Online Class Notes (Jesse)

Vocabulary

side effects / symptoms / reaction 

inherently / fundamentally 

hail storm 

solar panel 

drive the car – drive 

1,000,000,000 – a billion
1,000,000,000,000 – a trillion

Grammar

learn to surf / learn surfing 

interested to do – interested in doing 

Pronunciation

complicated – COM pli cay ted

simplistic – sim PLIS stick

sustainability – sus tain a BIL lit tee

fertilizers – FER til lai zerz

manure – man NYOU wer

carbon dioxide – carbon di OX side

After years of efforts, mankind has entered an unprecedented powerful and advanced stage，but at the meantime, we are overwhelmed by rapid climate change.
The reason of the climate change is complicated, however, the public debate about stopping rapid climate change often focuses on a few key features, like coal plants, cars and burping cows, so the solutions are often simplistic like rows of solar panels, biking and something sustainability. And the key topic is how you should change your lifestyle to prevent the climate change. Before that, we must know the problem 1) Modern industrial society which we constructed it in the last 150years, is inherently destructive to the plants. 2） Emissions versus Poverty. Currently escaping poverty and becoming middle class creates unavoidable emissions. It is very hard to argue that a region should protect their primeval forests and spend money on solar panels instead of burning wood, when it can’t meet basic needs for significant parts of population. 3)The most problematic one is food. We will soon need to feed 10 billion people, and we don’t know how to do that without emitting greenhouse gases because of the nature of modern food production that requires fertilizers or manure, it is impossible to have zero-emissions food. 4）Solutions versus Expenses: in principle, the technology already exists: direct air capture of CO2 draws carbon dioxide so that it can be stored underground or transformed into products, but the technology cost some ten trillion dollars per year and currently no-one offering it. According to the above points, Preventing climate change is a big topic, It not only requires everyone to change their lifestyle, but also needs to make a balance between industrial and social development

After years of efforts, mankind has entered an unprecedented powerful and advanced stage，but in the meantime, we are overwhelmed by rapid climate change.
The reason of the climate change is complicated, however, the public debate about stopping rapid climate change often focuses on a few key features, like coal plants, cars and burping cows, so the solutions are often simplistic like rows of solar panels, biking and something sustainability. And the key topic is how you should change your lifestyle to prevent the climate change. Before that, we must know the problem 1) Modern industrial society which we constructed it in the last 150 years, is inherently destructive to the planet. 2） Emissions versus Poverty. Currently escaping poverty and becoming middle class creates unavoidable emissions. It is very hard to argue that a region should protect their primeval forests and spend money on solar panels instead of burning wood, when it can’t meet basic needs for significant parts of the population. 3)The most problematic one is food. We will soon need to feed 10 billion people, and we don’t know how to do that without emitting greenhouse gases because of the nature of modern food production that requires fertilizers or manure, it is impossible to have zero-emissions food. 4）Solutions versus Expenses: in principle, the technology already exists: direct air capture of CO2 draws carbon dioxide so that it can be stored underground or transformed into products, but the technology cost some ten trillion dollars per year and currently no-one offering it. According to the above points, Preventing climate change is a big topic, It not only requires everyone to change their lifestyle, but also needs to make a balance between industrial and social development