友人と会話していたときに、海外のサイトやYouTubeのチャンネルを紹介してくれたんだけど、やっぱ英語わかっているといいなって思いました。
コツコツがんばります。
【単語】
amphibians・・・両生類
reptiles・・・爬虫類
tumultuous ・・・騒々しい
【教材】
Animal Extinction Is Threatening Our Existence
Places on earth rich with wildlife have been so heavily impacted by humans that hundreds of wild animals are facing extinction. Human activities like poaching and logging have pushed 500 birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians to the brink of extinction.
Scientists argue that the world is undergoing its sixth mass extinction. Species are disappearing at more than 100 times the natural rate, and we have only ourselves to blame.
Professor Gerardo Ceballos of the National University of Mexico in Mexico City said, "We have entered the sixth mass extinction. Based on our research and what we're seeing, the extinction crisis is so bad that whatever we do in the next 10 to 50 years is what will define the future of humanity."
Professor Ceballos worked with two other well-known scientists from the US, and they identified at least 515 species that have fewer than 1000 individuals remaining in each species, putting them at the brink of extinction. These species include the Spanish Imperial Eagle, the Ethiopian Wolf, and the Green Poison Tree Frog.
The scientists say that even though this loss of biodiversity is ignored by most people, they have a “moral imperative” to draw people’s attention to the problem.
The extinction crisis that we face, along with climate change and pollution to which it is tied, is an existential threat to civilization. Professor Diana Fisher of the University of Queensland, Australia, said, "I agree with the authors that this extinction crisis needs to be elevated to an emergency equal to climate change."
Professor Euan Ritchie of Deakin University in Australia agreed, saying that the study "is yet more dire confirmation that we are destroying life at a horrific pace and scale."
Sixty-six million years ago, the collision of a space rock with the Earth killed off many species, including dinosaurs. The current rate of extinction of species is higher than at any time since then.
Greta Thunberg: Climate Change, Coronavirus, and Black Lives Matter
Greta Thunberg believes that climate change needs to be treated with a similar urgency as the coronavirus and social issues like Black Lives Matter. “People are starting to realize that we cannot keep looking away from these things. We cannot keep sweeping these injustices under the carpet,” she said.
In the text of a program made for Swedish Radio, Greta reflected on the tumultuous year she spent as a 16-year-old campaigning for the climate, becoming one of the world’s most high-profile celebrities and delivering her famous “how dare you” speech at the United Nations.
Looking back, Greta told the BBC, “All that’s left are empty words. The level of knowledge and understanding even among people in power is very, very low, much lower than you would think.”
She believes the leaders of developing countries don’t have the nerve to make enough fundamental changes on a scale necessary to reduce emissions. She feels that the language has been so degraded, misused, and weakened that words like green, sustainable, net-zero, environmentally friendly, organic, and fossil-free have lost their meanings.
Greta says the coronavirus could have one positive effect if it changes the way we deal with global crises. She feels that the current initiatives will only be “catastrophic” and that temperatures will still rise by 3 to 4 degrees. She believes that tearing up contracts and abandoning existing deals that companies and countries have signed up for is the only way to avoid a climate crisis.
She says that she has been inspired by the way people have been responding to injustices like Black Lives Matter. In her words, “Doing our best is no longer good enough. We must now do the seemingly impossible. And that is up to you and me. Because no one else will do it for us.”
Yes, I think individuals can help in fighting climate change.
There are two reasons.
First, we can make environmentally friendly choices. For example, we can reduce the amount of pollution we cause, reuse bags and bottles instead of using plastic, and recycle things instead of creating waste.
Second, people can influence decisions made by businesses and governments. For example, individuals can give feedback to businesses and can choose the politicians that represent them.
