Skip to main content

Rich people could help save the planet from climate change

Business News, Environment

From a post by Stephanie Bailey, CNN

 Part 1. Vocabulary

lavish

/ˈlaviSH/ adj.

- sumptuously rich, elaborate, or luxurious.

"a lavish banquet"

 

stuff

/stəf/ n.

- the basic constituents or characteristics of something or someone.

"Healey was made of sterner stuff"

 

divestment

dīˈvestmənt/ n.

- the action or process of selling off subsidiary business interests or investments.

"the importance of divestment"

 

flexibility

/ˌfleksəˈbilədē/ n.

- willingness to change or compromise.

"the government has shown flexibility in applying its policy"

 

instigate

/ˈinstəˌɡāt/ v.

- incite someone to do something, especially something bad.

- bring about or initiate (an action or event).

"they instigated a reign of terror"

 

emissions

/əˈmiSH(ə)n/ n.

- the production and discharge of something, especially gas or radiation.

"the effects of lead emission on health"

 

Part 2. Article Reading

Rich people don't just have bigger bank balances and more lavish lifestyles than the rest of us -- they also have bigger carbon footprints. The more stuff you own, and the more you travel, the more fossils fuels are burned, and the more greenhouse gases are emitted into the atmosphere.

Oxfam has estimated that the average carbon footprint of someone in the world's richest 1% could be 175 times that of someone in the poorest 10%.

But some argue that the wealthy can do the most to help fix the climate crisis. Here's how they could make a difference.

Spend wisely

The buying decisions of the rich mean much more in the fight against climate change than those of most people.

"Regarding their own lifestyle choices, the rich can change a lot," said Otto. "For instance, putting solar panels on the roofs of their houses. They can also afford electric cars and the best would be if they avoided flying."

In the study, air travel accounted for more than half of the footprint of a super-rich couple.

Rich people also have more flexibility to make changes.

Divestment

As well as choosing what to spend money on, rich people can choose what industries to invest in -- or not to invest in.

Over 1,100 organizations and 59,000 individuals, with combined assets totaling $8.8 trillion, have pledged to divest from fossil fuels through the online movement DivestInvest.

Wealth means power

Wealthy people are not just economic decision-makers, they can have a political influence too. They can fund political parties and campaigns and have access to lawmakers. Otto argued that rich people could use their political power to instigate positive changes to climate policy.

Fund climate research

The wealthy can also support climate research. In 2015, Microsoft founder Bill Gates committed $2 billion of his fortune to fund research and development into clean energy.

There's plenty of incentive for the wealthy to demand climate action: A recent UN report warned that delaying climate policies will cost the world's top companies $1.2 trillion over the next 15 years.

Role models

The super-rich might also have an influence on other people's carbon emissions.

"We have to redefine wealth in our societies such that living a "good life" is possible without high greenhouse gas emissions," she said.

Read the full article here: https://edition.cnn.com/2019/07/12/health/rich-people-climate-change-intl/index.html

Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Climate change blamed for killing 14% of the world's coral reefs in just 10 years

Part 1. Vocabulary decade /ˈdekād/ n. - a period of ten years He taught at the school for nearly a decade. succession /səkˈseSHən/ n. - the action or process of inheriting a title, office, property, etc. The new king was already elderly at the time of his succession. trigger /ˈtriɡər/ n. - cause 9an event or situation) to happen or exist An allergy can be triggered by stress or overwork. conviction /kənˈvikSH(ə)n/ n. - a firmly held belief or opinion She takes pride in stating her political convictions. profound /prəˈfound/ adj. - (of a state, quality, or emotion) very great or intense: The impact of temperature rise has been profound.   Part 2. Comprehension questions What are the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN) findings of the rising ocean temperatures? What do coral reefs support? What does the death o...
Read more

Diwali fervour returns in India as COVID situation eases

 Part 1. Vocabulary commemorate(s) /kəˈmeməˌrāt/ v. - recall and show respect for (someone or something): "a wreath-laying ceremony to commemorate the war dead" venerate(d) /ˈvenəˌrāt/ v. - regard with great respect; revere: "Mother Teresa is venerated as a saint" adopt(ed) /əˈdäpt/ v. - choose to take up, follow, or use: "This approach has been adopted by many big banks" throng(ing) /THrôNG/ v. - to be or go somewhere in very large numbers:  “Shoppers were thronging the streets” fatality (ies) /fāˈtalədē/ n. - an occurrence of death by accident, in war, or from disease: "Shooting was heard and there were fatalities"   Part 2. Comprehension Questions What is Diwali? Who celebrates Diwali? What does Deepavali commemorate? Who do Jainism followers commemorate? Why...
Read more

February 22 is a palindromic date

The date February 22, 2022, for example, is a palindrome in the US and the UK when written as  22/2/22 , or 2/22/22.     PALINDROME is something which reads the same forwards as it does backwards - for example, words like “civic”, “radar” and “kayak”. Dates and numbers can also be a palindrome - here's everything you need to know. A palindrome is when a word, date or phrase reads exactly the same forwards as it does backwards. For example, the name “Hannah” reads the same when in reverse. Sometimes, whole phrases can be a palindrome, such as: "Was it a rat I saw?" The longest palindromic word in the Oxford English Dictionary is “tattarrattat”, which was written by James Joyce in his 1922 book Ulysses, and imitated the sound of someone knocking on a door. Just like words, some dates are also palindromic. This is because whether you write it as day/month/year or month/day/year, the numbers remain the same. It's not often that dates are palindromic in the US and the UK d...
Read more