To receive / enjoy protection (against / from sth)
9. conservation [uncountable] (1) the protection of natural things such as animals, plants, forests etc in order to prevent them from being spoiled or destroyed охрана (природы), защита: Over the years conservation has acquired many connotations: to some it has meant the protection of wild nature, to others the sustained production of useful materials from the resources of the Earth. | In the past, one of the cornerstones of the economic argument for conservation was its value to tourism. | The committee soon offered a comprehensive plan for redevelopment and conservation in all areas of the city.
environmental / nature / wildlife / forest / soil / water conservation: Any attempts to persuade farmers of the necessity of environmental conservation must take all these factors into account. | Progress both in environmental conservation and technology were officially deemed inadequate, even though 12,000 million roubles were spent on the former. | The National Trust owns a considerable land area, much of it of importance for nature conservation. | Strong science-based strategies for wildlife conservation have emerged over the last one hundred years. | The group is mainly concerned with bird conservation in coastal areas.
(the) conservation of the environment / nature / wildlife / forests / soil / water / the countryside: This realization of the cultural dimension to landscape history has implications for modern nature conservation. | In consequence, agriculture and nature conservation are not in conflict in the Auvergne uplands. | The document defines the objectives of the conservation of living resources.
conservation group / body: The Worldwide Fund for Nature and other conservation groups have called for a simplification of this network. | These are just some of the projects carried out by volunteers from local conservation groups in Essex. | Courses on the latter are open to non-members who are actively involved with other voluntary conservation bodies.
conservation issue / problem проблема охраны / защиты природы: This should be altered to apply generally to ensure that nature conservation issues are taken into account in all development decision-making. | With the attainment of concrete operations, the ability to reason logically about and solve conservation problems emerges.
conservation policy политика в области охраны природы, политика сохранения окружающей среды: Thus a conservation policy involves a wide ranging set of economic, political and social issues.
conservation work: Living in camps, they carried out conservation work, planting new forests and helping with flood control projects.
to promote conservation способствовать / содействовать охране природы, пропагандировать охрану природы: The organization promotes conservation of forest resources.
to practise conservation охранять / беречь природу: They hope that the public realizes the need for practising conservation, even underwater.
(2) saving the careful use of something such as energy, water, land, or other natural resources so that it is not wasted сбережение, сохранение, экономия: Conservation strategies have to become more widely accepted, and people must learn that energy use can be dramatically diminished without sacrificing comfort.
energy / gas / oil / coal / water / waterpower conservation / saving: Predicting fuel consumption and the effects of energy conservation practices has had only limited success. | Instead of energy conservation, they advocate building more dams and nuclear plants. | Campaigners claim that the company has not examined other approaches, such as water conservation and the cleaning of existing reservoirs. | Energy saving is an essential issue for every kind of organization. | Often substantial energy savings are achieved by recycling waste materials.
(the) conservation / saving of energy / fuel / gas / oil / coal / water / waterpower / natural / mineral / living resources: Efficiency improvements in cars are likely to be responsible for significant conservation of fuel in the next 10 years. | Recycling is an important part of the conservation of resources.
10. preservation [uncountable] the act of keeping something as it is, especially in order to prevent it from decaying or being damaged or destroyed охрана, сохранение; защита
wildlife / tree preservation: The tree preservation order will be extended to cover hedgerows.
(the) preservation of the environment / wildlife: Preservation of the environment is vital. | We are working for the preservation of the environment.
preservation group / society: Tim Wallace is appointed to the committee and is to be responsible for the funds allotted to the preservation group. | Happily, preservation groups stepped in to save some stock for posterity.
to ensure preservation обеспечивать охрану / сохранность / защиту: There is a desperate need to provide these precious specimens with surroundings that are better designed to ensure their preservation.
11. clean-up | cleanup [countable – usually singular] the process of removing pollution or waste from a place or an industrial process чистка, очистка; приведение в порядок: The polluter should pay for the cost of the clean-up. | As huge as this fund is, it is inadequate to deal with the thousands of hazardous sites in need of cleanup. | The mayor launched the clean-up campaign. | Residents have called for a clean-up campaign to keep their streets free from rubbish. | The Governor has now called in the National Guard to assist the cleanup operation.
12. purification [uncountable] the process of making something clean by removing dirty or harmful substances from it очистка, очищение: water / air purification | an air purification system | water purification tablets
purification facility / facilities / plant очистная станция / установка, очистное сооружение: a water purification plant / facility | purification facilities
13. purifier [countable] a machine or a substance which removes dirty or harmful substances from something очиститель, очистной аппарат: Air purifiers actually remove odours and particles from the air through a series of filters. | Domestic equipment is run off a new generator and includes a water maker, water purifier, ice maker and microwave.
14. treatment [uncountable; countable] the process of putting a special substance on or into something or use a chemical process in order to clean it, to protect it, or to give it special properties очистка; (технологическая) обработка: This is a new product for the treatment of industrial waste. | There should be greater treatment of sewage before it is discharged.
treatment facility / facilities / plant очистная станция / установка; очистное сооружение: The new treatment facilities should be commissioned in late 1993. | Water treatment facilities are non-existent in the area, with chemicals such as chlorine unobtainable to stop the outbreak. | Growing population placed increasing demands on electric generation and water treatment facilities. | But unless the city met the requirement, it would have to build a $ 135 million treatment facility.
sewage treatment очистка / обработка сточных вод
sewage treatment facility | sewage / treatment / disposal works / farm(British English)| sewage / waste (treatment / disposal) plant(American English) a place where sewage is treated so that it can be safely got rid of or changed into fertilizer установка для очистки / обработки сточных вод, станция очистки сточных вод: The first priority is to provide sewage treatment facilities. | At present, sewage works must ensure that effluent meets the required standards of cleanliness for 95 percent of any 12 month period. | Ocker Hill Power Station with two prominent chimneys, a sewage works and a canal surface with oil and floating debris. | The water companies will have to improve the performance of their sewage works or risk other claims.
