Sea levels rose more than scientists expected last year

We knew that global sea levels were rising, but recent developments have surprised even the scientists. 

Words:

• To hone in on something is to focus and work hard on it.
• The energy transition is the process of moving from fossil fuels to renewable, environmentally friendly energy sources such as solar and wind energy.
• The phrase greenhouse gas emissions refers to the release of gases into the air that keep heat in our atmosphere, and cause global warming. 
• An excess is something you have too much of.
• When something has significant or important effects, it’s described at consequential – it has consequences. 
• A precarious situation is a dangerous or uncertain situation.
• To supress is to prevent something from happening, or to make it really difficult.

Video:

Watch the video from 00:00-01:49.

1. How much did global sea levels rise by last year, and how much were they expected to rise by?

2. The speaker Henna Hundal explains that the sea levels have risen more than expected and then asks the question “Why does this matter?”. Which two answers does she give?

A: The ocean produces a lot of the Earth’s greenhouse gases.

B: We didn’t know the sea levels were rising before.

C: The rise in sea levels is caused by thermal expansion, which is when ocean water warms up from absorbing heat from the atmosphere. 

D: The warmer the ocean water gets, the quicker the water moves. 

E: When the ocean water is too warm, it’s harder for the ocean to absorb the greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. 

F: The rate at which the water is rising is becoming faster.  

3. Henna Hundal talks about the climate situation in 2024. Fill in the correct phrases. 

greenhouse gases – hottest – clean energy economy – policies – energy transition – thermal expansion – sea levels

[…] have made the Earth’s atmosphere warmer. This excess heat has caused […], which is when oceans absorb this heat. This phenomenon is thought to be one of the main reasons for the rise in […]. Throughout the world, 2024 was the […] year on record. Now is the time to focus on […] to take steps in the […], so that we can move towards having a […].

Watch from 01:49 to the end of the video.

4. Henna Hundal discusses the current political situation around climate change, and what is being done to fight it. Which two of the following statements are true, according to her?

A: Two thirds of melting glaciers and ice sheets can be recovered if people intervene.

B: Countries need to work together to achieve climate goals. 

C: The US cancelled the most recent intergovernmental panel on climate change.

D: Trump took the US out of the Paris Climate agreement during both his first and his second presidency.

E: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has issued the most consequential regulations to combat climate change since President Biden was in office.

5. Why does Henna Hundal call it “fascinating” that China has been taking the lead in clean energy technology?

A: Because during the UN Climate Change Conference in 2021 India and China didn’t seem to want to move away from coal.

B: Because India and China have teamed up together to buy coal from each other since 2021.

C: Because China didn’t appear at the UN Climate Change Conference in 2021.

D: Because China and India are going through economic recessions.

Van de makers van All Right!, Of Course! en Taalblokken Engels