Depletion of the ozone layer
1. ozone [uncountable] (technical) a kind of oxygen that exists high in the Earth's atmosphere озон: Ozone is a highly reactive form of oxygen gas. | Ozone is produced by the reaction between oxygen and ultra-violet light. | Ozone is best known for its role in screening the Earth from harmful ultraviolet rays from the Sun. | Press reports revealed that ozone levels in the upper atmosphere fell during the past month. | In heavy concentrations, ozone is irritating to the eyes, nose and throat.
to deplete / destroy ozone: They calculate that ozone is depleted fastest when the sun is least active. | The polar regions are particularly at risk because the chemical reaction that destroys ozone is helped by their weather conditions.
(to cause) ozone depletion / destruction: Predicting the rate of ozone depletion is difficult. | The observation shocked the world into action and convinced scientists and governments alike that ozone depletion was a serious problem. | These chemical reactions cause ozone destruction. | A worldwide agreement reached more than 10 years ago banned the long-lived chemicals responsible for ozone destruction.
ozone pollution: A series of other steps will be triggered by particularly high levels of low-level ozone pollution. | Given the enormous and costly pollution control efforts to tackle ozone pollution to date, these variable ten-year trends are very disappointing. | In California, pines suffer from yellowish flecking due to ozone pollution and Los Angeles is notorious for its thick ozone smogs.
2. ozone layer [singular] a layer of gases in the sky that prevents harmful radiation from the sun from reaching the Earth озонный / озоновый слой, слой озона; озоносфера: The loss of the ozone layer is also believed to be having a cooling effect.
to deplete / destroy / damage the ozone layer разрушать озоновый слой: CFC is just one chemical that depletes the ozone layer. | They help deplete the ozone layer, allowing ultraviolet rays to cause deadly skin cancers. | But they are thought to destroy the ozone layer, which protects the earth from the sun's rays. | But because of their longevity they are expected to go on damaging the ozone layer for decades. | Pollution beyond a certain critical level has disastrous social consequences, for example irreversibly damaging the ozone layer above the earth.
depletion / destruction / thinning of the ozone layer разрушение озонового слоя: Destruction of the world's rain forests, global warming, and the depletion of the ozone layer are just some of the problems that will reach critical proportions in the coming decades. | The consequences of the depletion of the ozone layer are dramatic.
to protect the ozone layer: This was seen as essential if such countries were to co-operate in efforts to protect the ozone layer. | The plan also provided for measures to protect the ozone layer.
3. hole in the ozone layer | ozone hole [countable] a hole in the layer of gases in the sky that prevents harmful radiation from the sun from reaching the Earth (This is thought to be caused by harmful gases from cars, household products, factories etc entering the earth's atmosphere.) озоновая дыра: The increase in the incidence of skin cancer is directly due to the hole in the ozone layer. | CFCs are the chemicals responsible for the hole in the ozone layer.
4. ozone-friendly not containing chemicals that cause pollution damaging the ozone layer безвредный для озонного / озонового слоя: an ozone-friendly fridge / aerosol / hair spray | ozone-friendly packaging | But the campaigners found only four fridges which were on the list of ozone-friendly household appliances.
5. carbon dioxide [uncountable] a gas without colour or smell produced when animals breathe out, when carbon is burned in air, or when animal or vegetable substances decay углекислый газ; углекислота; диоксид углерода: Within the last century, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased dramatically, largely because of the practice of burning fossil fuels – coal and petroleum and its derivatives. | Plants absorb carbon dioxide from the air and moisture from the soil. | Methane is often regarded as the second most important greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide. | The amount of carbon dioxide released by human activities such as burning coal and oil is small in comparison.
6. chlorofluorocarbon / CFC [countable] a gas used in fridges and aerosol cans, believed to be responsible for damaging the ozone layer (CFCs are not often used any more because they damage the ozone layer of the Earth's atmosphere.) фреон: More chlorofluorocarbons must have been released in the industrialized north. | CFCs cause damage to the ozone layer.
chlorofluorocarbon / CFC gases: It is free of chlorofluorocarbon gases which have been used to cool most fridges for decades. | CFC gases were in common use in aerosol sprays, refrigerators and air-conditioners.
to ban CFC use запрещать использование фреона
7. greenhouse effect [singular] an increase in the amount of carbon dioxide and other gases in the atmosphere which is believed to cause the temperature of the Earth to rise парниковый эффект: These gases are responsible for maintaining a global temperature acceptable to life, and this process is referred to as the greenhouse effect. | Neither can we guarantee that everywhere on Earth will be warmer as the greenhouse effect progresses. | The greenhouse effect is caused by the build-up of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
8. global warming [uncountable] a general increase in world temperatures caused by increased amounts of carbon dioxide around the Earth потепление климата: The carbon dioxide they produce contributed to global warming. | Additionally, the latest studies suggest that global warming may increase the amount of ozone destroyed. | Administration scientists continue to insist that there is no proven link between CO2 emissions and global warming. | Temperature records have unequivocally confirmed the existence of global warming. | According to some scientists, global warming threatens the survival of the whole human race. | Environmentalists fear that this is a short-sighted approach to the problem of global warming. | The threat of global warming will eventually force the US to slow down its energy consumption.
