| A | B |
|---|
| disaster | sudden great act of destruction & loss |
| disastrous | catastrophic or related to a disaster |
| threaten | to terrorize or intimidate |
| threat | a warning of harm |
| avert | to avoid or prevent from happening |
| ecology | study of connections among plants & animals & environment |
| natural resource | useful raw materials found in nature |
| irreplaceable | almost impossible to replace |
| global warming | earth temperature increase caused by pollution |
| greenhouse effect | air temperature increase because gases & heat can’t leave the atmosphere |
| ozone layer | covering of a poisonous gas found in Earth's atmosphere |
| polar ice cap | large area of ice at the North & South Poles |
| glacier | large mass of ice that moves slowly down a mountain |
| iceberg | large piece of frozen ice in the sea |
| melt | to change from a solid to liquid state |
| petroleum | oily liquid found between in the earth & used for fuel |
| oil spill | allowing petroleum to accidentally fall from its container |
| coal | mineral made of carbon dug from the ground & burned for heat |
| mining | the business & process of taking minerals out of the earth |
| natural gas | air-like substance piped out of the earth & used to cook & heat |
| geothermal energy | power related to heat found deep inside Earth |
| steam | gas in the air made by heated water under pressure |
| solar energy | power related to the sun |
| nuclear energy | power generated by the splitting of the atom |
| hydroelectric power | electricity created from water power |
| radiation leak | accidental spill of radioactive energy waves |
| toxic chemicals | harmful or poisonous man-made substances |
| hazardous waste | dangerous garbage |
| hazardous material | a dangerous substance |
| hazardous cargo | dangerous load carried by something |
| litter | pieces of trash on the ground |
| refuse | garbage |
| sewage | waste & liquid that goes from toilets to pipes underground |
| sewer | tunnels & pipes that carry sewage |
| smog | air pollution from smoke or exhaust |
| automobile exhaust | smoke or steam that escapes from a car's engine |
| pesticide poisoning | harmful condition from overuse of insect-killing chemicals |
| deforestation | removal of many trees by cutting or fire |
| contaminate | to make unclean or unfit for use or consumption |
| contamination | the state of being unclean or unfit for use or consumption |
| pollute | to contaminate or make impure or dirty |
| pollution | contamination of the environment by pollutants |
| explode | to burst or blow apart with force |
| explosion | a blowing apart with force or a blast |
| explosive | a substance used to make explosions |
