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by Liz Walter

Sustainability is one of the most important goals of our time. With environmentalists meeting in Dubai for the COP28 conference, this post looks at some general vocabulary for speaking about this topic.

We might use words such as empathy and compassion to discuss our sympathetic feelings about people who are already suffering from the effects of climate change or who might face difficulties resulting from efforts to be more sustainable. We also talk about the concept of social justice, meaning that no section of society should suffer or benefit from environmental measures more than another:

We should try to have empathy with communities struggling with change.

People living in these flooded areas deserve our help and compassion.

Providing well-paid jobs in the green energy sector will aid social justice.

Of course, different people have different beliefs and different values and these will affect their views about sustainability. A nice word to use here is perspective. We can talk about the effects of something from someone’s perspective or for example from a social/environmental/economic perspective:

We can close down coal mines, but we need to think about it from the perspective of the miners who will lose their jobs.

Encouraging people to eat less meat is important from an environmental perspective.

Psychology is important in persuading people of the value of sustainability. We often talk about raising awareness of ecological issues. Sometimes we can reframe an idea so that it is more meaningful to someone. It can also be important to have a sense of agency, or the feeling that your actions can influence things:

We are trying to raise awareness of the ecological damage caused by palm oil.

They aimed to reframe the debate over private car use by focusing on the advantages of active travel.

Individuals often feel they lack agency in the face of multinational companies.

Safeguard is a useful verb for talking about protecting species, habitats, or biodiversity in general:

These measures are designed to safeguard areas of wildlife habitat.

Planting native species of trees can help to increase biodiversity.

The word innovation describes new ideas and methods that could help us achieve sustainability. New forms of transport or renewable energy are examples of this:

Innovations in the storage of solar energy will make it a more practical option for many people.

I hope that these words will help you to discuss this important issue and to express your own aspirations for a greener future.

If you have found this article useful, you can learn more vocabulary for talking about sustainability with our new Caring about sustainability word lists on Cambridge Dictionary +Plus. You can find the vocabulary covered in this post in the first list, which contains general words for discussing sustainability. Test your knowledge with a gap fill, multiple choice or audio quiz.