IELTS Speaking: Green Transportation and Carbon Reduction

I usually commute by bicycle. It’s a great way to stay fit and it doesn’t produce any emissions. I’ve been doing this for about two years now, and I find it really enjoyable, especially in good weather.

Useful language:commutestay fitemissions

Yes, I rented an electric car on holiday last year. It was surprisingly quiet and smooth to drive, but I had to plan the route carefully around charging stations.

Useful language:surprisingly quietcharging stations

I think it’s one of the best options in cities — it’s cheap, healthy and often faster than driving in traffic. The main problem is safety, so cities need proper cycle lanes.

Useful language:proper cycle lanes

A few times a week, mainly the metro when it’s raining or when I need to travel across the city.

Useful language:across the city

Yes, there’s a bike-sharing scheme and the city has started replacing diesel buses with electric ones. Some streets in the centre have also become car-free at weekends.

Useful language:bike-sharing schemecar-free

More than before, especially young people. However, many people still find it hard to give up their cars because public transport outside the big cities isn’t very good.

Useful language:give up their cars

Yes, apart from cycling, I try to take trains instead of short flights and I eat less meat than I used to.

Useful language:carbon footprintshort flights

I think they’re a good idea, particularly for people who only need a car occasionally. They reduce the number of cars parked on the streets and save people the cost of owning one.

Useful language:occasionallythe cost of owning

I’d like to talk about the first time I used an electric scooter to commute to work, about a year ago.

The mode of transportation was a shared electric scooter — the kind you unlock with a phone app and leave at any parking point. My city introduced them in the spring, and I decided to try one when the bus route I normally took was closed for roadworks for several weeks.

I was going from my flat to my office in the city centre, a distance of about four kilometres. By bus, the journey used to take around thirty minutes because of traffic, but on the scooter, using the new protected bike lanes, it took just fifteen.

I chose this method partly out of necessity, but also because I’d been wanting to reduce my carbon footprint. Driving wasn’t an option — parking in the centre is expensive and the traffic is terrible — and the scooters are powered by electricity, so they don’t produce exhaust fumes.

As for how I felt, I was a little nervous the first time, especially at busy junctions, but I quickly got used to it. It felt great to glide past queues of cars, and arriving at work with fresh air in my lungs put me in a good mood. I also liked knowing that my commute had almost no environmental impact.

Overall, it was a really positive experience. Even after the bus route reopened, I kept using scooters on dry days, and now I’m thinking of buying an electric bike for longer trips.

Useful language:partly out of necessityexhaust fumesgot used to itglide pastalmost no environmental impact

Governments can encourage green transportation through a combination of incentives and infrastructure. For instance, they could offer tax breaks for electric vehicles, invest in extensive cycling networks and make public transport cheaper and more frequent. At the same time, measures like congestion charges or low-emission zones can discourage unnecessary car use. The major challenge is changing deeply ingrained habits, so the green option has to be the easiest one.

Useful language:incentives and infrastructurecongestion chargeslow-emission zonesdeeply ingrained habits

The main challenges are cost, space and public resistance. Building metro lines or cycle networks is expensive and takes years, and many older cities have narrow streets designed before cars existed. Some residents and businesses also oppose losing parking spaces or road lanes.

Useful language:public resistancenarrow streetsoppose losing

Better batteries will make electric vehicles cheaper with longer ranges, and hydrogen could power trucks and ships. Smart traffic systems and apps that combine buses, trains and bike-sharing into one journey will make public transport more convenient. Self-driving electric shuttles could also reduce the number of private cars.

Useful language:longer rangessmart traffic systemsself-driving shuttles

Both matter, but the biggest changes depend on governments and industries, because they control energy production, infrastructure and regulations. Individual actions still count, though — they add up, and consumer choices put pressure on companies and politicians to change.

Useful language:add upput pressure on

There will be new jobs in manufacturing electric vehicles and batteries, building charging infrastructure and maintaining public transport. At the same time, jobs linked to petrol engines and fuel stations may decline, so retraining programmes will be essential to support affected workers.

Useful language:charging infrastructuredeclineretraining programmes

Education helps people understand the real costs of car use — for health, the climate and their wallets. Schools can teach cycling safety and encourage walking to school, and public campaigns can show how practical green options are.

Useful language:the real costscycling safety

Cities can create safe, connected cycle lanes, wider pavements and pedestrian zones. Building mixed-use neighbourhoods, where homes, shops and offices are close together, reduces the need for long journeys. Public transport should be frequent and well connected, with secure bike parking at stations.

Useful language:pedestrian zonesmixed-use neighbourhoodswell connected

As climate targets become more urgent, governments will likely ban new petrol and diesel cars, tax flights more heavily and invest in rail. Infrastructure will also have to adapt to extreme weather — for example, roads and railways that can withstand floods and heatwaves.

Useful language:climate targetswithstand floods