Talking about Environment: English Vocabulary List

the theory that Earth's living and non-living components form a self-regulating system, maintaining conditions for life

"The gaia hypothesis suggests the Earth acts like a single living organism."

"The Gaia theory proposes that living organisms interact with their inorganic surroundings to form a self-regulating system that maintains the conditions for life on the planet."

an evaluation of an organization's processes and policies to assess its environmental impact and adherence to environmental regulations

"The school conducted a green audit."

"A green audit assesses a company's environmental impact and recommends ways to reduce waste and pollution."

a large geographic biotic unit characterized by similar climate, vegetation, and animal life

"A biome is a large ecological area."

"The Amazon rainforest is the largest tropical biome on Earth, home to countless species."

the process of capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide to mitigate global warming

"Carbon sequestration captures carbon dioxide from the air."

"Carbon sequestration is the long-term capture and storage of atmospheric carbon dioxide in carbon sinks like forests"

crops, such as legumes or cover crops, grown and then plowed under to enrich the soil with organic matter and nutrients

"Farmers plant green manure to put nutrients back into the soil naturally."

"Green manure is a cover crop grown specifically to be plowed back into the soil"

a strip of undeveloped land, often planted with vegetation, designed for recreational use, pedestrian and bicycle paths, and environmental preservation

"The greenway is a walking path."

"We rented bicycles and rode along the greenway that connects the park to the city center."

the deceptive practice of promoting products or policies as environmentally friendly when they are not

"The company was accused of greenwashing for pretending to be eco-friendly."

"Greenwashing is the deceptive practice of a company spending more on marketing itself as environmentally responsible than on actually minimizing its ecological impact."

the practice of restoring natural ecosystems and reintroducing native species to areas from which they have been extirpated

"Rewilding brings nature back to land."

"The ambitious rewilding project aims to restore the natural balance of the ecosystem by reintroducing wolves and beavers."

a protected route or habitat that connects isolated populations, allowing animals to move freely and safely between habitats

"A wildlife corridor lets animals travel safely between two patches of forest."

"A wildlife corridor is a protected strip of habitat connecting two larger reserves"

the guilt associated with flying due to its environmental impact, especially carbon emissions

"Flight shame discourages air travel."

"Flight shame is a social movement encouraging people to avoid air travel due to its high carbon footprint"

an environmental policy where companies are allocated emission limits, and those emitting below their limits can sell their extra allowances to higher emitters

"Cap and trade limits carbon emissions through permits."

"The government introduced a cap and trade system to reduce industrial pollution by limiting emissions."