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Topic Vocabulary

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Environment & Climate

Essential vocabulary for IELTS essays on climate change, pollution, conservation, and sustainability.

15 essential words example levels per word60+ collocations

15 / 15 words

01

sustainability

noun

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Definition

The ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level without depleting natural resources or causing long-term damage.

Examples across all levels

Foundation

We need to think about sustainability when we use natural resources.

Intermediate

The government has introduced new policies to promote environmental sustainability in the manufacturing sector.

Band 9

Without a systemic commitment to ecological sustainability, short-term economic gains risk precipitating irreversible damage to the natural systems upon which human civilisation depends.

Common collocations

environmental sustainabilitylong-term sustainabilitypromote sustainabilitysustainability goals
02

emissions

noun (plural)

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Definition

Gases and pollutants, particularly greenhouse gases, released into the atmosphere as a result of industrial processes, transportation, and energy generation.

Examples across all levels

Foundation

Cars produce emissions that are bad for the air.

Intermediate

Many countries have pledged to cut carbon emissions by 50% before 2030 to combat global warming.

Band 9

Unless industrialised nations drastically curtail greenhouse gas emissions within the next decade, the IPCC projects that average global temperatures will exceed the critical 1.5°C threshold.

Common collocations

carbon emissionsreduce emissionsemissions targetsgreenhouse gas emissions
03

deforestation

noun

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Definition

The large-scale removal of forests, typically to clear land for agriculture, urban development, or commercial logging.

Examples across all levels

Foundation

Deforestation destroys the homes of many animals.

Intermediate

Rapid deforestation in the Amazon basin is threatening biodiversity and accelerating global climate change.

Band 9

The accelerating rate of tropical deforestation not only decimates irreplaceable biodiversity but also undermines the carbon sequestration capacity that is indispensable to any viable climate stabilisation strategy.

Common collocations

tropical deforestationcombat deforestationdeforestation ratesillegal deforestation
04

biodiversity

noun

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Definition

The variety of plant and animal life in the world or in a particular habitat, considered in terms of its contribution to ecosystem health.

Examples across all levels

Foundation

The rainforest has a lot of biodiversity because many different animals live there.

Intermediate

Scientists warn that current extinction rates are catastrophic for global biodiversity.

Band 9

The ongoing erosion of biodiversity, driven by habitat destruction, climate change, and unsustainable agricultural practices, threatens to unravel the ecological interdependencies that sustain life on Earth.

Common collocations

protect biodiversityloss of biodiversitymarine biodiversitybiodiversity hotspot
05

renewable energy

noun phrase

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Definition

Energy from naturally replenishing sources such as solar, wind, tidal, and geothermal power that do not deplete finite reserves.

Examples across all levels

Foundation

Solar panels use renewable energy from the sun to make electricity.

Intermediate

Investing in renewable energy is seen as the most effective strategy for reducing dependence on fossil fuels.

Band 9

A rapid and equitable transition to renewable energy infrastructure is not merely an environmental imperative but an economic opportunity that could generate millions of jobs in emerging green industries.

Common collocations

invest in renewable energytransition to renewable energyrenewable energy sourcesrenewable energy capacity
06

pollution

noun

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Definition

The introduction of harmful substances or contaminants into the natural environment, causing adverse changes.

Examples across all levels

Foundation

Factories cause a lot of air pollution.

Intermediate

Urban air pollution has been linked to a significant increase in respiratory diseases, particularly among children.

Band 9

Particulate matter pollution in many megacities now constitutes a public health emergency of the first order, shortening life expectancy and placing disproportionate burdens on the most economically vulnerable populations.

Common collocations

air pollutionwater pollutionplastic pollutionreduce pollutionpollution levels
07

conservation

noun

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Definition

The protection, preservation, and sustainable management of the natural environment and wildlife.

Examples across all levels

Foundation

Conservation means protecting animals and nature.

Intermediate

Wildlife conservation efforts in Kenya have helped the elephant population recover over the past two decades.

Band 9

Effective conservation of threatened species requires not merely the establishment of protected reserves but also the active engagement of local communities whose traditional land rights and livelihoods are inextricably linked to ecosystem health.

Common collocations

wildlife conservationconservation effortsconservation policymarine conservation
08

carbon footprint

noun phrase

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Definition

The total amount of greenhouse gases generated by an individual's, organisation's, or product's activities, expressed in equivalent tonnes of carbon dioxide.

Examples across all levels

Foundation

Driving a car makes your carbon footprint bigger.