Resources
1. (natural) resource [countable – usually plural] things that exist in nature and can be used by people, for example the land, water, forests, energy sources and minerals природные ресурсы / богатства, полезные ископаемые, естественные богатства; запасы, ресурсы: From a human standpoint, this means that all of the world's physical resources are in finite supply. | In fact, because larger amounts of resources per person are used in the developed nations, each citizen from the developed world has a much greater environmental impact than does a citizen from a developing country. | Today we are overpopulated, straining the earth's resources. | Water power is our country's most important natural resource. | A major project is under way to reintroduce the waterwheel and turbine in order to harness this great natural resource once again. | They are looking at ways of reducing the waste of natural resources.
economic resources экономические ресурсы / объекты
land / forest resources земельные / лесные ресурсы
raw material resources сырьевые ресурсы
energy resources энергетические ресурсы, энергоресурсы
fuel resources топливные ресурсы
oil / gas resources ресурсы / запасы нефти / газа
water-power resources гидроэнергетические ресурсы
water resources водные ресурсы, гидроресурсы
groundwater resources ресурсы / запасы подземных вод
geothermal resources геотермальные ресурсы
mineable resources извлекаемые запасы
prospected resources разведанные запасы
undiscovered resources вероятные / прогнозные запасы
untapped resources неиспользуемые ресурсы
2. mineral resources [plural] минеральные ресурсы / богатства: Britain's mineral resources include oil, coal and gas deposits. | The Programme is focussed on world mineral resources, production, trade and use.
3. human resource(s) трудовые / человеческие / людские ресурсы, людские резервы: Our people are clearly our key (human) resource.
4. natural resources | mineral resources COLLOCATIONS
to be rich in natural / mineral resources | to abound in / with natural / mineral resources: Cambodia is very rich in natural resources. | Many of these countries are rich in timber and mineral resources.
rich / abundant natural / mineral resources: a country with abundant natural resources | Growth requires abundant cheap resources, especially fossil fuel, but also food and water.
an abundance of natural / mineral resources изобилие природных / минеральных ресурсов: a land with an abundance of natural resources
to develop / exploit / tap / mine (for) natural / mineral resources to develop and use something such as the land, water, forests, energy sources and minerals for business or industry добывать / разрабатывать природные / минеральные ресурсы: Do we aggressively develop renewable resources? | Casey founded a company to exploit the mineral resources in the area. | We must exploit the natural resources of our country. | Countries like Brazil have exploited the forests for minerals and timber for export, often with devastating ecological results. | The scheme aimed to tap underground water resources. | Branch lines were arranged to tap either mineral resources or new areas of settlement. | They mine a lot of copper around these parts. | Copper has been mined here since the sixteenth century. | This area has been mined for over 300 years. | For centuries small amounts of coal had been mined from shallow pits. | Most of the new settlers came here to mine for gold.
(the) development / exploitation of natural / mineral resources: the planned exploitation of its potential oil and natural gas reserves
to use / consume natural / mineral resources: It involves wondering how to use hard-won resources to achieve something meaningful. | They believed that the vast natural resources of the United States should be used for the betterment of the American people. | Not only do they consume more natural resources, they also produce more pollution.
to deplete // use up / exhaust // waste / be wasteful of natural / mineral resources истощать / исчерпывать / хищнически эксплуатировать природные / минеральные ресурсы: If we continue to deplete the Earth's natural resources, we will cause serious damage to the environment. | Surely it is an economic nonsense to deplete the world of natural resources. | As the number of people increases, more pollution is generated, more habitats are destroyed, and more natural resources are used up.
natural / mineral resources are running out природные / минеральные ресурсы кончаются / иссякают
to be careful with natural / mineral resources: It would force industries to be more careful with natural resources.
(the) use / consumption of natural / mineral resources: The use of finite natural resources, e.g. coal, oil, must, perhaps, result in ultimate shortages. | It also questions the practicality of simultaneously lowering the consumption of natural resources and improving quality of life.
