Phrases
Environment and climate in Esperanto: words and phrases
Words for pollution, waste, energy and climate, and the word parts that build them, such as re- in recikligi and -iĝ- in varmiĝi.
In Esperanto the environment is medio, the climate klimato, pollution poluado and to recycle is recikligi. Most terms are built from familiar roots: energio plus sun- gives sunenergio "solar energy", and polui plus -ad- gives poluado. Pronunciation guides show the stressed syllable in capitals; it is always the second-to-last (see the alphabet).
Every word was checked in ReVo, the Reta Vortaro dictionary. If a term has no ReVo entry but is the title of an Esperanto Vikipedio article, the Note says "Vikipedio". Weather words are on the weather and seasons page, landscape words on the nature page.
Environment and ecology
| English | Esperanto | Pronunciation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| environment | medio | me-DI-o | ReVo: the physical surroundings of a living thing; sense 2 is the social circumstances of a person |
| surroundings | ĉirkaŭaĵo | ĉir-kaŭ-A-ĵo | The region around something: la ĉirkaŭaĵo de la lago |
| nature, natural | naturo, natura | na-TU-ro, na-TU-ra | ReVo: everything that exists by itself, not made by people |
| ecology, ecological | ekologio, ekologia | e-ko-lo-GI-o, e-ko-lo-GI-a | ReVo: the science of how living things and their environment affect each other; related ekosistemo |
| biodiversity | biodiverseco | bi-o-di-ver-SE-co | ReVo: diversity of living kinds and their surroundings |
| threatened species | minacata specio, endanĝerigita specio | mi-na-CA-ta spe-CI-o, en-dan-ĝe-ri-GI-ta spe-CI-o | Vikipedio's article is Minacata specio, also called endanĝerigita specio; specio is in ReVo |
| to die out | formorti | for-MOR-ti | ReVo: to disappear by dying, said especially of a species |
| nature reserve | naturrezervejo | na-tur-re-zer-VE-jo | ReVo: land where the law limits farming, industry and other human activity |
| environmental protection | mediprotekto | me-di-pro-TEK-to | ReVo glosses it as naturprotekto; Vikipedio says it concerns people's lifeless surroundings (water, air, buildings) |
| nature conservation | naturprotekto | na-tur-pro-TEK-to | ReVo: action to keep nature undamaged and unpolluted |
Pollution, waste and recycling
| English | Esperanto | Pronunciation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| pollution | poluado, poluo | po-lu-A-do, po-LU-o | ReVo: poluado is the act of polluting, poluo the act and its result; verb polui |
| air pollution | aerpoluo | a-er-po-LU-o | ReVo; aero + poluo |
| water pollution | akvopoluo | ak-vo-po-LU-o | ReVo; also brupoluo "noise" and lumpoluo "light pollution" |
| rubbish, waste | rubo | RU-bo | ReVo sense 2: things thrown away (sense 1 is rubble) |
| rubbish bin | rubujo | ru-BU-jo | rubo + -uj- "container" |
| plastic | plasto | PLAS-to | ReVo: a synthetic polymer material |
| to recycle | recikligi | re-ci-KLI-gi | ReVo: to turn used material into new material; re- + ciklo "cycle" + -ig- |
| recycling | recikligo | re-ci-KLI-go | Vikipedio's article title; reciklado redirects to it |
| compost | kompoŝto | kom-POŜ-to | ReVo: rich soil from rotted plants |
| to reuse | reuzi | re-U-zi | re- + uzi; no ReVo entry of its own |
Energy
| English | Esperanto | Pronunciation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| energy | energio | e-ner-GI-o | ReVo sense 2: the physical quantity, the ability to do work |
| electricity | elektro | e-LEK-tro | ReVo; adjective elektra |
| fossil fuel | fosilia brulaĵo | fo-si-LI-a bru-LA-ĵo | Vikipedio's article title, also fosilia bruligaĵo; ReVo's fosilia energio is energy from burning gas, coal or oil products |
| coal, oil, natural gas | karbo, nafto, tergaso | KAR-bo, NAF-to, ter-GA-so | ReVo; nafto is crude oil, tergaso is mainly methane |
| renewable energy | renoviĝanta energio | re-no-vi-ĜAN-ta e-ner-GI-o | ReVo; its example also uses renovigebla energio |
