Melting ice sheet: Is it too late? - 6 Minute English

This year's global heating and melting polar ice has many scientists asking whether it’s now too late to stop global warming. Have we have reached the point of no return? Neil and Georgina talk about the effects of climate change on the Arctic, and teach you vocabulary along the way.

This week's question
How many gigatonnes of ice are now melting into the ocean every year?

a) 450 gigatonnes

b) 500 gigatonnes

c) 550 gigatonnes

Listen to the programme to find out the answer.

Vocabulary
ice sheet
thick layer of ice covering a large area of land for a long period of time

glacier
very large, slow-moving mass of ice

in balance
having different parts or elements arranged in the correct proportions

tipping point
time at which a change or an effect cannot be stopped

rate
speed at which something happens or changes

throw your hands up
(idiom) show frustration and despair when a situation becomes so bad that you give up or submit

[Cover: Getty Images]

To download the audio and a transcript, go to:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english/ep-201105

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