The environment

 

1. nature / Nature [ uncountable ] everything in the physical world that is not controlled by humans, such as wild plants and animals, earth and rocks, and the weather природа: Man is engaged in a constant struggle with nature. | We grew up in the countryside, surrounded by the beauties of nature. | The most amazing thing about nature is its infinite variety.

laws of nature: It is the laws of nature, not the local manifestations of them, that are universal.

to go / get back to nature to start living a more simple life in which you do not use modern machines and eat fewer artificial or processed products: When people talk of going back to nature, do they really know what they are asking for? | He longed to explore, to take the wild adventure of going completely back to nature. | She was very anxious to get away from cities and back to nature.

freak (of nature) something in nature that is very unusual: Due to some freak of nature, it snowed in June.

2. forces of nature | natural forces | Mother Nature [ uncountable ] the forces, such as earthquakes, floods, storms and drought, that control people, the physical world and life itself силы природы; мать-природа: It was one of man's more successful attempts at curbing the forces of nature. | The inhabitants of the island fight a constant battle against the forces of nature. | The shape and size of creatures is determined by the many fundamental forces of Nature. | They gave natural forces distinct shapes. | After floods and a drought, what else can Mother Nature do to us? | We hope Mother Nature will save the crops by bringing rain.

3. the environment [ singular ] the air, water, and land on Earth in which people, animals, and plants live and which can be harmed by man's activities окружающая среда: Our disregard for the environment threatens the long-term survival of the planet. | Changing weather patterns could be a threat to the environment. | On April 22, 1970, the first Earth Day, approximately 20 million Americans gathered at various sites across the country to protest corporate and governmental abuse of the environment.

natural / world / local / marine environment: The Foundation rescues animals in distress and protects the natural environment.

to have an effect on the environment | to make / have an impact on the environment оказывать влияние / воздействие на окружающую среду: the effects of acid rain on the environment | The radiation leak has had a disastrous effect on the environment

to pollute / damage / harm / destroy the environment | to cause / do damage / harm to the environment загрязнять / разрушать окружающую среду: Global warming will damage the environment. | They contend that the environment is being irreparably damaged. | Industrial development is causing widespread damage to the environment. | Mining operations threaten to destroy our environment.

pollution / destruction of the environment загрязнение / разрушение окружающей среды: this unnecessary and wanton destruction of our environment

harmful / damaging to the environment вредный / опасный / губительный для окружающей среды: Our reliance on cars is so harmful to the environment. | Some of these chemicals are very damaging to the environment.

to be concerned about / care about the environment беспокоиться / заботиться об окружающей среде: Young people between 18 and 30 tend to be much more concerned about the environment than the older generation.

to protect / preserve / conserve / safeguard the environment охранять / сохранять окружающую среду: More legislation is needed to protect the environment. | We're not doing enough to protect the environment from pollution. | Activists want more measures taken to preserve the environment. | As a man with agricultural interests you will appreciate the importance of living in harmony with nature and of conserving the environment. | We have invested in clean coal technology to safeguard the environment.

preservation / protection of the environment охрана окружающей среды: It is a charity for the protection of the environment.

to reduce the pollution of / in the environment: The plan is to reduce the pollution of / in the environment.

(to lessen / reduce / mitigate) the effect / impact of sth (on the environment) (уменьшать) влияние / воздействие чего-л. на окружающую среду: Certain chemicals have been banned because of their damaging effect on the environment. | What will be the impact of a carbon tax on the environment? | Environmentalists are struggling to lessen / reduce the impact of human activity on the natural world / environment. | We are at a stage where the role of government and global policy must be to encourage the development and commercial viability of the new technologies that have the potential to mitigate the effects of climate change.

to improve / clean up / enhance the environment улучшать состояние окружающей среды, очищать окружающую среду: Car ownership and use grow continuously, severely undermining the government's fragile attempts to improve the environment. | A new type of plant could help clean up the environment. | An equally important aim is to ensure that the planning system continues to protect and enhance the environment. | All of this stresses the need to ensure that future development must enhance rather than damage the environment.

4. ecology (1) [ countable – usually singular ] the relationship between the plants, animals, and the environment in a particular area экология: Plans to build a new airfield could threaten the delicate ecology of the island. | Development has been guided by a concern for the ecology of the area. | We are reproducing ourselves at such a rate that our numbers threaten the ecology of the planet. | Global ecological efforts can easily be at odds with local ecologies.

(2) [ uncountable ] the way plants, animals, and humans live together and affect each other, and the scientific study of the environment экология: The science of ecology is the study of the interactions that determine the abundance and distribution of organisms. | In other words, ecology attempts to explain why individuals live where they do and why their populations are the sizes they are. | They are aware of trade-offs between civilization and ecology. | He warned of the serious threat to global ecology which is going unheeded.

5. ecosystem [ countable ] all the animals and plants in a particular area, and the way in which they are related to each other and to their environment экосистема, экологическая система; биогеоценоз: The rainforest is a self-supporting ecosystem. | Pollution can have disastrous effects on the delicately balanced ecosystem. | The bay has a very complex and delicate ecosystem. | The failure of the dialogue to clarify the effects of population growth on ecosystems and mineral supplies has other causes. | Madagascar's ecosystems range from rainforest to semi-desert.

natural ecosystem естественная экосистема: All these new ideas threaten the natural desert ecosystem. | Figure 8 illustrates the differences between a natural ecosystem and an urban-industrial ecosystem.