Part 1. Vocabulary
impact / imˈpakt / v
- have a strong effect on someone or something
The high-interest rates had a big impact on my credits.
extraction / ikˈstrakSH (ə) n / n
- the action of taking out something, especially using effort or force
To get the best material, mineral extraction must be done.
reduction / rəˈdəkSH (ə) n / n
- the amount by which something is made smaller, less, or lower in price
There is a special reduction on the prices of vegetables.
consumption / kənˈsəm (p) SH (ə) n / n
- the eating, drinking or ingesting of something
The consumption of rice increased for the last five years.
facilitate / fəˈsiləˌtāt / v
- make (an action or process) easy or easier
The schools will help to facilitate the vaccination.
Part 2. Comprehension Questions
1.
Is drinking bottled water helpful to the environment? Why?
2.
What happens when drinking water is treated?
3.
Why is drinking tap water less harmful to the environment?
4.
How many barrels of oil is used to produce plastic for bottled water?
5.
What can be done to let people use public water and help the environment?
Part 3. Article Reading
The impact of bottled water on natural resources is 3,500 times higher than for tap water, scientists have found.
The research is the first of its kind and examined the impact of bottled water in Barcelona, where it is becoming increasingly popular despite improvements to the quality of tap water in recent years.
Research led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (IS Global) found that if the city's population were all to drink bottled water, this would result in 3,500 times higher cost of resource extraction
than if they all drank tap water, at $ 83.9m (£ 60.3m) a year.
Researchers also found the impact of bottled water on ecosystems are 1,400 times higher than tap water.
The authors concluded that the
reduction in environmental impacts more than offset the small risk of
bladder cancer associated with drinking tap water. The process of treating
drinking water generates low levels of trihalomethanes (THM), which have been
associated with a higher risk of bladder cancer. THM levels in drinking water
are regulated in the EU.
The lead author of the study, the IS Global researcher
Cristina Villanueva, said: “Health reasons don’t justify the widespread use of
bottled water. Yes, strictly speaking, drinking tap water is worse for local
health, but when you weigh both, what you gain from drinking bottled water is
minimal. It’s quite obvious that the environmental impacts of bottled water are
higher compared to tap water.”
In the US, 17m barrels of oil are needed to produce the
plastic to meet annual bottled water demand. In addition, bottled water in the UK is at least 500 times more expensive than tap water.
Villanueva added: “I think this study can help to reduce
bottled water consumption, but we need more active policies to change
that.
“For example, in Barcelona, we could have more education
campaigns to make the public aware that the health gains from drinking bottled
water are minor compared to the environmental impacts. We need to improve
access to public water, to public fountains, to public buildings where you can
bring your own bottle and don’t need to buy one. We need to facilitate access to public water in public
streets.
"People trust bottled water because advertisers have done a good job of convincing people it's a good option, so we need the effort on the other side."
Source: Joey Grostern, 5 Aug 2021 [https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/]