‘Mega-consumers’ of food and energy cost environment $5.7tn a year, study finds
Listen to Course
0:00
0:00
EN: The present participle phrase 'amounting to...' is used as an adjective clause reduction (which amounts to...) to modify the noun 'environmental damage'. It expresses a total that reaches a specific figure.
The unpaid taxes, amounting to millions of dollars, were never recovered.
EN: The prepositional phrase 'according to' is used to introduce the source of information or opinion, establishing credibility. It is commonly placed at the beginning or the end of a sentence in journalistic writing.
According to the latest weather forecast, a typhoon is approaching.
EN: The noun phrase 'ten percent' functions as the head of the subject. When followed by 'of the global population' (a singular collective noun), the verb 'generates' agrees in the singular form.
Only ten percent of the energy is converted into light.
EN: The term 'landmark study' is frequently used in academic and journalistic contexts to refer to a research paper that significantly alters the understanding of a particular field or provides groundbreaking data. In environmental discourse, quantifying ecological damage in monetary terms (like trillions of dollars) is a modern strategy to make the abstract concept of climate change tangible to policymakers and the general public.
EN: The sentence begins with a past participle phrase ('Published by...'), which functions as an adjective modifying the main subject ('the findings'). This is a reduced relative clause, shortened from 'Which were published by...'. It is a common feature of formal and academic writing to pack information efficiently at the beginning of a sentence.
Written by a team of environmental scientists, the report details the devastating effects of global warming.
EN: The verb 'underscore' is followed by a noun clause starting with the question word 'how' ('how consumption patterns... have reached...'). This noun clause functions as the direct object of the verb, explaining the specific content or mechanism of what is being highlighted.
The presentation demonstrated how renewable energy solutions can reduce operational costs.
EN: The present perfect tense ('have reached') is used here to describe an action or state that began in the past and has continuing relevance or has reached a cumulative peak in the present, emphasized by the adjective 'unprecedented'.
Global temperatures have reached record highs over the past decade.
EN: The mention of the 'University of Oxford' and the 'University of Leiden' lends high academic credibility to the findings. In Western academic contexts, collaborative research between prestigious institutions across different nations (the UK and the Netherlands) is highly valued and often indicates a study of significant global scale and rigorous peer review.
EN: The preposition 'except' is used to introduce the only thing or person that a statement does not apply to. It can be followed by nouns, pronouns, or prepositional phrases. In formal contexts, 'except for' is also common, but 'except' is preferred when following words like 'every', 'all', 'no', or 'any'.
The museum is open every day except Monday.
EN: The verb 'surpass' is a transitive verb meaning to exceed, be greater than, or go beyond a limit, standard, or amount. It is highly appropriate for formal, academic, or economic registers to describe quantitative or qualitative superiority.
The company's annual revenue is expected to surpass last year's record.
EN: The sentence highlights the massive economic scale of the United States and China, which are currently the world's two largest economies by nominal GDP. By stating that the environmental cost of the top 10% of global consumers surpasses the GDP of all other nations combined except these two, the text underscores the staggering magnitude of human-driven ecological damage in comparison to global economic output.
EN: The adverb 'disproportionately' is used to describe a situation where something is out of proportion, either too large or too small, in relation to something else. It is commonly used in academic and journalistic registers to highlight inequality or imbalance.
Low-income families are disproportionately affected by the rising cost of energy.
EN: The prepositional phrase 'with + noun + -ing participle' (with more than half... falling into...) functions as an adverbial adjunct of attendant circumstance or result. It provides additional, supporting information that explains or expands on the main clause.
The company expanded its market share, with profits rising by twenty percent this quarter.
EN: The phrasal verb 'fall into' is used here in a figurative sense meaning 'to be classified as' or 'to belong to' a particular category or group.
Most of the budget expenditures fall into the category of administrative costs.
EN: The term 'global north' is a socio-economic and political categorization rather than a strictly geographical one. It refers to developed, high-income countries, predominantly located in North America and Europe, which are historically responsible for a larger share of global resource consumption and environmental degradation compared to the 'global south'.
EN: The verb 'qualify as' is used to state that someone or something has the necessary features to be described as a particular thing. It is often followed by a noun phrase representing a category or status.
She qualifies as an expert in the field of renewable energy after ten years of research.
EN: When expressing percentages of a collective noun like 'population', the verb agreement depends on the noun that follows 'of'. Since 'population' is a singular collective noun representing a singular entity here, the verb 'qualifies' takes the singular form.
Approximately thirty percent of the local population has received the first dose of the vaccine.
EN: The prepositional phrase 'In the European Union' is placed at the beginning of the sentence as an introductory adverbial of place, which sets the geographical scope of the statement and is followed by a comma.