15. conservationist [countable] someone who works to protect the environment from damage or destruction специалист по охране окружающей среды; специалист по охране и рациональному использованию природных ресурсов: But conservationists said words must be backed by actions. | That was abolished after an outcry from conservationists. | Conservationists in Chile are concerned over the effect of commercial exploitation of forests. | Conservationists are mostly wedded to preserving diversity in nature.
16. wildlife area / site [countable] район дикой природы; заповедник; долгосрочный заказник дикой природы: The money could be better spent protecting existing wildlife areas. | The 20 state and federal wildlife areas and refuges are open for duck hunting generally on Wednesdays and weekends. | Projected figures suggest that over 1,500 wildlife sites would be damaged or destroyed in the national roads programme.
17. (nature / wildlife) reserve(British English)| (nature / wildlife) preserve / reservation(American English)| conservation area [countable] an area of land in which animals and plants, especially rare ones, are officially protected заповедник; природная охраняемая территория; национальный парк: Care would be taken not to harm the environment in the nature reserve there, which was designated a world heritage area. | It is a nature reserve, with not a single permanent human inhabitant. | The impressive wildlife reserve of the Algonquin Provincial Park is a stunning array of native animals in the wild. | The flower now exists only in a small conservation area in Essex. | He's the chief warden of a big-game reservation.
18. sanctuary [countable] a special area where animals live in a natural environment protected from people заказник, заповедник: But the mountains are more than sanctuaries. | A number of bird sanctuaries were seriously affected by the spill.
wildlife / nature sanctuary заповедник живой природы: The park is the largest wildlife sanctuary in the US. | A wildlife sanctuary is releasing eight of the animals into a special protected set. | No less than 35 per cent of the country is protected in the form of parks and nature sanctuaries.
19. wildlife refuge [countable] заповедник: The island of Angistri went up in flames within minutes of being declared a wildlife refuge.
20. wildlife park [countable] парк-заповедник живой природы: a wildlife park with tigers and various other felines
21. national park [countable] land which is protected by a government because of its natural beauty or historical or scientific interest, and which people can visit национальный парк; заповедник: The Hwange national park alone is said to have 45,000 elephants: three times as many as the vegetation can support. | I live in Exmoor, which is designated as a national park. | Exmoor National Park stretches over 265 square miles of moor.
22. wilderness area [countable] (American English) an area where the government has decided that no roads or buildings can be built so that it can be enjoyed for its natural beauty and animals can live there in peace нетронутая человеком местность; природный заповедник: It's a wilderness area, under the protection of the Parks Department. | Each sovereign state has enacted legislation establishing national parks, scientific or scenic reserves and wilderness areas. | The proliferation of this literature has so simplified going into our wilderness areas that readers are literally taken by the hand. | I have consistently maintained that the canoe is the traditional craft for exploring wilderness areas without disturbing wildlife.
23. green (adjective) (1) clean designed to protect the environment or limit damage to the environment экологически чистый: Fans of electric cars say they are clean, quiet and economical. | Nuclear power is cleaner than coal.
clean air / water / energy / fuel / product: Environmentalists have spread the alarm about clean air and water. | Local government has not been able to supply clean water from surface sources. | The Government has made moves to encourage owners of vehicles to adopt cleaner fuel, but action is slow. | Gas usage will increase particularly in the home-heating sectors and in industries requiring clean fuels.
clean / green policy / method / technology: trying to persuade governments to adopt greener policies | greener farming methods | wind farms and other green energy schemes | I simply say that it is fairly obvious that Britain could have taken the lead in clean coal technology.
clean / green environment: Preferences in politics can include anything from higher wages, a cleaner environment, world peace, or the realization of democracy. | Even the most affluent – who can afford private health care and private education – cannot buy a clean environment. | By investing in public transport, we start to transform commuters' lives and create a cleaner environment.
green revolution: Biotechnology is going to be speeding up the green revolution in agriculture. | We all know that there has been a green revolution. | But the potential of biotechnology, like that of the green revolution, is assessed in different ways by different people.
green activist: In Bolivia, Mexico and Brazil, green activists have recently entered government.
(2) Green relating to the protection of the environment принадлежащий движению защитников окружающей среды, поддерживающий движение защитников окружающей среды: He was an early champion of green politics. | Green campaigners are aiming to block development of the site. | He pledged to make Europe greener. | Our children are being educated to be green in everything they do. | The power of the Green movement in Germany has made that country a leader in the drive to recycle more waste materials. | The proposed launch of the green paper last week was postponed on the orders of Downing Street.
24. Green [countable] a member of the Green Party участник движения защитников окружающей среды: He used to be a Liberal, but now he's a Green. | The Greens have 254 candidates in the election.
25. the Green Party a political party whose main aim is to protect the environment Партия зеленых: They are now in a position to govern the state in alliance with either the Free Democrats or the Green Party. | The names of political parties are always capitalized, e.g. the Green Party.
