Climate change, biodiversity, renewable energy — these are among the most urgent issues of our time, and English has a rich vocabulary to discuss them. If you want to read the news confidently, write a B2 exam essay on the environment, or simply talk about nature and sustainability in English, this is the lesson you need.
Today we are exploring the key vocabulary for the environment and climate at B2 level. Every word and collocation is grounded in the context of New Zealand (Aotearoa) — a country of extraordinary natural beauty, dramatic geological diversity, and one of the world’s most ambitious conservation stories. Let’s get into it.
Key Vocabulary: The Environment and Climate
Here are twelve essential words every B2 English learner needs. For each one, study the word class, the meaning, and how it is used in context.
noun (uncountable)
The variety of plant and animal life in a particular habitat or on the planet as a whole.
noun (countable)
The natural environment in which a species lives, feeds, and reproduces.
noun (countable)
A community of living things that interact with each other and with their physical environment.
noun (uncountable)
The protection and careful management of natural resources, habitats, and wildlife.
adjective
At serious risk of becoming extinct if conditions do not change. An endangered species.
noun phrase
A plant or animal introduced to an environment where it was not native, causing ecological harm.
noun phrase
The total amount of greenhouse gases produced by a person, organisation, or country’s activities.
noun phrase
Energy from naturally replenishing sources: sunlight, wind, water, and geothermal heat.
noun phrase
A gas such as CO₂ or methane that traps heat in the atmosphere, driving global warming.
adjective
Able to be maintained over the long term without permanently harming the environment.
noun (uncountable)
The large-scale clearing of forests, typically for farming, logging, or development.
noun (plural)
Gases released into the atmosphere — especially greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels.
Essential Collocations
In English, environment words travel with specific partners. Knowing these collocations will immediately lift your writing to a more natural, B2+ level. Study this table and try to memorise a complete phrase, not just a single word.
| Verb / Pattern | + Noun / Complement | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| reduce / cut | emissions | New Zealand has pledged to reduce emissions by 50% by 2030. |
| tackle / address | climate change | All nations must cooperate to effectively tackle climate change. |
| raise | awareness | The campaign aims to raise awareness of ocean plastic pollution. |
| pose a threat to | biodiversity / wildlife | Invasive mammals pose a devastating threat to native birds. |
| protect / preserve | habitats / ecosystems | The government is working to protect fragile coastal ecosystems. |
| have a detrimental impact on | the environment | Intensive farming has a detrimental impact on soil biodiversity. |
| take measures to | reduce / prevent | Local councils took urgent measures to prevent further deforestation. |
| be carbon-neutral | — | New Zealand aims to be a fully carbon-neutral nation by 2050. |
🌿 CLIL Focus: New Zealand — A Country Fighting for Its Natural World
Few places on Earth have as remarkable — or as precarious — a natural heritage as New Zealand. For 85 million years, the islands were isolated from the rest of the world. This extraordinary separation allowed a completely unique range of species to evolve: around 80,000 endemic plants, animals, and fungi found nowhere else on the planet, including carnivorous snails, giant flightless birds, and lizards that give birth to live young. This is what makes New Zealand one of the world’s great biodiversity hotspots.
The problem is that nearly 4,000 of New Zealand’s species are now at risk. Around 289 plant species are classified as threatened, meaning they could disappear within this century — that is close to 40% of all indigenous plant species. The main driver? Invasive species. Rats, stoats, and possums arrived with human settlers and devastated native wildlife that had evolved with no defence against mammalian predators.
New Zealand’s response is extraordinary. The government launched Predator Free 2050 — widely described as the most ambitious conservation project ever attempted anywhere in the world. The goal: completely eradicate rats, stoats, and possums from the entire country by 2050. On Kapiti Island, where invasive predators were eradicated in 1996, some lizard populations have grown 28-fold, and around 1,200 little spotted kiwi now call it home. This is ecosystem recovery in action.
On energy, the picture is impressive. Around 92% of New Zealand’s electricity now comes from low-carbon renewable energy sources (May 2025–April 2026 data): 58% hydropower, 22% geothermal, and over 9% wind. Solar generation grew by 66% in a single year. The country has a formal target of 100% renewable electricity by 2030 — and it is well on its way. New Zealand demonstrates that a genuinely sustainable energy future is not a dream but a policy choice.
⚠️ Common Mistakes for Spanish Speakers
These errors appear consistently in B2 writing tasks. Make sure none of them are yours.
❌ “The contamination in the river is getting worse.”
✅ “The pollution in the river is getting worse.”
Why: Spanish contaminación usually translates as pollution in English (air pollution, water pollution, noise pollution). Contamination does exist in English but means a specific harmful substance has been introduced — e.g. “chemical contamination of the water supply.” For everyday environmental discussion, always use pollution.
❌ “The nature of New Zealand is incredible.” / “I love the nature.”