In the United States, public transportation is less common in suburban areas.
EN: The term 'European Union' (EU) refers to a political and economic union of 27 member states located primarily in Europe. In global environmental discussions, the EU is often analyzed as a single bloc due to its unified environmental regulations and high average standards of living, which contribute to significant consumption footprints compared to developing regions.
EN: The past participle phrase 'involved in the study' acts as an adjective modifying the noun 'researcher'. This is a reduced relative clause, shortened from 'who was involved in the study'.
The experts involved in the project recommended immediate action.
EN: The structure 'describe A as B' is used to characterize someone or something. 'As' is a preposition followed by a noun phrase or, as in this case, an adjective ('utterly extraordinary') acting as a complement.
The critic described the performance as absolutely flawless.
EN: The present participle 'emphasizing' introduces a participle clause expressing a simultaneous action or a natural result of the main clause. The subject of 'emphasizing' is the same as the main clause ('One researcher').
The CEO delivered a speech, highlighting the company's commitment to sustainability.
EN: The verb 'identify' is commonly used in academic and formal contexts with the structure 'identify A as B' to classify or define something as having a specific identity or role.
The committee identified renewable energy as the top priority for the new development plan.
EN: The use of 'the two most + adjective + plural noun' is a superlative structure used to highlight a specific, limited number of items (in this case, two) that possess the highest degree of a quality within a group.
They selected the two most promising candidates for the final interview.
EN: The verb 'emerge as' is used to describe how something becomes known, recognized, or develops into a particular position or role over time. It is more formal and dynamic than simply using 'become'.
Renewable energy has emerged as a viable alternative to fossil fuels.
EN: The noun phrase 'primary driver' is a formal academic and journalistic collocation used to identify the main cause or force behind a trend, event, or phenomenon.
Technological innovation is the primary driver of economic growth in the modern era.
EN: The post-modifier 'worldwide' is an adverb used here as an adjective equivalent modifying the noun phrase 'deforestation and biodiversity loss', meaning 'happening or existing in all parts of the world'.
The campaign received widespread support from environmentalists worldwide.
EN: In recent years, the environmental impact of diet, particularly red meat consumption, has become a major topic of discussion in Western countries. This has led to a significant rise in 'flexitarianism' (semi-vegetarianism) and the popularity of plant-based meat alternatives in supermarkets and restaurants across the global north.
EN: The present participle 'encompassing' is used here to introduce a non-defining participial clause that functions as an adjective, providing extra information about the subject 'Energy expenditure'. It is equivalent to 'which encompasses'.
The new policy, affecting all employees, will be implemented next month.
EN: The verb 'constitute' is a formal verb meaning 'to be the parts that together form something' or 'to be equivalent to'. In academic and formal writing, it is often preferred over 'make up' or 'be'.
Twelve people constitute a jury in this country.
EN: Parallel structure in lists: When listing multiple items, they should share the same grammatical form. Here, 'aviation' (noun), 'residential heating and cooling' (noun phrase with gerunds), and 'the burning of fossil fuels' (noun phrase with gerund) are all grammatically parallel as noun entities.
The course covers academic writing, critical thinking, and presenting research.
EN: Inverted conditional structure (subjunctive mood) without 'if'. When 'if' is omitted in conditional clauses containing 'were', 'had', or 'should', the auxiliary verb is placed before the subject.
Were he to accept the job offer, he would have to relocate to Germany.
EN: The use of 'unchecked' as a post-positive modifier or object complement. Here, 'to persist unchecked' means to continue without being stopped or regulated.
The disease was allowed to spread unchecked throughout the region.
EN: Interrupter clause (parenthetical insertion). 'The researchers cautioned' is inserted into the middle of the main conditional sentence to attribute the statement, which is a common journalistic style.
The new policy, the director announced, will take effect next month.
EN: The passive construction 'be derived from' is used to indicate the origin or source of something, often abstract concepts, data, or words. It emphasizes the source rather than the agent performing the derivation.
The word 'biodiversity' is derived from Greek and Latin roots.
EN: Parallel noun phrases are used to list multiple items of equal grammatical rank. In this sentence, 'climate disruption, biodiversity loss, nutrient pollution, and freshwater depletion' are four parallel noun-noun/adjective-noun compounds acting as the objects of the preposition 'of'.
The report highlights the dangers of soil erosion, air pollution, and habitat destruction.
EN: The prepositional phrase 'on an individual basis' is used to specify the perspective or unit of measurement being discussed, meaning 'when considered individually' or 'per person'. It is a formal alternative to 'individually' or 'per capita'.
The employees will be evaluated on an individual basis rather than as a team.