Intermediate

Many companies are now measuring their carbon footprint as part of their corporate sustainability reporting.

Band 9

While individual efforts to reduce one's carbon footprint are commendable, systemic change — through regulatory frameworks and corporate accountability — is required to achieve the scale of decarbonisation that climate science demands.

Common collocations

reduce carbon footprintcarbon footprint calculatorindividual carbon footprint
09

ecological

adjective

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Definition

Relating to the relationships between organisms and their environment, or to the long-term health of natural ecosystems.

Examples across all levels

Foundation

Plastic bags are very bad for the ecological health of the oceans.

Intermediate

The dam project raised serious ecological concerns about the disruption of river habitats downstream.

Band 9

An ecological perspective reveals that the apparent economic benefits of intensive resource extraction frequently mask severe and long-term costs that are simply externalised onto future generations and non-human species.

Common collocations

ecological damageecological balanceecological footprintecological crisis
10

fossil fuels

noun phrase

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Definition

Natural fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas, formed from the remains of ancient organisms and combusted to generate energy — releasing stored carbon dioxide.

Examples across all levels

Foundation

Oil and coal are fossil fuels that cause pollution when they are burned.

Intermediate

The world's dependency on fossil fuels is the primary driver of human-caused climate change.

Band 9

The global economy's structural dependency on fossil fuels represents a formidable barrier to meaningful climate action, one that can only be overcome through coordinated international policy, massive clean-energy investment, and a fundamental rethinking of growth-centred economic paradigms.

Common collocations

burn fossil fuelsdependence on fossil fuelsfossil fuel subsidiesphasing out fossil fuels
11

ecosystem

noun

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Definition

A biological community of interacting organisms together with the physical environment in which they live.

Examples across all levels

Foundation

A forest ecosystem includes trees, animals, insects, and the soil they all share.

Intermediate

Coral reef ecosystems are among the most biologically diverse on the planet but also the most threatened by rising sea temperatures.

Band 9

The integrity of marine ecosystems, sustained over millennia by delicate biochemical equilibria, is being unravelled within the space of a single human generation by industrial pollution and ocean acidification.

Common collocations

fragile ecosystemmarine ecosystemecosystem servicespreserve ecosystems
12

global warming

noun phrase

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Definition

The long-term heating of Earth's surface due to human activities, primarily the burning of fossil fuels.

Examples across all levels

Foundation

Global warming makes the weather hotter and the ice melt.

Intermediate

Without urgent intervention, global warming is projected to displace hundreds of millions of people from coastal regions.

Band 9

The political response to global warming has been characterised by a structural mismatch between the multi-decadal timescales of climate science and the short electoral cycles within which national policy is forged.

Common collocations

combat global warmingglobal warming thresholdaccelerate global warmingeffects of global warming
13

carbon neutral

adjective phrase

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Definition

Achieving net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by balancing emitted carbon with an equivalent amount removed or offset.

Examples across all levels

Foundation

Some companies are trying to become carbon neutral by planting many trees.

Intermediate

Several major nations have pledged to become carbon neutral by mid-century, though credible pathways remain contested.

Band 9

Genuine carbon neutrality demands not merely accounting parity between emissions and offsets, but a structural reconfiguration of energy, transport, and agricultural systems that current political institutions are ill-equipped to deliver.

Common collocations

become carbon neutralcarbon neutral by 2050carbon neutral economycarbon neutral target
14

habitat destruction

noun phrase

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Definition

The process by which natural habitats become unable to support the species present, often due to human activity.

Examples across all levels

Foundation

When we cut down forests, we cause habitat destruction for many animals.

Intermediate

Habitat destruction driven by agricultural expansion is the leading cause of species extinction worldwide.

Band 9

Habitat destruction represents the single most powerful driver of contemporary biodiversity collapse, surpassing even climate change in the immediacy of its biological consequences.

Common collocations

widespread habitat destructionhabitat destruction and fragmentationprevent habitat destructionhabitat loss
15

single-use plastics

noun phrase

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Definition

Plastic items designed to be used only once before being discarded, such as straws, bags, and packaging.

Examples across all levels

Foundation

Plastic straws and bags are single-use plastics that pollute the ocean.

Intermediate

Many cities have introduced bans on single-use plastics to reduce marine pollution.

Band 9

Banning single-use plastics, while symbolically important, addresses only the visible fraction of a far broader systemic dependence on petrochemical-derived materials throughout modern consumer economies.

Common collocations

ban single-use plasticsphase out single-use plasticsreduce single-use plasticssingle-use plastic waste

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