| solar energy | sunenergio | su-ne-ner-GI-o | ReVo; Vikipedio also writes suna energio |
| solar panel | sunpanelo | sun-pa-NE-lo | ReVo: a plate with solar cells that supplies energy |
| wind energy | ventenergio, ventoenergio | ven-te-ner-GI-o, ven-to-e-ner-GI-o | ReVo has the first and uses the second in an example; Vikipedio's title is Ventoenergio |
| wind turbine | ventoturbino | ven-to-tur-BI-no | Vikipedio's article title; also ventelektrejo |
Climate and its effects
| English | Esperanto | Pronunciation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| climate | klimato | kli-MA-to | ReVo: all the atmospheric and weather conditions of a region |
| climate change | klimata ŝanĝo, klimata ŝanĝiĝo | kli-MA-ta ŜAN-ĝo, kli-MA-ta ŝan-ĜI-ĝo | Vikipedio's title is Klimata ŝanĝo; ReVo's examples use klimata ŝanĝiĝo and klimatŝanĝiĝo |
| global warming | tutmonda varmiĝo | tut-MON-da var-MI-ĝo | Vikipedio's article title; ReVo's examples use it too |
| greenhouse effect | forceja efiko | for-CE-ja e-FI-ko | ReVo: warming because a shield, such as glass, lets heat in but not out |
| carbon dioxide | karbondioksido | kar-bon-di-ok-SI-do | ReVo; Vikipedio's title is Karbona dioksido. Greenhouse gas is forcejgaso in ReVo |
| ozone layer | ozontavolo | o-zon-ta-VO-lo | ReVo's example; Vikipedio's title is Ozona tavolo |
| sea level | marnivelo | mar-ni-VE-lo | ReVo |
| drought | trosekeco, sekego | tro-se-KE-co, se-KE-go | Vikipedio's title is Trosekeco; ReVo's example uses sekego |
| flood | inundo | i-NUN-do | ReVo; verb inundi |
| wildfire | arbarbrulego | ar-bar-bru-LE-go | Used in ReVo's examples; arbaro + brulego "big fire" |
| deforestation | senarbarigo | sen-ar-ba-RI-go | ReVo: destruction of forests over a large region |
| desertification | dezertiĝado | de-zer-ti-ĜA-do | Vikipedio's article title; dezerto + -iĝ- + -ad- |
Storm words such as ŝtormo "storm" and uragano "hurricane" are on the weather page. Melting ice uses fandiĝi, which ReVo defines as turning liquid through heat.
What can I do? Everyday actions
| English | Esperanto | Pronunciation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| to save, to use sparingly | ŝpari | ŜPA-ri | ReVo sense 2: to use modestly and carefully; ŝpari energion; opposite malŝpari "to waste"; saving is energiŝparo (Vikipedio) |
| to switch off | malŝalti | mal-ŜAL-ti | ReVo: to open an electric circuit |
| to sort, to separate | apartigi | a-par-TI-gi | ReVo: to put in a separate place; apartigi la rubon |
| to cycle | bicikli | bi-CI-kli | ReVo: to travel by biciklo |
| public transport | publika transporto | pu-BLI-ka trans-POR-to | Vikipedio's article title; see city and transport |
| to plant | planti | PLAN-ti | ReVo: to put a plant in the ground so that it keeps growing; plantado de arboj "planting of trees" |
How are environment words built?
| Word part | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| -ad- | an action that goes on or repeats | poluado pollution, dezertiĝado desertification |
| -iĝ- | to become | varmiĝi get warmer, sekiĝi dry up, fandiĝi melt, ŝanĝiĝi change (by itself) |
| -ig- | to make, to cause | varmigi warm up, sekigi dry, malpurigi make dirty, recikligi |
| re- | again | recikligi, reuzi, rearbarigo, renoviĝanta "renewing itself" |
| mal- | the opposite | malŝpari waste, malpurigi, malpliiĝi decrease |
| sen- | without | senarbarigo, senpolua "unpolluted" |
| -aĵ- | a concrete thing | poluaĵo pollutant, forĵetaĵo something thrown away, bruligaĵo fuel |
PMEG says -ad- marks continuing action (uzo → uzado "regular use") and re- means "again" and works only with action words (novigi → renovigi). The pair -ig- and -iĝ- separates "someone does it" from "it happens by itself": La klimato ŝanĝiĝas, but Homoj ŝanĝas la klimaton. That is why both klimata ŝanĝo and klimata ŝanĝiĝo are in use; see -ig- and -iĝ-, prefixes, suffixes and word building.
