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Science and Technology: Conservation, List 2

Prepare for the IELTS exam with this list of words related to conservation.
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Full list of words from this list:

  1. catastrophic
    extremely harmful; bringing physical or financial ruin
    If climate change reaches 2°C higher than pre-industrial levels, the level of death it will unleash would be catastrophic, according to research published in the scientific journal Energies. Salon
  2. crisis
    an unstable situation of extreme danger or difficulty
    The water crisis refers to a global situation where people in many areas lack access to sufficient water, clean water, or both. Environmental Biology
  3. critical
    being in or verging on a state of crisis or emergency
    Sadly, all these species are facing a critical threat of extinction and are listed as Critically Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Salon
  4. decline
    a gradual decrease
    The main reason behind the decline of orangutan populations is habitat destruction and fragmentation due to illegal logging, agriculture and palm oil plantations. Salon
  5. deplete
    use up, as resources or materials
    According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, overfishing and habitat destruction have depleted more than one third of global fish stocks. Scientific American
  6. devastate
    cause extensive destruction or ruin utterly
    Elsewhere in Spain, extreme weather events devastated melon, watermelon and citrus crops. Scientific American
  7. deforestation
    the removal of trees
    “Illegal deforestation makes it worse. Land that has been cleared for development—cattle grazing, clearing for lumber—increases the likelihood of burning. Another stress.” Paradise on Fire
  8. disaster
    an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
    An analysis of federal disaster declarations for weather-related events puts more data behind the fears—the average number of disaster declarations has skyrocketed since 2000 to nearly twice that of the preceding 20-year period. Scientific American
  9. disastrous
    having extremely unfortunate or dire consequences
    It warned that failure to act immediately would have disastrous consequences for national food and water supply, fisheries stock, physical infrastructure, cities, oil and gas and industrial assets. Salon
  10. dwindle
    become smaller or lose substance
    The drought has caused the region’s water reservoirs to dwindle, and authorities have restricted the irrigation on which many groves depend. Scientific American
  11. eradicate
    destroy completely, as if down to the roots
    If we knew how many species we’ve already eradicated, we might be more motivated to protect those that still survive. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
  12. expend
    use up or consume fully
    He seemed almost embarrassed of his own life on earth—the space he occupied; the resources he expended—and constantly sought new ways to offset what he viewed as his cost. The Guardian
  13. irreparable
    impossible to rectify or amend
    For instance, as early as 1977, Exxon's own scientists were warning managers that fossil fuel use would warm the planet and cause irreparable damage. Salon
  14. irreplaceable
    impossible to substitute for
    Such a nature-positive future would ensure we have the healthy ecosystems we need to support both human and nonhuman life within a stable climate on our irreplaceable planet. Scientific American
  15. irreversible
    incapable of being turned around
    Many Indigenous leaders have spoken about how planetary health and the health of Indigenous people and communities are intertwined, becoming ever more important as the world experiences irreversible damage caused by climate change. Salon
  16. pervasive
    spreading or spread throughout
    The bad news is that—while humans are not literally eating credit cards—the problem of plastic pollution is so pervasive that, in one sense, we might as well be eating them. Salon
  17. repercussion
    a remote or indirect consequence of some action
    If that circulation changes, the repercussions could be devastating for all life on Earth: food chain disruptions, weather patterns drastically changing, and ocean life finding itself suddenly unbalanced. Salon
  18. strain
    an intense or violent exertion
    Ocean ecosystems are already under mounting strain from acidification, plastic pollution and coral extinction. The Seattle Times
  19. tax
    use or strain to the limit; make excessive demands on
    The paws become less coordinated and their higher muscle groups are taxed beyond their natural capacity. Salon
  20. unprecedented
    novel; having no earlier occurrence
    Climate change is "a 'new abnormal' and it is now playing out in real time—the impacts of climate change are upon us in the form of unprecedented, dangerous extreme weather events," Dr. Michael E. Mann, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, told Salon in July. Salon
Created on Thu Jul 27 14:28:23 EDT 2023 (updated Fri Sep 08 12:41:41 EDT 2023)

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