Pollution
General concepts
1. to pollute [transitive] to make air, water, soil etc dangerously dirty and not suitable for people to use загрязнять: Polluted water sources are a hazard to wildlife. | It says that the company razed forests, polluted rivers, retarded crop growth and caused birth defects.
to pollute the environment / air / atmosphere / water / water supply / soil / land / river / sea / ocean / area / region / world / planet / earth: We won't invest in any company that pollutes the environment. | The factory pollutes the air and water. | An investigation revealed that the mine was polluting both the air and the groundwater. | Cigarette smokers pollute the air for other people but take no account of this in deciding how much to smoke. | These gases pollute the atmosphere of towns and cities. | Transnational oil and mining companies pollute rivers and finance grossly disruptive mines. | The fertilizers and pesticides used on many farms are polluting the water supply. | The oil spillage has polluted the harbour. | It is believed the spill is continuing to pollute the region.
to pollute sth with sth / by (doing) sth: Factories are no longer allowed to pollute the air with black smoke. | Many of these factories pollute the air with hydrogen sulfide. | Heavy industry pollutes our rivers with noxious chemicals. | The factory explosion, which polluted the surrounding area with dioxin, was reportedly caused by negligence. | Cardigan Bay, once famed for its dolphins, is now polluted with raw sewage and animal wastes. | Large parts of the Mediterranean are still polluted with toxic waste. | The air was heavily polluted with exhaust fumes. | A number of beaches in the region have been polluted by sewage pumped into the Irish Sea.
to pollute sth beyond recall / redemption нанести непоправимый ущерб: The ground has been polluted beyond recall. | I have no doubt that we are polluting the environment beyond redemption.
polluted environment / air / water / water supply / soil / land / river / sea / ocean / area / region / world / planet / earth: Urban ecologists started concerning themselves with children growing up in polluted environments. | Residents of the two cities breathe the same polluted air. | The mine was shut down last August after a spill of polluted water from a waste pond flowed into a nearby river. | Central London is the most polluted spot in Britain. | The police have warned the city's inhabitants not to bathe in the polluted river. | It is probably the most polluted body of water in the world.
heavily / seriously / severely / badly polluted: The river is already heavily polluted by chemical and metallurgical industries. | There was little information on the health of people living in that area, which had been known to be heavily polluted. | The lake is seriously polluted. | The island has been seriously polluted by a copper mine. | The city is being severely polluted by an array of emission-releasing industries, an oil refinery and three million cars. | Water in the area is severely polluted.
high-polluting: a high-polluting industrial plant
2. to contaminate [transitive] to make a place or substance dirty or harmful by putting something such as chemicals or poison in it загрязнять; отравлять; портить; заражать, инфицировать
to contaminate sth: Lead in plumbing can contaminate drinking water. | He believes that sewage is contaminating the water and driving them away. | Industrial sewage continues to contaminate our beaches. | One secret military unit tried to contaminate the drinking water of the refugees.
to be contaminated (with / by sth): The food was contaminated during the production process. | Drinking water supplies are believed to have been contaminated. | Millions of people will have eaten food contaminated with small amounts of dioxin. | Nuclear weapons plants across the country are heavily contaminated with toxic wastes. | Three thousand factories and defence facilities are contaminated by radiation. | Much of the coast has been contaminated by nuclear waste. | They were stopped because health tests found that water in the basement was contaminated by sewage.
heavily contaminated: The soil around the plant is heavily contaminated.
contaminated air / water / river / stream / food / area / runoff: From here, contaminated air radiates out to the open countryside. | Contaminated water leaked from the nuclear reactor. | More than 100,000 people could fall ill after drinking contaminated water. | Several outbreaks of infection have been traced to contaminated food. | The ordinance prohibits the city from recharging in contaminated areas. | Federal and state engineers are seeking a way to capture and treat the contaminated runoff.
3. to poison [transitive] to make land, rivers, air etc dirty and dangerous, especially by the use of harmful chemicals; to create pollution that damages part of the environment отравлять; заражать: Pesticides are poisoning our rivers. | Chemical waste has poisoned the city's water supply. | The chemical leak poisoned the water supply. | The land has been completely poisoned by chemicals. | Thousands of children were poisoned by radiation. | The soil has been poisoned with chemical waste from the factory.
4. to foul (up) [transitive] (formal) to make something very dirty, especially with waste загрязнять; засорять; портить; пачкать
to foul sth (up) (with / by sth): The oil spill has fouled at least four beaches. | Two oil-related accidents near Los Angeles have fouled the ocean and the skies there. | He lit a cigarette and started to foul up the air with stinging yellow smoke. | We're fouling the seas with chemicals and oil. | The seashore is fouled up with oil from the wrecked ship. | Entire coastal bays and lagoons along the coast have been fouled by oil spills and the runoff of toxic chemicals. | A village's entire beach and harbour can be fouled by a single rotting whale.
5. to defile [transitive] (formal) to make something dirty, foul, filthy or impure, especially by showing no respect; to pollute загрязнять; засорять; портить; пачкать; оскорблять, осквернять: It's a shame that such a beautiful area has been defiled by a rubbish dump.
6. to despoil [transitive] (literary) to make a place much less attractive by removing or damaging things
to despoil sth (by sth): The sandy beaches are being despoiled by an oil spill. | Regulated, socialized economies trample on human dignity, despoil the natural environment and depress economic performance. | People picking mushrooms are sometimes stopped by passers-by and ticked off for despoiling the countryside.
7. pollution [uncountable] (1) the process of making air, water, soil etc dangerously dirty and not suitable for people to use, or the state of being dangerously dirty загрязнение (окружающей среды): Most forms of pollution do not respect national boundaries. | Pollution is a major health hazard. | Pollution is threatening the marine life in the bay. | The report identified eight pollution hot spots.
environmental / air / atmospheric / water / river pollution | (the) pollution of the environment / air / atmosphere / water / river: The fine was for the company's pollution of the air near its plants.
pollution from sth: Pollution from cars is the main cause of global warming. | That means less gasoline consumption and less air pollution from trucks.
