Climate Change and the Future: A Sustainable Path Through Technology and Innovation

We are living at a critical time, both for humanity and the whole planet. The need to protect and to seek more sustainable formulas for interacting with the environment, became clear at the COP21 climate change conference. The meeting, held in Paris in December 2015, confirmed the importance of fighting against global warming, an effort in which technology and the so-called 'circular economy' will play a key role.

In addition to improving the efficiency of linear production processes, the circular economy aims to reuse elements that are traditionally considered waste. The goal of this sustainable development strategy is to produce goods and services while reducing raw materials, water and energy consumption and waste. One aspect is the bioeconomy, in which either living organisms or their parts are used to help the environment – which can contribute to our growth. According to European Union calculations, every euro invested in R&D&I in the bioeconomy, funded at community level, will generate ten euros of added value in 2025. This data supports scientific and technical strategies that will not only improve employment figures, but could also help save the environment.

The technology applied in agriculture is one great example. The development of improved crops, boosted in recent decades by sufficient scientific evidence to support its usefulness and safety, shows how biotechnology can produce crops which are resistant to climate change. Recently, the European Union claimed they would support a research study aimed at developing drought-tolerant cereal, which will be directed by a team led by Dr. Ana Cano Delgado from Barcelona's CRAG-CSIC. Floods, drought and other hazards such as wildfires are some of the problems that climate change will exacerbate, especially in the poorest regions.

The future will not only be marked by our ability to evolve and adapt to change. Among the technologies that will save the environment, electric cars and biofuels play a special role. The term 'green cars' is not only restricted to the electric type, but also includes cars that consume less to travel the same distance, hybrid vehicles, and many others. Moving towards a new culture in this industry is essential, since, for example, in the United States alone, car, bus, motorcycle and truck trips cover an annual distance equivalent to making 13,440 round-trips to the Sun, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency.

Research, as well as scientific and technical innovation, will be critical to saving the environment, reducing the impact of global warming, helping in adapting to climate change, cleaning up polluted areas and taking care of our own health. The examples mentioned above show that science and technology will be better prepared to meet the challenges of the future. In addition, overcoming these challenges will allow us to move towards a different economy, an environment-friendly one that generates qualified employment.

52. According to the author, the most challenging environmental problem we face is ______. A) climate change B) environmental pollution C) ocean pollution D) waste water

53. Circular economy can ______. A) obviously increase the profits B) reuse all the raw materials and wastes C) offer a sustainable development strategy D) solve the environmental problems

54. We can infer from the passage that ______. A) bioeconomy has already improved both employment and profit in the European Union B) we can only solve the climate change problem by developing technologies that are resistant to it C) new type of development should consider both the environmental problems as well as the quality of development D) the term “green cars” refers to the electric type of car which does not consume oil

55. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a kind of technology to combat environmental problems in the passage? A) Biofuels. B) Biotechnology. C) Electric cars. D) Artificial intelligence.

56. The author implied in the last paragraph that _____. A) new economy must be in line with qualified employment B) technology is the only way to save the environment C) we should try our best to solve the environmental problems D) we should develop a new way of sustainable economy

57. A) climate change

58. C) offer a sustainable development strategy

59. C) new type of development should consider both the environmental problems as well as the quality of development

60. D) Artificial intelligence.

61. D) we should develop a new way of sustainable economy