Topic: Environmental Problems

Understanding Environmental Terminology

Familiarise yourself with key environmental terminology in Italian such as inquinamento (pollution), rifiuti (waste), riciclaggio (recycling), energia rinnovabile (renewable energy), and effetto serra (greenhouse effect).

Discussing problems and solutions

Be able to discuss environmental issues using vocabulary such as smog, scarico dei rifiuti (waste disposal), deforestazione (deforestation) and estinzione delle specie (species extinction).
Suggest solutions to these issues using phrases like dovremmo (we should), è importante che (it’s important that), or potremmo (we could).

Personal and Community Impact

Reflect on how environmental issues affect you and your community. Use phrases like questo problema mi preoccupa perché (this problem worries me because) or la nostra comunità è stata colpita da (our community has been hit by).
Discuss steps you or your community has taken to combat environmental problems, using phrases like ho iniziato a (I started to), or la mia scuola ha introdotto (my school has introduced).

Government Policy and Global Action

Learn high-level terms such as protocollo di Kyoto (Kyoto Protocol) or rispetto dell’ambiente (environmental respect) to discuss broader actions towards environmental problems.
Discuss government policy or international agreements on environmental issues using phrases like il governo ha promesso (the government has promised), i leader mondiali hanno firmato un accordo (world leaders have signed an agreement).

Future Predictions and Wishes

Use the future or conditional tenses to discuss what you hope will happen. For example, spero che il mondo prenda sul serio il cambiamento climatico (I hope the world takes climate change seriously).
Discuss actions you plan to take or you think should be taken in the future, using phrases like in futuro, cercherò di (in future, I will try to), se avessi il potere, farei (if I had the power, I would make).

Remember, regularly engaging in debates and discussions around environmental issues will also aid in improving your oral communication skills. Using multimedia resources, like videos or podcasts on environmental issues in Italian, can also be immensely beneficial.