✅ “New Zealand’s natural environment is incredible.” / “I love nature.”
Why: When nature refers to the natural world in general, it is an uncountable noun and takes no article — unlike Spanish la naturaleza. You say “I love nature,” “nature is powerful,” “let’s protect nature.” Only use “the nature of something” when nature means “the character of something” (e.g. “the nature of the problem”).
❌ “We must to reduce our emissions.” / “We must to protect the planet.”
✅ “We must reduce our emissions.” / “We must protect the planet.”
Why: After modal verbs — must, should, can, might, will, would — always use the bare infinitive (without to). This is a very common error for Spanish speakers because Spanish uses deber + infinitive with no preposition, but the English modal structure is different from have to and need to, which do require to.
❌ “The kiwi is an extincted bird.” / “Many species have become extincted.”
✅ “The kiwi is an endangered bird.” / “Many species have become extinct.”
Why: Extincted does not exist in English. Use extinct (adjective: the species no longer exists — “the dodo is extinct”) or endangered (at serious risk but still existing — “the kiwi is endangered”). From Spanish en peligro de extinción → endangered; extinto → extinct.
❌ “New Zealand does many efforts to protect its wildlife.”
✅ “New Zealand makes great efforts to protect its wildlife.”
Why: In English, the verb that goes with effort(s) is always make, not do. You make an effort, make progress, make a mistake — but you do homework, do exercise, do damage. This make/do distinction is a classic B2 challenge for Spanish speakers (both map to hacer in Spanish).
📝 Example Bank
Read these 15 sentences carefully. Notice how the vocabulary and collocations work in natural, written English — the kind of language you need for B2 reading, writing, and use of English tasks.
- New Zealand’s extraordinary biodiversity — shaped by 85 million years of isolation — is unlike anywhere else on Earth.
- The kākāpō, a large flightless parrot, is critically endangered; fewer than 250 individuals survive today.
- Stoats, rats, and possums pose a serious threat to native bird populations across both islands.
- The Predator Free 2050 initiative aims to completely eradicate all invasive mammalian predators from New Zealand’s ecosystems.
- Since invasive species were removed from Kapiti Island, the native habitat has recovered dramatically, with lizard populations growing 28 times larger.
- The kiwi requires dense forest habitat and is highly vulnerable to land clearance and introduced predators.
- Around 92% of New Zealand’s electricity now comes from renewable energy sources, including hydro, geothermal, and wind.
- Geothermal power — which taps the earth’s own heat — is one of the most sustainable energy sources available to us.
- The government has committed to significantly reducing emissions from the agricultural sector, which accounts for a large share of New Zealand’s greenhouse gas output.
- Nearly 40% of indigenous plant species are threatened or at risk — a stark reminder of the scale of the conservation challenge.
- Farmers are being supported to adopt more sustainable land management practices to reduce their environmental carbon footprint.
- The possum was introduced from Australia in the 19th century and is now one of the most destructive invasive species in New Zealand.
- Rising sea levels have a detrimental impact on coastal wetland ecosystems that provide vital habitat for migratory birds.
- Conservation organisations are working hard to raise awareness of the need to protect New Zealand’s rare endemic species.
- New Zealand’s goal of 100% renewable energy by 2030 shows that tackling climate change is a question of political will, not just technology.
🧠 Quick Quiz: Test Yourself
1. Which word means “the variety of plant and animal life in a particular area”?
- a) Ecosystem
- b) Conservation
- c) Biodiversity
- d) Emissions
2. Choose the correct collocation: “The government needs to _____ emissions urgently.”
- a) do
- b) make
- c) reduce
- d) build
3. True or False: An “invasive species” is one that is native to and belongs naturally in its habitat.
- a) True
- b) False
4. Which sentence is correct?
- a) “The nature is very beautiful in New Zealand.”
- b) “Nature is very beautiful in New Zealand.”
- c) “A nature is very beautiful in New Zealand.”
- d) “The natures are very beautiful in New Zealand.”
5. What is the difference between “extinct” and “endangered”?
- a) They are synonyms — both mean the species no longer exists.
- b) Extinct = the species no longer exists; Endangered = at serious risk but still alive.
- c) Endangered = the species no longer exists; Extinct = at serious risk.
- d) Extinct refers to plants; Endangered refers to animals only.
- c) Biodiversity — the full variety of life in a habitat or on Earth.
- c) reduce — “reduce emissions” is the standard, natural collocation. We cut, reduce, or lower emissions.
- b) False — an invasive species is one that has been introduced from elsewhere, where it causes ecological damage to native species.
- b) “Nature is very beautiful in New Zealand.” — nature (the natural world) is uncountable and takes no article in general statements.
- b) Extinct = gone forever; Endangered = at serious risk but still surviving. The kiwi is endangered. The dodo is extinct.