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
- atmosphere
- figure
- warming
- speed
- climate
- microbes
- greenhouse
- 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
- affect
- atmosphere
- biofuels
- carbon
- change
- climate
- coal
- concerned
- decomposition
- department
- derived
- drier
- ecologists
- energy
- environment
- essential
- figure
- fossil
- fuels
- funded
- gases
- grasses
- greenhouse
- hundreds
- leave
- materials
- microbes
- microbial
- nutrients
- oil
- part
- plant
- plants
- process
- produce
- recycling
- release
- rely
- researchers
- slow
- solution
- sources
- speed
- starved
- sustainable
- time
- warming
- wood