(2) substances that make air, water, soil etc dangerously dirty загрязнение, загрязненность: Equipment to monitor pollution and climate change will be installed in the park. | Pollution may destroy the 17th century shrine. | Once you have cured the water pollution problem, you will have to take steps to avoid it happening again.
to cause / contribute to / generate / produce pollution: There have been accidents during transportation, which have caused serious pollution. | The report found that 95 percent of respondents were aware that cars contributed to environmental pollution. | Litter disfigures the countryside and contributes to pollution, but this is just the tip of the environmental iceberg. | As the number of people increases, more pollution is generated, more habitats are destroyed, and more natural resources are used up. | Not only do they consume more natural resources, they also produce more pollution.
to be exposed to / suffer from pollution: Studies have shown that not all individuals are equally exposed to pollution. | The region as a whole suffers from significant air pollution from ageing heavy industrial plants.
to fight / tackle // prevent // control / monitor pollution: The use of electric cars could be a key factor in fighting pollution. | The local authority have agreed to implement a series of new measures to fight the pollution. | The notice requires the region to tackle pollution in North Queensferry. | The new agency is responsible for controlling air pollution. | This continues, but at least now efforts are also being made to prevent further pollution and even repair some of the damage.
measures to tackle road congestion and environmental pollution.
to reduce / cut / decrease / limit // increase (the level of) pollution / pollution levels: The city is looking into ways to reduce air pollution. . | The change reflects the continuing failure by state and local governments to reduce pollution enough to meet federal health standards. | The convention, signed by the six states bordering the Black Sea, aims to reduce current pollution levels. | A federal law spells out the penalties for missing the deadline to cut air pollution. | She says that transporting goods by rail instead of road would cut air pollution dramatically. | This will increase rather than decrease pollution.
reduction / cut in pollution: California in 1990 enacted a plan requiring drastic cuts in air pollution from automobiles.
(to set / adopt // enforce // meet) pollution standards: The water authorities thus not only set and enforce pollution standards, they are major polluters themselves. | Crawford is one of the founders of the International Dark-Sky Association, which lobbies governments to adopt pollution standards. | But most policy takes a different approach, the imposition of pollution standards that regulate the maximum amount of allowed pollution.
environmental / air / atmospheric / water / marine pollution: Recycling also helps control environmental pollution by reducing the need for waste dumps. | The project has enabled farmers to reduce environmental pollution whilst raising crop yields. | Heavy industry was developed along the north coast, without any consideration of chemical, atmospheric and environmental pollution. | Coal and air pollution go together. | Atmospheric pollution continues to rise. | Sewage was the major cause of water pollution. | We are all familiar with news items concerning marine pollution due to oil spills.
chemical / industrial / nuclear / radioactive / toxic / noise / sound pollution: Because of chemical pollution of rivers, the cost of producing safe, palatable drinking water has risen dramatically. | Industrial pollution has killed much of the river's wildlife. | The general public are also in danger from industrial pollution. | There has been growing concern among Polynesians about radioactive pollution of the area. | Our survey revealed a noise pollution impact on the community that is not imagined.
source of pollution источник загрязнения: The chemicals have been identified as a source of pollution. | This waste is a potential source of pollution when it degrades, releasing undesirable chemicals into the soil and air. | The greatest sources of pollution are cars, power stations, the chemical industry and agriculture. | The major sources of pollution were oil spills, discharges from refineries and natural seepage from oil-bearing strata.
pollution levels / the level of pollution (rise[s] // fall[s]) уровень / степень загрязнения (увеличивается / уменьшается): Pollution levels are often dangerously high in large cities. | Pollution levels in the area shot up as soon as the factory started operating. | High levels of pollution from the Ilo refinery have been blamed on outdated equipment. | The level of pollution in the river was falling.
pollution control борьба с загрязнением; меры по охране окружающей среды; контроль уровня загрязнения: Central to the green bill is the introduction of integrated pollution control. | What pollution controls will the state authorities put in place? | Before they were defined, there were no ecological targets for pollution control, only political ones. | The factories were ordered to install pollution control equipment but failed to respond.
8. contamination [uncountable] загрязнение, загрязненность, засоренность; порча; заражение, инфекция, инфицированность: Contamination arises from leaking underground storage tanks, poorly designed industrial waste ponds, and seepage from the deep-well injection of hazardous wastes into underground geologic formations. | The accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in 1986 scattered radioactive contamination over a large part of Europe. | The contamination of the sea around Capri may be just the beginning.
9. spoliation | despoliation | despoilment [uncountable] (formal) the violent or deliberate destruction of something ограбление, грабеж; расхищение; нанесение вреда / повреждения / порчи: the spoliation of the environment
10. (radioactive) fallout [uncountable] the dangerous radioactive dust which is left in the air after a nuclear explosion and which slowly falls to earth радиоактивные осадки: There can be little lasting protection against the effects of radioactive fallout. | They were exposed to radioactive fallout during nuclear weapons tests. | The study linked the increase directly to the radioactive fallout from Chernobyl. | It is the fallout of atmospheric tests which ended in 1974.
