| global warming /ˌɡləʊbl ˈwɔːmɪŋ/ | the slow rise in the Earth's temperature | Global warming is melting the ice at the North Pole. |
| fossil fuels /ˈfɒsl ˌfjuːəlz/ | coal, oil and gas, burned for energy | Cars that run on petrol use fossil fuels. |
| flood /flʌd/ | a lot of water covering land that is usually dry | After days of rain, there was a flood in the town centre. |
| drought /draʊt/ | a long time with no rain | The drought lasted months and the rivers dried up. |
| heatwave /ˈhiːtweɪv/ | a period of unusually hot weather | During the heatwave it was 42 degrees for a week. |
| solar panel /ˌsəʊlə ˈpænl/ | a flat object that turns sunlight into electricity | We put a solar panel on the roof to make our own electricity. |
| plastic waste /ˌplæstɪk ˈweɪst/ | bottles, bags and other plastic that people throw away | The beach was covered in plastic waste after the storm. |
| carbon footprint /ˌkɑːbən ˈfʊtprɪnt/ | how much CO2 your activities produce | Flying less is one way to reduce your carbon footprint. |
| wildfire /ˈwaɪldfaɪə/ | a fire that spreads quickly through forests | The wildfire burned thousands of trees in the hills. |
| sea level /ˈsiː ˌlevl/ | the average height of the sea | Rising sea levels could put coastal cities under water. |