(the) depletion / exhaustion of natural / mineral resources истощение / исчерпание / хищническая эксплуатация природных / минеральных ресурсов
limited / finite natural / mineral resources ограниченные ресурсы: In a population confined to a particular habitat competition for limited resources is an inevitable feature of life so long as reproduction occurs. | But can we really afford to take such risks with our limited space and natural resources in Britain? | The physical environment is extremely difficult, and natural resources limited. | The world's finite resources must be used wisely.
scarce natural / mineral resources недостаточные / скудные ресурсы: Both countries rely on the river for scarce water resources.
5. raw material(s) [countable – usually plural] materials such as coal, oil etc in their natural state, before being treated in order to make things сырье; сырьевой / исходный материал; сырье и материалы; материалы-полуфабрикаты: The cost of our raw materials has risen significantly. | This paper company imports raw materials from North America. | Businessmen looked for profitable markets and new sources of cheap raw materials; the military looked for overseas bases. | Their raw material and energy costs would rise, while being deprived of their previous government subsidies.
6. fossil fuel [uncountable; countable] a fuel such as coal, oil, or gas which was underground from plant and animal remains millions of years ago ископаемое топливо: Environmentalists would like to see fossil fuels replaced by renewable energy sources. | The fossil fuels (coal and oil) are finite resources. | Fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas will service our needs for some considerable time to come. | The world cannot continue to rely on the burning of fossil fuels for much of its industrial production and transportation. | An obvious and technically achievable alternative to fossil fuel combustion is nuclear fission.
7. coal [uncountable] a hard black substance which is dug out of the ground and burnt as fuel to produce heat уголь; каменный уголь: | Today, oil and natural gas have replaced coal and wood in most areas. | Now coal exports are smaller and these docks are less busy. | Gas-fired electricity is cheaper than coal.
to produce / mine (for) coal добывать уголь: It is estimated that the 150 men could produce 10,000 tons of coal a week. | It remains lunacy to produce yet more coal to add to power stations' stockpiles. | How much coal was mined here?
to burn // use / consume coal использовать / потреблять уголь: Then the others will be free to burn the oil and coal that might otherwise be consumed in the nuclear nations. | Much of the coal mined may have been consumed domestically, or used for iron-smelting or lime-burning.
coal production / mining добыча угля: When was the peak period for coal production?
the use // burning / combustion of coal: The excess mortality was attributed to coal mining and the extensive use of soft coal in the mining areas. | They merely pave the way for an increasing proportion of those emissions to come from the burning of imported coal. | The burning of coal, oil and gas to provide energy results in the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
the coal (mining) industry | coal mining угольная промышленность: The Government must be reminded that the average age of the labour force in the coal mining industry is about 30 years. | What of Labour's plans for the future of the coal industry? | There is something about coal mining that seems to brutalize a place.
coal reserves запасы угля: Germany's coal reserves were concentrated in a few large fields.
8. oil | petroleum [uncountable] a thick dark smooth liquid from under the ground or the bottom of the sea which is used for making petrol, paraffin, and various chemical substances нефть: We need to do more to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. | This level of imported oil could thus be displaced by the combined use of domestic gas and coal. | Meanwhile world oil demand is rising steadily at around two percent a year. | Oil prices have dropped significantly since May. | Oil exports from former Soviet republics have turned the Bosporus into a pulsing artery of the world's oil supply. | The weight of import dependence on Middle East oil supply has shifted from west to east. | Heat can be provided by oil, gas, or electricity. | Local oil companies want a 10 percent tariff on refined petroleum products and 3 percent duty for imported crude oil. | The gap between low cost and high value makes petroleum a highly political resource.
to drill for oil проводить разведочное бурение в поисках нефти: They might drill for oil and come up dry.
to hit / strike oil найти нефть, достичь нефтеносного слоя при бурении
to produce oil добывать нефть: The Middle Eastern countries produce most of the world's oil.
oil production добыча нефти, нефтедобыча: This is despite efforts to increase indigenous oil production. | The possibility of oil production seems less likely. | By early June the situation appeared to be under control and oil production, which had been briefly suspended, was resumed.
to burn // use / consume oil использовать / потреблять нефть: Then the others will be free to burn the oil and coal that might otherwise be consumed in the nuclear nations. | Furthermore it can permit coal use in boilers originally designed to burn oil without substantial derating.
the use // burning / combustion of oil: The burning of coal, oil and gas to provide energy results in the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
crude (oil / petroleum) oil in its natural state сырая / неочищенная нефть: A large tanker can carry several million tons of crude oil. | Relatively thin, its crude is among the easiest to refine.
refined oil очищенная нефть; светлый нефтепродукт; керосин
to refine oil очищать нефть
oil / petroleum products нефтепродукты: Domestic consumers of petroleum products have an interest in a secure source of petroleum products.
oil well нефтяная скважина, скважина нефтяной залежи: How deep do you drill an oil well?
oil crisis: Cheap solar energy conversion has been a dream of some scientists since the first oil crisis back in the late 1970s. | The loss of confidence in the mid-1970s is usually put down solely to the oil crisis.
