Home › Vocabulary › Environment
32 wordsFree
🌍 Environment Vocabulary for IELTS & TOEFL
Critical vocabulary for environmental issues, climate change, and sustainability—essential for IELTS Task 2 essays on pollution, conservation, and ecological challenges.
▶ Practise with audioEnvironment word list
carbon footprint phrase — the total amount of greenhouse gases produced by human activities
“Reducing personal carbon footprint requires changes in transportation and consumption habits.” ↗ emissions impact
“Reducing personal carbon footprint requires changes in transportation and consumption habits.” ↗ emissions impact
biodiversity noun — the variety of different plant and animal species in an environment
“Tropical rainforests contain 50% of Earth's biodiversity.” ↗ species diversity
“Tropical rainforests contain 50% of Earth's biodiversity.” ↗ species diversity
sustainable adj — able to be maintained or continued without depleting natural resources
“Sustainable agriculture protects soil health for future generations.” ↗ eco-friendly
“Sustainable agriculture protects soil health for future generations.” ↗ eco-friendly
renewable adj — capable of being replenished or regenerated naturally
“Solar and wind power are renewable energy sources unlike fossil fuels.” ↗ replenishable
“Solar and wind power are renewable energy sources unlike fossil fuels.” ↗ replenishable
deforestation noun — the clearing, removal, or destruction of forests
“Deforestation in Southeast Asia threatens countless endangered species.” ↗ forest clearance
“Deforestation in Southeast Asia threatens countless endangered species.” ↗ forest clearance
pollutant noun — a substance that contaminates air, water, or soil
“Industrial pollutants from factories damage aquatic ecosystems.” ↗ contaminant
“Industrial pollutants from factories damage aquatic ecosystems.” ↗ contaminant
mitigation noun — actions taken to reduce the severity or impact of something harmful
“Climate change mitigation requires transitioning away from coal energy.” ↗ reduction
“Climate change mitigation requires transitioning away from coal energy.” ↗ reduction
ecosystem noun — a community of organisms and their physical environment functioning together
“Wetland ecosystems provide crucial habitats for migratory birds.” ↗ environment
“Wetland ecosystems provide crucial habitats for migratory birds.” ↗ environment
degradation noun — the process of becoming worse in quality or value; deterioration
“Land degradation from overgrazing reduces agricultural productivity.” ↗ deterioration
“Land degradation from overgrazing reduces agricultural productivity.” ↗ deterioration
conservation noun — the protection and preservation of natural resources and wildlife
“Conservation efforts have saved species like the giant panda from extinction.” ↗ preservation
“Conservation efforts have saved species like the giant panda from extinction.” ↗ preservation
emission noun — the discharge or release of gases, particles, or radiation into the environment
“Vehicle emissions are a major source of urban air pollution.” ↗ discharge
“Vehicle emissions are a major source of urban air pollution.” ↗ discharge
scarcity noun — the state of being insufficient in quantity; lack of something needed
“Water scarcity affects over 2 billion people worldwide.” ↗ shortage
“Water scarcity affects over 2 billion people worldwide.” ↗ shortage
recycle verb — to collect and reprocess waste materials into new products
“Recycling programs reduce landfill waste and conserve natural resources.” ↗ reprocess
“Recycling programs reduce landfill waste and conserve natural resources.” ↗ reprocess
contamination noun — the presence of unwanted or harmful substances in an environment
“Soil contamination from chemical spills requires expensive remediation.” ↗ pollution
“Soil contamination from chemical spills requires expensive remediation.” ↗ pollution
habitat noun — the natural environment where an organism or species lives
“Loss of habitat is the primary threat to endangered species.” ↗ environment
“Loss of habitat is the primary threat to endangered species.” ↗ environment
resilience noun — the capacity of an ecosystem to recover from disturbances
“Coral reef resilience decreases with rising ocean temperatures.” ↗ recovery capacity
“Coral reef resilience decreases with rising ocean temperatures.” ↗ recovery capacity
depletion noun — the reduction in quantity or exhaustion of a resource
“Overfishing causes depletion of fish stocks in many oceans.” ↗ exhaustion