EN: The verb 'range' is used with the prepositional phrase 'from A to B' to express the limits of variation in amount, number, or degree. In this sentence, it indicates the fluctuating or estimated scale of the environmental cost.
The price of organic vegetables can range from three to eight dollars per kilogram.
EN: The complex noun phrase 'the average annual environmental damage bill for someone in the global top ten percent' functions as the subject. It features multiple pre-modifiers ('average', 'annual', 'environmental damage') and a post-modifying prepositional phrase ('for someone in the global top ten percent') that narrows down the specific group.
The average monthly electricity bill for a household in this city has increased significantly.
EN: The sentence discusses environmental damage in terms of monetary value ('damage bill'). This reflects a growing trend in environmental economics to quantify ecological footprints and climate impacts in financial terms, making the abstract concept of environmental degradation more tangible to policymakers and the general public.
EN: The phrase 'those residing in...' uses a present participle ('residing') as an adjective phrase modifying the pronoun 'those'. This is a reduced relative clause, shortened from 'those who reside in...'. It is commonly used in formal and written English to describe a specific group of people.
The policy applies only to those residing in the European Union.
EN: The verb 'soared' is used to describe a rapid and dramatic increase. It is a highly descriptive verb often used in financial, economic, or statistical contexts to emphasize a sharp upward trend, rather than using a simple verb like 'increased'.
Temperatures soared to record heights during the summer months.
EN: The adverb 'however' is used as a parenthetical insertion (set off by commas) to introduce a contrast. Placing 'however' after the initial prepositional phrase ('For those..., however, ...') creates a smoother, more sophisticated transition in formal writing compared to placing it at the very beginning of the sentence.
For small businesses, however, the new tax regulation poses a significant challenge.
EN: The sentence highlights the vast disparity in environmental impact between average global citizens and wealthy individuals in developed nations like the United States. In environmental economics, this reflects the concept of the 'ecological footprint' and 'carbon inequality,' where consumption-driven environmental damage is disproportionately caused by high-income populations in the Global North.
EN: When a negative correlative conjunction like 'Not only' begins a sentence, subject-auxiliary inversion is required in the first clause. The auxiliary verb (do/does/did) is placed before the subject.
Not only did she complete the project ahead of schedule, but she also stayed within the budget.
EN: The correlative structure 'Not only... but (also)... as well' is used to connect and emphasize two coordinated clauses. 'As well' can be used at the end of the second clause as an alternative to 'also' after 'but'.
Not only does the new policy reduce carbon emissions, but it stimulates green technology investment as well.
EN: The idiom 'close the gap' means to reduce the difference or disparity between two groups, levels, or standards.
The government is implementing new educational reforms to close the gap between public and private schools.
EN: The sentence reflects a central debate in global climate politics: 'Common but Differentiated Responsibilities' (CBDR). Historically, wealthy nations (the Global North) have contributed the most to cumulative greenhouse gas emissions, but rapidly developing emerging economies (like China and India) are now also major contributors to current emissions, leading to complex negotiations on who should pay for climate mitigation.
EN: The use of 'that of' is a crucial grammatical device used to avoid repetition of a singular noun (in this case, 'the average environmental cost') when comparing two similar things. If the noun being compared were plural, 'those of' would be used instead.
The GDP of Japan is currently smaller than that of the United States.
EN: The past participle phrase 'attributed to...' acts as a reduced relative clause (which is/has been attributed to...) modifying the noun phrase 'the average environmental cost'. It functions as an adjective to specify the source or cause of the cost.
The drop in sales attributed to the recent economic downturn has worried investors.
EN: The adverb 'Notably' is used as a sentence modifier (or disjunct) at the very beginning of the sentence. It signals to the reader that the information following is particularly striking, important, or worthy of attention.
Notably, none of the board members opposed the new environmental policy.
EN: This sentence reflects a major shift in global environmental economics. Historically, Western developed nations (like Germany) were the primary drivers of high-consumption environmental damage. However, the rapid economic rise of emerging economies, particularly China, has created a massive new class of high-consuming individuals whose environmental footprint now rivals or exceeds that of their counterparts in traditional wealthy nations.
Key vocabulary words with IPA pronunciation, definitions, example sentences, and interactive quizzes.
Phrases with type tags, bilingual definitions, usage notes, and example sentences.
A term used to refer to wealthier, highly developed countries, typically located in North America, Europe, and parts of Asia and Oceania.
Natural fuels such as coal or gas, formed in the geological past from the remains of living organisms.
To continue to exist or develop without any control, restraint, or prevention.
Nations' economies that are progressing toward becoming advanced, characterized by rapid growth and industrialization.