Understanding the Global Warming Passage and Blank 5

The passage discusses global warming, its causes (greenhouse gases), its effects (severe weather, rising sea levels, loss of biodiversity), and actions taken by governments, organisations, and individuals to address it. The question asks us to fill in blank number 5 with the most appropriate word from the given options.

Analyzing the Sentence with Blank 5

The sentence containing blank 5 reads: "However, individuals can also play a role in (5)______ warming by making small changes to their daily habits, such as reducing their energy consumption and driving less."

This sentence suggests that individuals can take actions (like reducing energy consumption and driving less) that help manage or reduce the problem of global warming. We need to find a word that fits this context.

Evaluating the Options for Blank 5

Let's look at the meaning of each option:

• Exacerbating: This means making a problem or situation worse. Actions like reducing energy consumption and driving less would not make global warming worse; they would help reduce its impact.
• Mitigating: This means making something less severe, serious, or painful. Reducing energy consumption and driving less are actions that help lessen the impact and severity of global warming.
• Sustaining: This means maintaining something at a certain level or keeping it going. These actions are aimed at reducing global warming, not maintaining it at its current level.
• Expanding: This means making something larger or increasing it. These actions would not expand or increase warming; they would help reduce it.

Selecting the Most Appropriate Word

Based on the actions mentioned (reducing energy consumption, driving less), the role of individuals is to lessen the severity of global warming. The word that means making something less severe is "mitigating". Therefore, "mitigating" is the most appropriate word to fill blank number 5.

Step-by-Step Derivation

1. Read the passage to understand the overall topic (global warming) and the context of the sentence with blank 5 (individual actions).
2. Identify the actions mentioned in the sentence immediately after blank 5: reducing energy consumption and driving less.
3. Determine the effect of these actions on global warming. These actions help reduce the problem.
4. Consider the meaning of each option provided.
5. Find the option whose meaning aligns with reducing or lessening the severity of global warming.
6. The word "mitigating" fits this meaning perfectly.

The actions like reducing energy consumption and driving less are direct ways individuals can contribute to mitigating global warming.

Revision Table: Key Global Warming Terms

Additional Information on Individual Actions and Mitigating Global Warming

While large-scale actions by governments and industries are crucial, individual efforts to mitigate global warming are also significant. Collective small changes can lead to substantial impact.

Examples of individual actions for mitigating global warming:

• Reducing energy consumption at home (using less electricity, improving insulation).
• Opting for renewable energy sources where possible.
• Driving less, using public transport, cycling, or walking.
• Choosing energy-efficient vehicles.
• Reducing, reusing, and recycling waste.
• Eating less meat and dairy, as livestock farming contributes to greenhouse gas emissions.
• Supporting sustainable businesses.
• Planting trees, which absorb carbon dioxide.

These actions directly reduce the emission of greenhouse gases or help remove them from the atmosphere, thus contributing to the mitigation of global warming.