11. acid rain [uncountable] rain that contains large amounts of harmful acid which can damage the environment and is caused by chemicals in the air, for example from cars or factories кислотный дождь: Acid rain forms when gases produced by burning coal and oil are dissolved in the atmosphere. | Acid rain is not straightforwardly attributable to the burning of coal. | Acid rain is a serious global problem because few species are capable of surviving in the face of such acidic conditions. | Acid rain has made numerous lakes so acidic that they no longer support fish populations. | Acid rain is also thought to be responsible for the decline of many forest ecosystems worldwide. | Ever tighter regulations are being introduced to protect the environment from emissions contributing to the greenhouse effect or acid rain. | The government committed billions of pounds for a programme to reduce acid rain.
12. pollutant [countable; uncountable] a substance that makes air, water, soil etc dangerously dirty and not suitable for people to use загрязняющее вещество, загрязнение, загрязнитель; примесь; загрязняющий агент: All the effects of pollutants need to be considered for both short- and long-term exposure. | Many people are allergic to airborne pollutants such as pollen.
air / atmospheric / water / marine / environmental pollutants: More recent targets are cancer and other illnesses that may be caused by air and water pollutants. | Just as fuel consumption grows disproportionately as speeds rise, so does the emission of air pollutants. | A smoker in the house will increase the variety and quantity of air pollutants considerably.
chemical / industrial / nuclear / radioactive / toxic / noise / sound pollutants: The true effect on wild dolphin populations of prolonged exposure to chemical pollutants is hard to measure. | Many scientists blame the warming on industrial pollutants that trap infrared heat in the atmosphere rather than letting it escape into space. | The city's canals are used as a dumping ground for a range of toxic pollutants.
to generate / produce // discharge / release pollutants: Most cities generate a complex brew of pollutants. | Although low-sulfur coal produces fewer pollutants, it's more expensive to mine. | Point sources discharge pollutants at specific locations – from, for example, factories, sewage treatment plants, or oil tankers. | Sulphur dioxide is one of several pollutants that are released into the atmosphere by coal-fired power stations.
to reduce pollutants: New regulations will reduce hazardous air pollutants. | Cleaning up road dust is one of the cheapest ways to reduce the pollutant.
13. contaminant [countable] (formal) a substance that makes something dirty, polluted, or poisonous загрязняющее вещество, загрязнение, загрязнитель; примесь: Pollution arising from non-point sources accounts for a majority of the contaminants in streams and lakes. | Because of their stability, they are hard to dispose of and are persistent environmental contaminants. | We are exposed to an overwhelming number of chemical contaminants every day in our air, water and food.
14. polluter [countable] a person or organization that causes pollution источник загрязнения (окружающей среды): The defence and energy departments, impervious to markets, are among the country's biggest polluters. | The polluter should pay for the cost of the clean-up. | All others should be brought up to modern standards using the principle that the polluter pays. | Ideally, polluters would pay the true costs of the degradation they cause. | This stipulates that a polluter should pay for the repair of environmental damage.
Emissions
1. to emit | to give off [transitive] to send something out into the air, especially gas, light, heat, or sound выбрасывать, извергать, выделять; излучать; испускать
to emit sth (into the air / atmosphere // from sth): The chimney emitted clouds of smoke. | The factory has been emitting black smoke from its chimneys, which is against the law. | An average car emits five lungfuls of poisonous carbon monoxide gas per mile. | Hundreds of different types of hydrocarbons are emitted from vehicle exhausts. | A volcano emits smoke and ashes. | The Earth emits natural radiation.
to give sth off: Natural gas gives off less carbon dioxide than coal. | When they die, plants give off gases such as carbon dioxide and methane. | Try not to breathe in the fumes given off by the paint.
2. to discharge [transitive; intransitive] to send out waste liquid, gas, smoke etc, or to allow it to escape, especially when this has harmful effects сбрасывать; выпускать, спускать, выливать, сливать; извергать
to discharge sth (into / from sth // at sea): Large amounts of dangerous waste are discharged daily by the factory. | There should be greater treatment of sewage before it is discharged. | Many cities discharge their sewage into the sea without treating it at all. | The mercury was discharged from a local chemical plant. | Most deaths are caused not by catastrophic accidents but by fouling from oil that is illegally but routinely discharged from ships. | The resulting salty water will be discharged at sea.
sth discharges into / from sth: The oil which discharged into the sea seriously harmed a lot of birds and animals. | Rainwater collects here and then discharges into the river Kennett.
3. to release [transitive] to allow something such as a chemical to spread into the area or atmosphere around it выбрасывать; выпускать; выделять
to release sth: Sewage plants that turn sludge into safer materials certainly help the environment, but they do release some chemicals. | Harmful quantities of radiation are also released both before and after the uranium fuel enters the power station. | This is about the energy that would be released if a hydrogen atom could be totally converted into energy.
to release sth into the air / atmosphere / environment / river / sea / soil: Additionally, this waste is a potential source of pollution when it degrades, releasing undesirable chemicals into the soil and air. | Coal power stations release sulphur dioxide into the atmosphere. | As fossil fuels are burned, chemicals and particulate matter are released into the atmosphere. | Oil was released into the sea. | No product can be released into the environment without the prior authorization of the relevant controlling body.
4. to belch | to spew [transitive; intransitive] to send out a large amount of smoke, steam, flames etc, or to come out of something in large amounts выбрасывать, извергать
to belch sth (out) | to spew sth (out / forth) | to belch / spew sth into the air: The truck was belching black smoke. | The car belched out clouds of smoke. | The power-generation plant belched out five tonnes of ash an hour. | Rubbish litters our countryside, toxic fumes are belched into our air and radioactive discharge pollutes our seas. | A volcano belches out smoke and ashes. | The volcano spewed out more scorching volcanic ashes, gases and rocks. | Factory chimneys spewed fumes out into the sky. | That upsets some anti-nuclear activists, who claim that a rocket explosion could spew cancer-causing radioactivity into the atmosphere.
to belch / spew from / out from sth | to belch / spew into the air: Blue smoke belched from the car's exhaust pipe. | Black smoke belched out from the forest fire. | Suddenly, clouds of steam started to belch from the engine. | Brown water spewed from the tap. | This leads to premature wear and plumes of blue smoke spewing from the exhaust.
