full transcript

From the Ted Talk by Steven Allison: Earth's original inhabitants -- and their role in combating climate change

Unscramble the Blue Letters

Hundreds of researchers funded by the US Department of Energy are even trying to fuirge out how to co-opt microbial decomposition to produce sustainable biofuels from wood, grasses and other plant materials. Fuels derived from plants and microbes are part of the climate solution because they don't rely on fossil carbon sources like coal and oil. At the same time, ecologists like me are very concerned about how climate change might affect microbial recycling in the environment. A wmnirag ciatlme might seepd up the process and release more gornheusee gsaes into the ahremstope. A drier climate might slow down the moicebrs and leave plants starved for essential nutrients.

Open Cloze

Hundreds of researchers funded by the US Department of Energy are even trying to ______ out how to co-opt microbial decomposition to produce sustainable biofuels from wood, grasses and other plant materials. Fuels derived from plants and microbes are part of the climate solution because they don't rely on fossil carbon sources like coal and oil. At the same time, ecologists like me are very concerned about how climate change might affect microbial recycling in the environment. A _______ _______ might _____ up the process and release more __________ _____ into the __________. A drier climate might slow down the ________ and leave plants starved for essential nutrients.

Solution

  1. atmosphere
  2. figure
  3. warming
  4. speed
  5. climate
  6. microbes
  7. greenhouse
  8. gases

Original Text

Hundreds of researchers funded by the US Department of Energy are even trying to figure out how to co-opt microbial decomposition to produce sustainable biofuels from wood, grasses and other plant materials. Fuels derived from plants and microbes are part of the climate solution because they don't rely on fossil carbon sources like coal and oil. At the same time, ecologists like me are very concerned about how climate change might affect microbial recycling in the environment. A warming climate might speed up the process and release more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. A drier climate might slow down the microbes and leave plants starved for essential nutrients.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations

ngrams of length 2

collocation frequency
climate change 8
soil microbiomes 3
dead grass 3
greenhouse gases 2
climate problem 2
plant roots 2
soil microbes 2
microbial decomposition 2
climate solution 2

Important Words

  1. affect
  2. atmosphere
  3. biofuels
  4. carbon
  5. change
  6. climate
  7. coal
  8. concerned
  9. decomposition
  10. department
  11. derived
  12. drier
  13. ecologists
  14. energy
  15. environment
  16. essential
  17. figure
  18. fossil
  19. fuels
  20. funded
  21. gases
  22. grasses
  23. greenhouse
  24. hundreds
  25. leave
  26. materials
  27. microbes
  28. microbial
  29. nutrients
  30. oil
  31. part
  32. plant
  33. plants
  34. process
  35. produce
  36. recycling
  37. release
  38. rely
  39. researchers
  40. slow
  41. solution
  42. sources
  43. speed
  44. starved
  45. sustainable
  46. time
  47. warming
  48. wood