Answer the questions: 1. What have many economists thought of the environment? 2. Why do some economists think that pollution damages the resources? 3. What are the consequences…

Questions and Answers:

1. Many economists have traditionally viewed the environment as a resource that is abundant and inexhaustible, often neglecting its limitations and the impacts of economic activities on natural systems.

2. Some economists believe that pollution damages resources because it degrades natural capital, leading to the loss of ecosystem services and negatively impacting human health, agriculture, and other industries reliant on clean air, water, and land.

3. The consequences of damaging the environment include health risks for humans, loss of biodiversity, reduction of natural resources, climate change, and economic costs associated with environmental degradation and remediation efforts.

4. The territories of the former Soviet Union suffer from several environmental problems, including: severe pollution, particularly from heavy industry; the effects of the Chernobyl disaster, which contaminated large areas; the desiccation of the Aral Sea due to mismanaged irrigation; and widespread deforestation.

5. If we don’t learn to use the environment carefully, we risk severe consequences such as the depletion of natural resources, irreversible damage to ecosystems, increased climate change impacts, loss of biodiversity, and overall deterioration of living conditions for future generations.

Translation into English:

1. The environment is not an inexhaustible source of resources.
2. The environment cannot absorb all the waste that the economy produces.
3. The environment provides the economy with resources.
4. Environmental pollution causes acid rain.
5. Environmental pollution reduces the resources of industry.
6. Overuse of land leads to a shortage of water resources.
7. Waste emissions into the air destroy the Earth's ozone layer.
8. Waste emissions harm the land, soil, and wildlife.
9. Among the environmental problems in the territories of the former USSR are the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster, the problem of the Aral Sea, and others.
10. We must learn to use the environment carefully.