5. to spill [intransitive; transitive] to (cause to) accidentally flow out of a container проливать(ся), разливать(ся)
to spill: No one was injured and no oil was spilled during the incident. | Most of the oil spilled is not from those dramatic spills.
to spill from sth: Oil is still spilling from the stricken ship. | 70,000 tonnes of oil spilled from the tanker.
to spills into sth: Millions of gallons of crude oil spilled into the sea, causing widespread shore damage. | More than 72,000 tonnes of crude oil spilled into the estuary after the tanker ran aground in 1996.
6. to leak [intransitive; transitive] (of a liquid or gas) to escape from a hole or crack in a pipe or container; (of a container or pipe) to allow liquid or gas to escape вытекать; просачиваться; давать течь, протекать, подтекать; пропускать
liquid / gas leaks from / into sth: Oil was leaking from the pipeline. | Contaminated water leaked from the nuclear reactor. | Radioactive water has leaked into the reservoir. | Industrial waste leaked into the water supply.
a container / pipe leaks: The petrol tank is leaking.
a container / pipe leaks liquid / gas: A tanker is leaking oil off the coast of Scotland. | The broken tanker has leaked thousands of tonnes of crude oil and threatens to destroy the wildlife paradise of the Shetlands.
7. emission (1) [countable – usually plural] an amount of gas or other substance that is sent into the air выброс, выбросы (в окружающую среду): Motor vehicles account for 72 percent of all harmful emissions. | They are expected to halve pollution caused by large commercial vehicles, bringing them into line with regulations governing car exhaust emissions.
to cut (back) / reduce / slash emissions: Britain has agreed to cut emissions of nitrogen oxide from power stations. | It estimates that in that time it cut its carbon dioxide emissions by 20 percent. | They are demanding that richer countries cut back their carbon emissions to compensate. | We will meet our international obligations to reduce harmful chimney emissions. | Industrialized countries could reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 20 per cent. | We have slashed soot and dust emissions by nearly 90 percent.
emissions decline: Emissions from power stations have declined since 1979.
a reduction / cut in emissions / the emission of sth: The Green Party have called for a substantial reduction in the emission of greenhouse gases by the UK.
to curb / limit / control / stabilize emissions: The market could grow much bigger if countries further subsidize wind power to curb greenhouse gas emissions. | Governments, airlines and passengers should take action to curb global emissions, the report concluded. | Both countries would also limit nitrogen oxide emissions through stricter controls on motor vehicles. | The oil industry would be faced with the cost of meeting the ever higher burden of controlling emissions at the manufacturing plants. | Gas is environmentally helpful in achieving the Government's target of stabilizing carbon dioxide emissions at 1990 levels by the year 2005.
to increase emissions: It would increase emissions by a mere 11 percent. | But Clinton insists that new technologies will improve energy efficiency, enabling developing countries to continue economic growth without increasing emissions.
emissions increase: U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide are still increasing. | Sulphur dioxide emissions would also increase if that strategy were implemented.
sth produces emissions: In Johansson's model, this option produced lower emissions, but they were not low enough.
to achieve zero emissions: Public transport of the future may use fuel cells to achieve zero emissions.
emissions from sth / into sth: Sulfur emissions from steel mills become acid rain. | Unlike incineration, there are no emissions into the atmosphere. | The report also mentions poorly designed and inefficiently used dust yards as a major source of secondary emissions into the atmosphere.
harmful / toxic / car / automobile / exhaust / industrial / gas / carbon / dioxide / oxide / sulphur emissions | emissions of sth: The Board claims that environmentalists have underestimated the degree of protection afforded by clouds and industrial emissions. | Washington continues to challenge the scientific claim that global warming is in part caused by emissions of carbon dioxide.
emission level(s): In addition, diesels generally require less maintenance than petrol engines and can retain impressive emission levels over large mileages.
(to set / establish) emission standards (for sth) / standards on emissions | (to set / place / impose) emission limits (on / for sth) / limits on emissions | (to set / put / impose) emission ceilings (on sth) / ceilings on emissions: Those are a necessary complement to last year's directive on emission standards for heavy duty diesel vehicles. | The year saw continued progress in setting tighter standards on emissions and in-use testing around the world. | As technology improves, thereby making it possible to set a lower emission standard, new sources face increasingly more strict controls. | This sets strict limits on emissions in an effort to reduce the country's contribution to global warming and acid rain. | Apart from general operating conditions, it has set emission limits for sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide. | So they risk losing most potential economic growth if a climate treaty sets ceilings on emissions.
to meet emission(s) standards: The exhaust emissions standards could only be met with current technology by installing three-way catalytic converters in petrol-driven vehicles.
(2) [uncountable] the act of sending gas, heat, or light into the air выделение; распространение излучение; испускание: The emission of gases such as carbon dioxide should be stabilized at their present level. | It is usually caused by the emission of particulates or nitrogen dioxide.
