climate

Climate

90 ESL discussion questions about climate for all levels, focusing on weather, change, environment, science, and impact.
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A1 Level – Elementary

1. What is the weather like today?

2. Do you like green trees?

3. Do you worry about the world?

4. What is a big storm?

5. Do you save water?

6. What is a hot summer?

7. Do you use less plastic?

8. What is a clean beach?

9. Do you think the climate is changing?

10. What is a large factory?

11. Do you use public transport?

12. What is a clear sky?

13. Do you feel the heat?

14. What are three things that help the planet?

15. Do you think climate is important?

A2 Level – Pre-Intermediate

1. What is the difference between weather and climate?

2. Why are the oceans important for the climate?

3. What are the good things and bad things about changing to solar power?

4. How can small actions (like recycling) help the climate?

5. Should all schools teach children about climate change?

6. Why is it important to use less energy?

7. Do you think governments are doing enough to fight climate change?

8. What is the purpose of the North Pole ice?

9. How does pollution from cars affect the air quality?

10. What is the difference between global warming and extreme weather?

11. Do you think technology can solve climate problems?

12. What are the problems when sea levels rise?

13. When is the best time to buy sustainable products?

14. What are two things that cause climate change?

15. How does climate change affect farming?

B1 Level – Intermediate

1. What are the rules for politely discussing climate change with someone who disagrees?

2. How does the economy of a country affect its commitment to climate goals?

3. Should the government ban the use of single-use plastic completely?

4. What is the difference between a country’s climate and its ecosystems?

5. Do you believe that individual actions can make a real difference to the climate?

6. What are the challenges of getting all countries to agree on climate policy?

7. How does the focus on short-term economic gains ignore long-term climate risks?

8. What is the idea of a “carbon footprint”?

9. Is it fair or unfair when developing countries are asked to reduce pollution at the same rate as rich countries?

10. How does the loss of forests (deforestation) affect the air we breathe?

11. What are the steps for properly calculating your own personal impact on the climate?

12. What is the value of spending time on climate activism?

13. Should public media feature more climate success stories?

14. What are the reasons why some people feel hopeless about the climate situation?

15. How does climate science change the way we plan for the future?

B2 Level – Upper-Intermediate

1. What are the social pressures to live a perfectly sustainable lifestyle?

2. What are the moral problems when wealthy countries cause most of the pollution but poor countries suffer most?

3. How does constant news about climate disasters affect public anxiety?

4. Should companies be legally required to report their full greenhouse gas emissions?

5. Analyze the psychological effect of living with the uncertainty of future environmental damage.

6. Who is responsible for paying for the damage caused by climate change?

7. What is your view on the practice of using carbon offsets (paying to balance your pollution)?

8. Evaluate the role of international agreements (like the Paris Agreement) in fighting climate change.

9. How does the economic push for growth conflict with the need for environmental protection?

10. Discuss the concept of “climate refugees” (people forced to move due to environmental change).

11. What are the problems with having very different energy regulations in different regions?

12. What are the legal differences between general environmental regulation and climate emergency action?

13. Do you agree that the purpose of climate activism is mainly to raise awareness, not to create policy?

14. What steps should be taken to ensure that climate education is taught objectively?

15. How does the focus on short-term political cycles affect long-term climate planning?

C1 Level – Advanced

1. Is it fair that large corporations often pay less to pollute than small businesses?

2. What is the right way to think about a government’s moral duty to future generations when making energy policy?

3. How do the platform’s algorithms influence the type of climate denial content that is spread?

4. When should the government consider mandatory limits on meat consumption for climate reasons?

5. What are the moral questions when we talk about using geoengineering (changing the atmosphere) to cool the planet?

6. How does the focus on economic stability affect the long-term investment in renewable energy?

7. Discuss the impact of major climate disasters on global supply chains and food security.

8. How should leaders use scientific certainty to enact unpopular but necessary climate legislation?

9. What is the idea of “climate justice” and its relationship to economic inequality?

10. What are the long-term effects on society when the highest positions of power deny climate science?

11. What are the difficulties when international courts try to hold specific countries responsible for climate damage?

12. How does the search for economic efficiency conflict with the need for immediate, drastic cuts in emissions?

13. Do you agree that the most important thing is the immediate, strong action, even if the method is controversial?

14. What are the simple moral rules a person should follow when they choose high-carbon travel (e.g., flying)?

15. Should the government set a legal minimum for the budget spent on climate adaptation and defense?

C2 Level – Proficiency

1. What is the real difference between a person’s individual lifestyle choices and the systemic causes of climate change?

2. Debate the idea: Should we completely eliminate all fossil fuel use immediately, regardless of the economic cost?

3. How does the concept of “risk” change when the threat is global, long-term, and potentially irreversible?

4. What laws or rules are needed to control how technology platforms deal with climate misinformation?

5. How do historical views of human dominion over nature affect modern climate policy?

6. How can communities maintain their traditional way of life when their local climate fundamentally changes?

7. Argue the point that humans should stop all attempts to control the climate and adapt to natural changes.

8. What protection should laws give to employees who report corporate environmental pollution?

9. How can we stop the problem of using the argument of “national sovereignty” to avoid global climate cooperation?

10. What did old thinkers say about nature, limits, and human responsibility that is still important today?

11. What will happen to the need for human climate scientists if AI can perfectly model and predict all future climate scenarios?

12. How do people use the idea of “technology will save us” to avoid discussing necessary lifestyle changes?

13. How does the experience of a major climate disaster improve a person’s understanding of vulnerability?

14. What is the power of a collective movement to force companies and governments to fully commit to net-zero goals?

15. If scientists could create a perfect, immediate solution to climate change, how would that fundamentally change human behavior?

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