have fallen incredibly, so much so that it is possible to visit tropical countries which previously carried considerable dangers. This is because traditionally preventative measures such as vaccinations, immunisation and prescription tablets did not exist. In addition, over the last thirty years their cost has fallen rendering exotic travel available to almost anyone with the funds. Therefore, modern science has increased the opportunities and reduced the risks related to travel, there has been no parallel in history.

To conclude, I strongly agree that biology and improvements in science have increased people’s well-being and their opportunities to explore the world. This is undoubtedly the first time in history such situations have existed.

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Over centuries humans have experimented with many different chemicals, products, and processes, with the final aim of bettering our conditions. Testing products on animals most likely dates back centuries, however, in modern society it is a controversial point. Below is an outline of circumstances when it could be considered acceptable and unacceptable.

Firstly, it is clear that major advances in fighting disease, viruses and illnesses would not have been made without testing products on animals. This is because it is inhumane to test the products on healthy human beings, likewise using computer modelling to predict reactions is only a recent possibility and still not as reliable as testing on animals. Therefore, without experiments on animals, breakthroughs in medicine would have been impossible, and most would agree the price paid has been worth it.

Conversely, it could be argued that medical research carried out for mere cosmetic ends is undoubtedly not worth the lives of innocent animals. This is largely for two reasons, firstly a large body of research is said to have been built up previously from past experiments, and secondly there are alternatives such as dermatological testing or using natural ingredients. For example, retail chains such as Lush and The Body Shop have both made fortunes by positioning themselves as natural solutions against animal testing. Therefore, due to the end rationale for testing on animals, and the alternatives available, it is clear it is completely unjustifiable in this situation.

To conclude animal welfare can be side-stepped when the situation is threatening humans and computer alternatives are simply too premature. Nevertheless, when the research has rather fickle motives and viable alternatives do exist, in these cases the loss of animal’s lives in inexcusable.

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The world today uses more renewable energy than ever before since it contributes to the preservation of the environment and is economically sound; however, some argue that green energy could undermine the reliability of the global supply as a result of its dependency on climatic and meteorological phenomena. This essay will examine both views, but personally, I strongly advocate the adoption of renewable sources of energy.

On the one hand, opponents of renewables claim that the world could face disruptions to the power supply should they be fully adopted. This is largely due to the fact that many green energy technologies currently in use depend on changeable and unpredictable phenomena such as wind, rain and cloud cover. To take the fastest growing sector as an example, solar panels can only be used in the presence of strong and direct sunlight, and although the problem of directness has already been somewhat solved with moving panel arrays, a cloudy few days could still result in a blackout if we depended entirely on solar power; something that is unlikely to occur today given current oil stockpiles.

However, fossil fuels are a larger threat to energy security since they are certainly finite in quantity, whereas renewable energy is effectively infinite; once the Earth’s oil is depleted, there will be no energy security without green energy technologies. Furthermore, problems of unpredictability can be mitigated by improving battery technologies (to create a larger buffer), building more renewable energy generators (to increase supply during ideal conditions) and improving current technologies (to increase efficiency), such as in the moving solar panel example. Proponents of renewables therefore claim that they are the most economically sound option.

To conclude, while many may believe that green energy technologies are a threat to energy security, the fossil fuels they frequently promote are a greater threat, and renewables are in fact the only sound option, both economically and environmentally.

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With constant modifications in school curriculum and constant changes in society the question of whether to maintain or drop geography is an interesting topic. I believe there would be severe consequences if geography were to disappear, mainly due to the understanding and open-mindedness that is derived from such studies.

Firstly, with evermore complex geopolitical strategies being played out, it can be considered extremely valuable to have the ability to identify the location of these events without checking on a map. Religious and border conflicts are amongst the most common sources of news events, and a lack of knowledge as to where these events are being played out can be considered ignorant. For example, areas such as the Middle East are constantly in the news. Therefore, by being merely aware of their location in the world, readers or viewers can greatly increase their understanding of the conflict.

Secondly, making geography compulsory in the schools would most likely encourage students to travel later in life. This is because geography can bring to light options you may not have known existed previously. For example, historically England has been the top destination to learn English. However, in recent times students have learned about more economical options such as Malta or Ireland. Therefore, without a sound geographical knowledge of Europe, these options could have been overlooked.

To conclude, removing geography from the school curricula would reduce a student’s ability to fully assimilate global events in the media. Furthermore, removing the subject could indirectly reduce the amount of perceived options available to students.

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