8. fumes [plural] strong, unpleasant and sometimes dangerous gas or smoke испарение; газы: The four great chimneys to his left spewing out their fumes into the grey cloud. | They have been protesting about fumes from a chlorine factory.
to give off fumes выделять испарения / газы: And there is the paint they use which gives off really bad fumes. | Do not buy foam-filled furniture if you can avoid it, as it can give off lethal fumes when it ignites. | Some rags, which had apparently been used to wipe it out, gave off oil fumes.
to breathe (in) / inhale fumes: The National Institute on Drug Abuse has estimated that 1,000 teens die annually by breathing fumes from easily accessible products. | According to the latest figures at least two youngsters die every week as a direct result of inhaling solvent fumes.
to be overcome by fumes получить отравление испарениями / газами: Several residents of the area were overcome by toxic fumes. | Many people were overcome by fumes from the burning factory.
car / vehicle / traffic / exhaust / gas / petrol / diesel / oil / chemical / noxious / toxic / cigar / cigarette fumes | fumes of sth: Traffic fumes raised pollution to record levels yesterday. | The atmosphere was being poisoned, every green thing blighted, and every stream fouled with chemical fumes and waste. | The site would clean toxin-laced dirt by burning it, sending noxious fumes into nearby skies. | We campaigned ferociously to ban the stuff that could kill people in minutes with its toxic fumes.
9. exhaust / car / automobile / vehicle fumes / gas(es) / emissions | (car) exhaust[uncountable] waste gas or steam produced by an engine as it works выхлопные / отработавшие газы: Cars and lorries cause air pollution through exhaust fumes. | The city's streets are filthy and choked with exhaust fumes. | The carbon deposit was thought to come from car exhaust fumes from a large car park close to the church. | The column of burning exhaust gas strikes the ground and seems to spread out in all directions. | Approximately 100,000 cars clog the narrow streets each day and exhaust gases are eroding the city's ancient monuments. | Puffs of hardened car exhaust linger in the air on busy streets. | They are expected to halve pollution caused by large commercial vehicles, bringing them into line with regulations governing car exhaust emissions. | It's also much quieter and even better behaved, by that we mean it burns cleaner with less exhaust emissions. | Car exhaust is the main reason for the city's pollution.
10. discharge [uncountable; countable] the act of sending out waste liquid, gas, smoke etc, or the substance that is sent out, especially when this has harmful effects сброс; выпуск, спуск, слив; сток
(the / a) discharge (of sth) / discharges (into / to sth // from sth): Discharge of raw sewage into the sea is unsanitary and unsafe. | This will eliminate the disposal of waste acid in the North Sea and significantly reduce discharge to the River Tees. | The discharge of harmful chemicals into drinking water is banned. | Thousands of fish were killed as a result of a discharge of poisonous chemicals from a nearby factory. | The authorities are particularly concerned about discharges from nuclear power stations. | The major sources of pollution were oil spills, discharges from refineries and natural seepage from oil-bearing strata. | All discharges and disposals of radioactive waste from Springfields were within relevant limits.
11. release [uncountable] a situation in which something such as a chemical is spread into the area or atmosphere around it выброс; выпуск; выделение
(the) release of sth into the atmosphere / air / environment / river / sea / soil: The burning of coal, oil and gas to provide energy results in the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. | The accident caused the release of radioactivity into the atmosphere. | The release of these toxic substances into the environment is potentially devastating.
12. oil spill / spillage [countable; uncountable] an amount of oil that has accidentally flowed out of a container разлив нефти: In 1989, there was a massive oil spill in Alaska. | The oil spill threatens (an unparalleled) ecological catastrophe. | Oil spills have sullied thousands of acres. | Entire coastal bays and lagoons along the coast have been fouled by oil spills and the runoff of toxic chemicals. | It was like cleaning up after an oil spill. | The oil spillage has polluted the harbour. | The remainder were largely due to sewage, industrial pollution or oil spillages.
13. (oil) slick [countable] an area of oil on the surface of water or on a road нефтяное пятно, пленка нефти: The problem to some extent overshadowed the oil slick as an environmental issue. | Other benefits include the detection of oil slicks and other pollution.
14. leak [countable] an escape of liquid or gas through a hole or crack in something; an amount of liquid or gas that comes out of a hole or crack in something течь, протечка, утечка; просачивание: The chemical leak poisoned the water supply. | Chemical leaks have had a disastrous effect on wildlife. | They stressed, however, that there had been no radiation leak at the plant, which is of the Chernobyl type. | The first reactor was closed down for repairs earlier this year after a gas leak. | A gas leak caused the explosion / blast.
15. exhaust (pipe) | tailpipe(especially American English) [countable] a pipe on a vehicle or machine through which waste gas or steam passes выхлопная труба; вытяжка: An exhaust pipe for a car will fall into this exception. | The car needs a new exhaust. | From what goes into a vehicle to what comes out its tailpipe, Arizona lawmakers have not leaned on diesel.
