The Vocabulary of Sustainable Development
Learn the words behind one of the exam's biggest themes — economic, social, and environmental development, with real Moroccan examples.
What is sustainable development?
Sustainable development means growing and improving society today without damaging the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It’s about progress that lasts — not a quick fix that causes bigger problems later.
ما معنى التنمية المستدامة؟
التنمية المستدامة تعني تطوير المجتمع وتحسينه اليوم دون الإضرار بقدرة الأجيال القادمة على تلبية احتياجاتها الخاصة. إنها تقدّم يدوم — وليست حلًا سريعًا يسبب مشاكل أكبر لاحقًا.
The three pillars
Growth in jobs, industry, and income.
Key words: investment, finance, employment, poverty, income
Improving people’s quality of life and fairness.
Key words: equality, marginalization, welfare, education, healthcare
Morocco's own example
Morocco is a real, exam-relevant case study for this topic — especially in renewable energy. The country has invested heavily in solar and wind power, including the Noor solar power project in Ouarzazate, one of the largest in the world.
Word families — the exam favourite
This unit’s writing and language tasks constantly ask you to change a word’s form. Learn the noun, verb, and adjective together.
finance (noun) — financial aid
ecology (noun) — ecological tourism
to illustrate (verb) — from illustration
sustain (verb) — a sustainable future
pollution (noun) — a polluted river
financial — financial support
ecological — an ecological project
illustrative — an illustrative example
sustainable — sustainable growth
polluted — polluted air
Useful collocations
Common mistakes to avoid
❌ The project needs more finance support. → ✅ The project needs more financial support.
❌ Renewable energy reduce pollute. → ✅ Renewable energy reduces pollution. (use the noun)
Your turn — choose the correct word
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1. Growth in jobs, industry, and income belongs to which pillar?
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2. The government offers ___ support to poor families. (adjective)
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3. Morocco is known for its investment in ___ energy such as solar and wind.
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4. Marginalization and inequality are examples of ___ issues.
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5. The Noor project reduces ___ emissions.
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6. Choose the adjective form of “ecology”.
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7. Deforestation and biodiversity loss are ___ issues.
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8. “Sustainable” comes from the verb ___.
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9. Which phrase means natural things like forests and water?
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10. The factory caused a lot of ___ in the river. (noun)
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11. Choose the correct sentence.
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12. Solar and wind power are examples of ___ energy.
Write 4–5 sentences about sustainable development in Morocco. Try to use at least three words from this lesson (e.g. renewable energy, sustainable, financial aid, natural resources). You could write about:
- Morocco’s renewable energy projects
- A local environmental problem and a possible solution
- Why sustainable development matters for future generations
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