Compounds put the main word last: aerpoluo is "air pollution", mediprotekto "environment protection". A linking -o- is optional: ReVo has ventenergio and writes ventoenergio in an example.
Useful sentences
| Esperanto | English |
|---|---|
| Ni devas protekti la naturon. | We must protect nature. |
| Ni devas ŝpari energion kaj akvon. | We must save energy and water. |
| Ni apartigas paperon, vitron kaj plaston de la alia rubo. | We separate paper, glass and plastic from the other rubbish. |
| Mi forĵetas la rubon en la rubujon. | I throw the rubbish into the bin. |
| Oni povas recikligi vitron, paperon kaj metalon. | Glass, paper and metal can be recycled. |
| Mi malŝaltas la lumon, kiam mi eliras el la ĉambro. | I switch off the light when I leave the room. |
| Mi biciklas al la laboro kaj uzas publikan transporton, kiam pluvas. | I cycle to work and use public transport when it rains. |
| Ni plantis dek arbojn en la parko. | We planted ten trees in the park. |
| La klimato ŝanĝiĝas, kaj la glaĉeroj fandiĝas. | The climate is changing and the glaciers are melting. |
| Sunpaneloj kaj ventoturbinoj produktas elektron sen fosilia brulaĵo. | Solar panels and wind turbines produce electricity without fossil fuel. |
| La aero en la urbo estas poluita. | The air in the city is polluted. |
| Post la forta pluvo la rivero inundis la vilaĝon. | After the heavy rain the river flooded the village. |
In the bin sentence the accusative -n after en shows movement into the bin. Poluita is the past passive participle of polui.
Common questions
How do you say "environment" in Esperanto?
Medio. ReVo defines it as the physical surroundings in which a living thing lives, and ĉirkaŭaĵo is the area around something. "Environmental protection" is mediprotekto.
How do you say "climate change" and "global warming"?
Klimata ŝanĝo, also klimata ŝanĝiĝo, for climate change, and tutmonda varmiĝo for global warming. Vikipedio has articles titled Klimata ŝanĝo and Tutmonda varmiĝo, and ReVo's examples use klimata ŝanĝiĝo and tutmonda varmiĝo.
How do you say "recycle" in Esperanto?
Recikligi is the verb and recikligo the noun. You may also see reciklado, which Vikipedio redirects to Recikligo.
How do you say "save energy" in Esperanto?
Ŝpari energion. The opposite is malŝpari "to waste", and the noun for energy saving is energiŝparo.
Sources
- ReVo: medio, ĉirkaŭaĵo, naturo, ekologio, ekosistemo, biodiverseco, specio, formorti, naturrezervejo, mediprotekto, naturprotekto
- ReVo: polui, poluo, poluado, aerpoluo, akvopoluo, brupoluo, lumpoluo, poluaĵo, rubo, rubujo, forĵetaĵo, plasto, recikligi, kompoŝto
- ReVo: energio, fosilia energio, renoviĝanta energio, sunenergio, ventenergio, elektro, sunpanelo, karbo, nafto, tergaso, forcejgaso, bruligaĵo, brulego
- ReVo: klimato, forceja efiko, karbondioksido, ozono, marnivelo, inundo, senarbarigo, fandiĝi, sekiĝi, sekego (example), arbarbrulego (example)
- ReVo: ŝpari, malŝpari, malŝalti, apartigi, bicikli, planti, varmigi, malpurigi
- PMEG: AD, RE
- Esperanto Vikipedio, CC BY-SA: Mediprotekto, Minacata specio, Recikligo, Klimata ŝanĝo, Tutmonda varmiĝo, Fosilia brulaĵo, Ventoturbino, Trosekeco, Dezertiĝado, Rearbarigo, Energiŝparo, Publika transporto
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