Waste
1. waste[uncountable]| wastes[plural]| waste product[countable] unwanted materials or substances that are left after you have used something отходы (производства): That means councils are having to rethink the way they deal with waste. | Their wastes include solvents, fuels, mine tailings, radioactive wastes, and unexploded bombs and shells.
to produce / create waste давать отходы: Britain produces 20 million tonnes of household waste each year. | Greenpeace is campaigning for the closure of all industries producing wastes containing organochlorides, including dioxins. | Nuclear power carries the risk of accidents and produces radioactive waste which will pollute the environment for centuries. | So households have no incentive to minimize or recycle the waste they create.
production of waste: It should include a review of energy usage and, where applicable, the production and disposal of waste.
waste producer: But the written description will have to be provided by all other commercial and industrial waste producers.
to reduce / cut (down / down on) waste: One objective is to reduce waste by 50 percent by 1995, particularly substances harmful to the environment. | We are therefore constantly looking for ways both to reduce the amount of waste we produce and to upgrade that which remains. | One such project was to have focused on reducing the toxic waste produced when making the plutonium core of nuclear missiles.
to bury waste захоронить отходы: Congress has tried to find a site to bury high-level nuclear wastes for decades, with a notable lack of success. | The thought of thousands of tonnes of radioactive waste being buried under their favourite stretch of countryside filled local residents with horror.
to store waste хранить отходы: Long-term storage is favoured by environmentalists as less nuclear waste is produced, although spent fuel cannot be stored indefinitely. | The country lacked the technology to store the waste safely and it was threatening water supplies. | They say it's irresponsible to store radioactive waste where it can be a public danger and a safety risk. | The dump is intended to store low- and intermediate-level waste from the year 2005.
storage of waste хранение отходов: a controversy over the storage of nuclear waste
to recycle / reprocess waste перерабатывать отходы: It's a good idea to recycle household waste. | The department is now advising other customers on how to recycle their waste. | Nature has the capacity to recycle wastes and reconstitute them into new resources of concentrated material quality. | The United Kingdom does not reprocess nuclear waste; we do not even import nuclear waste.
to incinerate waste сжигать отходы
(the) incineration of waste: They see incineration as a solution to toxic waste whose usefulness should be employed on a greater range of materials.
waste leaks / finds its way into a particular place отходы просачиваются: Industrial waste leaked into the water supply. | Chemical waste has found its way into the water supply.
household waste бытовые отходы: In the case of household waste, the price rarely covers more than a fraction of the cost of collection and sorting.
dangerous / hazardous // nuclear / radioactive / chemical / toxic // industrial waste: Under that programme, they have been able to demonstrate ways of breaking up many dangerous industrial wastes. | We do not believe that the United Kingdom should import any toxic and hazardous waste. | The ultimate question, however, was what would happen to the steadily accumulating stockpiles of nuclear waste in the long term. | Nuclear weapons plants across the country are heavily contaminated with toxic wastes. | The government has announced a ban on all imports of toxic waste from abroad.
2. refuse(formal)| rubbish(especially British English)| garbage(especially American English)| trash(American English) [uncountable] waste material that has been thrown away мусор, отходы, твердые отбросы: Heaps of decaying refuse littered every street. | We are gradually developing safer and more effective methods of refuse disposal. | I forgot to put the rubbish out for collection this morning. | Bigger garbage firms developed as concern about the safety of garbage dumps did. | The yards are overgrown and cluttered with trash.
household / domestic refuse / rubbish / garbage / trash бытовые отходы, бытовой мусор: This aims to reduce the mounting flood of household refuse, which currently stands at 70 million tonnes a year. | As with domestic refuse, the problems of methane gas generation also exist when disposing of industrial waste underground. | Furthermore, mixing up used disposables with the rest of the household rubbish makes it difficult to recycle them afterwards. | Disposal of our domestic rubbish is something we tend to forget about once it's been picked up by the dust-cart.
(to make a) refuse / rubbish / garbage / trash collection // collection of refuse / rubbish / garbage / trash (производить) уборку мусора / сбор отходов: A number of local authorities, for example, put out refuse collection to private tender. | Refuse collection has been seriously affected by the strike. | The Phoenix Department of Public Works does this by competing in garbage collection. | The District Council made a weekly collection of refuse. | Garbage collections are made every Tuesday morning.
to collect refuse / rubbish / garbage / trash убирать / вывозить мусор: The dustmen collect the rubbish on Thursdays. | But new measures have been taken, and sweeping machines constantly ply the main streets collecting rubbish.
to take out refuse / rubbish / garbage / trash выносить мусор: Can you take out the garbage when you go? | Mowing lawns and taking out the trash are jobs for the tenant.
3. litter [uncountable] waste paper, cans etc that people have thrown away and left on the ground in a public place, making it untidy сор, мусор; отходы: About 2% of fast-food packaging ends up as litter.
to drop litter | to throw litter into sth: People who drop litter can be fined in some cities. | Always clear up after a picnic and never drop litter. | Never throw litter into ponds or streams.
to pick up litter: Pick up your litter after a picnic. | I am tired of picking up litter thrown by other people.
to be full of litter: These streets are full of litter. | The park and river are full of litter.
to clear sth of litter | to clear litter from sth: The gutter between the sidewalk and granite slabs is cleared of leaves and litter. | On Wednesday we cleared a beach and woodland of litter.
litter-free: Local authorities will have a duty to keep their land litter-free.
4. chemical [countable] a substance used in chemistry or produced by a chemical process химикат, химический продукт, химическое вещество: Many industrially produced chemicals may cause cancer, birth defects, genetic mutations, or death. | Farmers are moving away from the use of chemicals and pesticides. | Sewage plants that turn sludge into safer materials certainly help the environment, but they do release some chemicals. | Additionally, this waste is a potential source of pollution when it degrades, releasing undesirable chemicals into the soil and air.
dangerous / hazardous / toxic chemicals: Dangerous chemicals banned in the United States often continue to be produced and shipped to developing countries. | Over the years indiscriminate dumping has resulted in a large number of environmentally dangerous sites that are leaking toxic and hazardous chemicals. | Numerous instances of the dumping or abandonment of toxic chemicals and other materials have been discovered. | Entire coastal bays and lagoons along the coast have been fouled by oil spills and the runoff of toxic chemicals.
5. sewage | sewera