Talk about English - Webcast

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Climate change Thursday, April 26, 2007

Download the Climate change Word Facts mp3 (134 k)

Vocabulary from the webcast

global warming
human-caused increase in the global temperature. Scientists prefer to use the term 'climate change' because some parts of the world may become colder rather than warmer

the greenhouse effect
an increase in the amount of carbon dioxide and other gases in the atmosphere which the majority of scientists think causes global warming

carbon footprint
an individual's or organisation's total output of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases caused by their everyday actions

carbon offsetting
the process of reducing the carbon emissions of an individual or organization by investing in projects which reduce the output of carbon dioxide. A person may 'offset' the carbon dioxide output of a flight by paying for some trees to be planted