今回の Topic は、英検準１級２０１７年第２回の問題です。

１. Topic      

     Agree or disagree: The Japanese government should do more to protect environment.

     Points

     Economic costs, Endangered species, Natural resources, Pollution

２. Structure

a) Thesis Statement    

   I agree with the statement that Japanese government should do more to protect environment because we have responsibilities for the well-being of future generations and Japan is a party to the Paris Climate Agreement.

b) Body の部分を構成する３つの Paragraph の Main Idea は、

第１ Paragraph　地球温暖化による海面上昇を回避することは、日本の存続にとって必須の条件である

第２ Paragraph　パリ協定（国連気候変動枠組条約）の締約国として日本は地球温暖化ガス排出削減の国際的義務を負担している

第３ Paragraph　気候変動を緩和する為に、日本政府はクリーンで再生可能なエネルギーへの転換を更に強力に推進する必要がある

３. Sample

     I agree with the statement that Japanese government should do more to protect environment because we have responsibilities for the well-being of future generations and Japan is a party to the Paris Climate Agreement.    

     To begin with, mitigating global warming by reducing greenhouse gas emission is critical for future Japanese generations.  Surrounded by sea, Japan will experience serious problem by the rise in sea level caused by global warming.  The area near the coast will be eroding, which means that in typhoon season, from late summer to autumn, typhoons will bring much more disastrous outcomes than those in the past to the people who live in the area.  In order for us to avoid those grave consequences, we have to act right now to address this challenging problem.    

     In addition, as a party to the Paris Climate Agreement, Japan has legal responsibility to combat climate change.  In light of the Paris Agreement, Japan should give more assistance to developing countries where deforestation has been accelerated, since Japan is the third largest importer of wood, mainly from south-east Asia.  For instance, Japan could give financial aid to help farmers in forestry industry to develop sustainable forestry resources, since rainforests absorb over the half of carbon dioxide released into atmosphere by human activities.    

     Finally, the government of Japan should make more effort to transform Japan’s energy consumption structure.  Although the sifting from fossil fuel to clean and renewable energy, such as solar and wind energy, is underway, nearly two-thirds of electricity is generated by oil and coal fired power plants, which are responsible for emitting carbon dioxide.  Also, like China and some European countries, Japanese government should encourage auto industry to switch from gasoline fueled car to electric vehicles.  This would surely lead us to be aware that every citizen plays important role in dealing with climate change.    

     In conclusion, I agree with the statement because of the three reasons I mentioned above. 

 

  To be continued.