“Overfishing causes depletion of fish stocks in many oceans.” ↗ exhaustion
pesticide noun — a chemical substance used to kill insects, weeds, or other organisms
“Excessive pesticide use harms non-target species and pollutes groundwater.” ↗ insecticide
“Excessive pesticide use harms non-target species and pollutes groundwater.” ↗ insecticide
environmental impact phrase — the effect of human activities on the natural environment
“Large infrastructure projects must undergo environmental impact assessments.” ↗ ecological effect
“Large infrastructure projects must undergo environmental impact assessments.” ↗ ecological effect
carbon neutral phrase — achieving a state where greenhouse gas emissions are balanced by removals
“Several countries aim to become carbon neutral by 2050.” ↗ net-zero emissions
“Several countries aim to become carbon neutral by 2050.” ↗ net-zero emissions
anthropogenic adjective — caused or produced by human activity, especially regarding environmental change
“Anthropogenic climate change has accelerated atmospheric warming significantly.” ↗ human-caused
“Anthropogenic climate change has accelerated atmospheric warming significantly.” ↗ human-caused
sustainability noun — the capacity to maintain resource use without depleting them for future generations
“Sustainable agriculture balances productivity with environmental conservation.” ↗ long-term viability
“Sustainable agriculture balances productivity with environmental conservation.” ↗ long-term viability
desertification noun — the process by which fertile land gradually becomes desert due to environmental degradation
“Overgrazing and drought have accelerated desertification across the Sahel region.” ↗ land degradation
“Overgrazing and drought have accelerated desertification across the Sahel region.” ↗ land degradation
eutrophication noun — excessive nutrient enrichment of water bodies causing algal blooms and oxygen depletion
“Agricultural runoff contributes to eutrophication of coastal waters.” ↗ nutrient pollution
“Agricultural runoff contributes to eutrophication of coastal waters.” ↗ nutrient pollution
extractive adjective — relating to the removal of natural resources from the earth for economic benefit
“Extractive industries such as mining have substantial environmental impacts.” ↗ resource-exploitative
“Extractive industries such as mining have substantial environmental impacts.” ↗ resource-exploitative
erosion noun — the gradual wearing away of soil, rock, or land by water, wind, or other natural forces
“Coastal erosion threatens communities and infrastructure in vulnerable regions.” ↗ land degradation
“Coastal erosion threatens communities and infrastructure in vulnerable regions.” ↗ land degradation
restoration noun — the process of returning an ecosystem or landscape to a more natural or productive state
“Wetland restoration projects aim to rehabilitate damaged ecosystems.” ↗ rehabilitation, recovery
“Wetland restoration projects aim to rehabilitate damaged ecosystems.” ↗ rehabilitation, recovery
climate resilience phrase — the capacity of systems and communities to adapt to climate change impacts
“Building climate resilience requires investing in infrastructure and early warning systems.” ↗ adaptive capacity
“Building climate resilience requires investing in infrastructure and early warning systems.” ↗ adaptive capacity
biodegradable adjective — capable of being broken down naturally by biological processes
“Biodegradable packaging materials reduce plastic waste in landfills.” ↗ decomposable
“Biodegradable packaging materials reduce plastic waste in landfills.” ↗ decomposable
watershed noun — an area of land where all water drains into a particular body of water
“Protecting the watershed is crucial for ensuring clean drinking water supplies.” ↗ drainage basin
“Protecting the watershed is crucial for ensuring clean drinking water supplies.” ↗ drainage basin
permafrost noun — permanently frozen ground in arctic and subarctic regions that is thawing due to climate change
“Melting permafrost releases methane, a potent greenhouse gas.” ↗ frozen ground
“Melting permafrost releases methane, a potent greenhouse gas.” ↗ frozen ground
pristine adjective — in its original, unspoiled, or pure state; uncorrupted by human activity
“The pristine wilderness areas of the national park attract conservation-minded visitors.” ↗ untouched, unspoiled
“The pristine wilderness areas of the national park attract conservation-minded visitors.” ↗ untouched, unspoiled