Replace the words in bold in the text with their antonyms below:

 

spark           intricate      abruptly      resort           disruptive  

advocating            measured             cautious                contend

 

CLIMATEWIRE | A new supercomputer for climate research will help scientists study the effects of solar geoengineering, a controversial idea for cooling the planet by redirecting the sun’s rays. (…) “To understand specific impacts on thunderstorms, we require the use of very high-resolution models that can be run for many, many years,” Rasmussen (a climate scientist at Colorado State University) said in an interview. “This faster supercomputer will enable more simulations at longer time frames and at higher resolution than we can currently support.”

The announcement from NCAR comes after the Biden administration released a report Friday that offered 1. strong support for researching solar geoengineering as a way to slow the rise of global temperatures. (…) European Union policymakers also issued a statement last week calling for an international assessment of the risks related to geoengineering.

“These technologies introduce new risks to people and ecosystems, while they could also increase power imbalances between nations, 2. prevent conflicts and raises a myriad of ethical, legal, governance and political issues,” the E.U. statement said.

Critics of geoengineering say using aerosols and other substances to reflect sunlight away from Earth could lead to unknown, 3. anticipated weather patterns. They also 4. deny that solar geoengineering could result in a global dependency, because temperatures could 5. gradually rise if the process is stopped.

The new supercomputer will allow scientists to build and run 6. simplistic models to assess the risks tied to geoengineering, Rasmussen said, adding that slight changes to the atmosphere’s composition could lead to large impacts not just on rainfall patterns — her area of study — but on entire ecosystems, including human communities.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine released a report in 2021 urging scientists to study the impacts of geoengineering, which Rasmussen described as a last 7. straw to address climate change.

“We need to be very 8. reckless,” she said. “I am not 9. discouraging in any way to move forward on any of these types of mitigation efforts. The best thing to do is to stop fossil fuel emissions as much as we can.”

 

In order to check your ansers/read the whole article, go to: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/supercomputer-will-help-decide-whether-to-block-the-sun/

 

Key: 1. measured; 2. spark; 3. disruptive; 4. contend; 5. abruptly; 6. intricate; 7. resort; 8. cautious; 9. advocating

 

 

Glossary

 

• to deflect –  to turn (something) aside especially from a straight course or fixed direction
• a myriad of – a very large number or great variety  of them
• to contend – to say that something is true or is a fact
• mitigation – the act of reducing how harmful, unpleasant, or bad something is

 

Practice makes perfect

Watch and answer the questions below:

 

 

• What are some of the scientists’s proposals of slowing the effects of global warming?
• How can they help?
• Why are they incredibly risky?
• Why are these solutions called ”experimental band-aids”?
• What should we do first and foremost?
• Why is the phrase: ”desperate times cause for desperate measures” used in this context?

 

Discuss:

 

• How do you feel about climate change?
• Has climate change affected the country in which you live?
• Do you try to limit the effects of climate change? How?
• Are electric cars really eco-friendly?
• Do you think there’ll be climate change refugees in the future?

 

 

 

Explore more to create your own teaching-learning experience!

 

Young Workers: ‘Address Climate Change, or We’re Out of Here’

Key issues like climate action strongly shape what Gen-Z and Millennials think about their workplace. Here’s where they want to see changes, according to a new survey.

 

Read:

https://www.inc.com/sarah-lynch/young-workers-say-address-climate-change-or-we-are-out-of-here.html

 

 

 

 

 

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