Name: Date: reading (10 marks) 1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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WRITING TASK 5 MODEL ANSWER

Outline the human causes of climate change. What effects will these have on the planet?

Human activity is having a major effect on the environment, which will cause many problems for human 

and animal life in the future. This essay will set out the main causes of climate change and the effects of 

human activity on the environment.

Humans are affecting the climate in a number of ways. The most obvious cause of climate change is 

the carbon dioxide released by burning fossil fuels. Another cause is deforestation, which is the result 

of logging, subsistence farming and intensive cattle farming in vast areas of land that were previously 

the rain forests so crucial to our planet’s survival. Deforestation causes arid conditions, increases 

greenhouse gases and reduces the planet’s ability to cope with increasing pollution. Another major 

cause of climate change is the migration of people from rural to urban areas, which leads to much 

higher temperatures in densely populated urban areas.

The effects of climate change are already visible as glaciers melt and the polar ice caps shrink. These 

have led to rising sea levels but this is only the beginning. As global temperatures increase further, 

more glaciers in Alaska and other polar regions will melt, adding billions of tonnes of water to the sea. 

This will raise sea levels even higher and submerge low-lying islands. It will also lead to flooding in 

coastal cities and the erosion of coastlines. 

Human activity is clearly causing the climate to change and, as a result, this is having a number of 

effects on the planet. It is important that we try to reduce our negative impact on the planet as much as 

possible – for example, by using renewable energy instead of fossil fuels – before it is too late.

ADDITIONAL WRITING TASK 5

Think of an environmental problem facing your country. What are the reasons for this 

problem? What will the consequences be if no solution is found?