9. oil reserves [plural] (балансовые) запасы нефти: But as oil reserves dwindled over the past decade, local school property taxes doubled to help make up the difference. | Many other countries of the world that are deficient in oil reserves have coal and natural gas. | Two-thirds of the worlds oil reserves still sleep quietly beneath the soil of Mecca. | Estimates of world oil reserves have increased steadily since the 1970s, more than doubling by some calculations.
known / available oil reserves достоверные / доступные запасы нефти: Known oil reserves are enough to last for 40 years, natural gas for over 65 years and coal for 250 years. | Despite an increase in consumption of these materials of between two- and tenfold over the past 50 years, the number of years of available reserves has actually grown.
to deplete // exhaust / use up oil reserves: As oil reserves are depleted, its price will continue to rise.
10. (natural) gas [uncountable] gas that is taken from under the ground and can be used for heating, lighting, or cooking природный газ: Today, oil and natural gas have replaced coal and wood in most areas. | Natural gas gives off less carbon dioxide than coal. | This pipeline will supply the major Greek cities with Russian natural gas. | The dwindling supplies of crude oil and natural gas are frequently discussed in newspaper articles.
11. gas reserves (балансовые) запасы газа: the planned exploitation of its potential oil and natural gas reserves
12. hydrocarbon | hydrocarbons [countable] (technical) a chemical substance that is a mixture of hydrogen and carbon, such as coal, oil, or gas углеводород, углеводороды (уголь, нефть, газ): Because of the huge up-front investment in production platforms, modestly-sized hydrocarbon discoveries in deep water are not economic. | Is it feasible to deliver so large a quantity of hydrocarbons to the required point? | Studies on a range of alternative singlet forms of basic hydrocarbons have been done.
hydrocarbon fuel углеводородное топливо: Natural gas, which is an ecologically acceptable hydrocarbon fuel, now represents more than half of our reserve base.
13. to harness [transitive] to control and use the natural force or power of something использовать; овладевать: We can harness the power of the wind to generate electricity. | The Missouri River is harnessed for hydroelectric power. | We are experimenting with ways to harness energy from the wind. | We are harnessing the power of the waves. | There is a great deal of interest in harnessing wind and waves as new sources of power. | Turkey plans to harness the waters of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers for big hydroelectric power projects.
14. to deplete [transitive – usually passive] to reduce the amount of something that is present or available уменьшать; исчерпывать, истощать, обеднять, опустошать; хищнически эксплуатировать: If we continue to deplete the Earth's natural resources, we will cause serious damage to the environment. | It is an economic nonsense to deplete the world of natural resources. | As oil reserves are depleted, its price will continue to rise. | The oil fields have been depleted by a rapacious exploitation policy. | Over the last few years, rainforests have been steadily depleted. | CFC is just one chemical that depletes the ozone layer. | Their numbers became so depleted in this country that in 1969 they were placed on the endangered species list. | Measures have been taken to protect the world's depleted elephant population.
15. to dwindle (away) [intransitive] to become gradually less or smaller over a period of time until almost nothing remains сокращаться, уменьшаться, убывать, истощаться: Resources are dwindling. | But as oil reserves dwindled over the past decade, local school property taxes doubled to help make up the difference. | Water supplies have dwindled to their lowest level in ten years. | The stream has dwindled to a trickle. | The elephant population is dwindling.
16. to exhaust | to use up [transitive] to use all of something исчерпывать, израсходовать, использовать полностью; истощать: What will happen when we have exhausted all our natural resources? | We are in danger of exhausting the world's oil supply. | The earth's resources are being used up at an alarming rate.
17. depletion [uncountable] (a) reduction уменьшение; исчерпание, истощение, обеднение, опустошение; хищническая эксплуатация: the depletion of the ozone layer | the problem of ozone depletion | the depletion of underground water supplies | the depletion of forests in Uganda
18. exhaustion [uncountable] the use of all of something расходование, опустошение, истощение; исчерпание: the exhaustion of oil supplies | Increased consumption will lead to faster exhaustion of our natural resources. | Poor farming techniques have led to the exhaustion of the soil.