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Hello and welcome to 6 Minute
English from BBC Learning English.
I'm Phil and
today we have Hannah joining us again
from BBC podcast, What in the World.
Welcome, Hannah.
Hey Phil, it is
so great to be back here.
So, I'm wondering, do you do things
that you think are good for the planet?
I try,
but I don't think I do enough.
So, maybe I cycle more than I drive
and I try to recycle things,
but I should be doing a lot more.
But some people think
that to deal with climate change,
we can't just rely on individuals.
Phil, it's not up to you and me.
We need to actually change the way
our economy works.
And this is an idea called degrowth.
And we've been investigating it
at What in the World
and we're going to learn a bit more
about it today.
But first, our quiz question.
World leaders promised in 2015
to limit global temperature rises.
But what was
the limit they agreed to?
Was it a) 1.5C?
b) 2.5C
or c) 3.5C?
I think I know this one, Phil.
I think it's 1.5C.
OK. We'll find out the answer
later in the program.
So, Hannah, you've been researching
degrowth. What does that mean?
Well, Phil, traditionally, governments
have always wanted to grow the economy.
More money, more jobs, more stuff.
But degrowth is a different way
of thinking about things.
Some people say
that to tackle the climate crisis,
we need to stop our economies
from growing.
We need to stop using and making more
and focus on using fewer
of the Earth's natural resources.
The people who support the idea of
degrowth are often called degrowthers.
Right, OK.
So degrowthers
argue we should make
and use less stuff.
Yes, mostly. It's a little bit
more complex than that.
And I spoke
to BBC journalist Alvaro Alvarez,
who told me more about the idea.
So degrowth is not saying
that we need to reduce everything.
It's saying that we need to decrease
some elements of our production
that are not beneficial.
An example of those elements would be
fast fashion, private jets,
the beef and meat industry.
So it's not
about decreasing everything.
Alvaro says that degrowthers believe
we should reduce some elements
of production.
An element of something is a part
of something.
And according to Alvaro,
these elements of production
are not believed to be beneficial.
If something's beneficial,
it's useful or good.
One example of a kind of production
that degrowthers disagree with
is fast fashion.
'Fast fashion' refers to clothes that
are made very cheaply and quickly,
so that customers can afford
to buy new outfits more often.
Exactly.
And before we go any further.
Many economists do not think
that degrowth is a good idea.
Some of them argue
that it would create more poverty.
And some economists believe
degrowth would actually make it
harder to solve the climate crisis.
For example, Professor
Sam Fankhauser, an economist
at Cambridge University in the UK,
spoke to you on What in the World.
And he argues
that degrowth could limit innovation.
I think degrowth underestimates
the power of innovation.
Degrowth underestimates the need
for investment that we need
in new technology
and in new solutions.
And degrowth underestimates
the social sort
of feasibility of what they propose.
So, Professor Fankhauser thinks that
degrowth underestimates many things,
such as innovation.
If you underestimate something,
you don't understand
the true importance or size of it.
Another factor that Professor
Fankhauser says is underestimated by
degrowthers is the feasibility
of social change.
'Feasibility' means the possibility
that something can be achieved.
It comes from the adjective 'feasible'.
For example,
I could say that I think
it's feasible for us to finish
this podcast in six minutes.
I think we can do it.
Well, Phil,
we're going to have to get a move on.
I think it's time to hear the answer
to your quiz question.
I asked how much world leaders agreed
to limit global temperature rises to.
The answer is 1.5C,
which scientists believe is needed
to stop the worst impacts
of climate change.
I got it right!
Ok, so let's recap some
of the vocabulary we've learned,
starting with 'degrowth',
which is the economic idea that
we should use and make less stuff.
An 'element' of something means a part
of something.
'Beneficial' means useful or good.
'Fast fashion' refers to clothes
that are made cheaply and quickly
so that people can buy them
more often.
And if you underestimate something,
you don't understand
the true importance or size of it.
The feasibility of something is the
likelihood that it can be achieved.
We can also describe something
as 'feasible' or 'unfeasible'.
We can do it or we can't do it.
Phil, once again,
our six minutes are up,
but there is just a little bit
more time for me to tell you more
about my podcast,
What in the World.
We have a new episode
every single weekday
and we talk
about the news, trending topics.
In fact, it's a great place to come
and learn some new vocabulary
about things that are happening
in the world.
Yes, if you found this episode
interesting, try watching What
in the World on YouTube with
subtitles to practice your English.
There's a link in the notes
for this episode,
and don't forget to try the quiz
and worksheet at bbclearningenglish.com.
Phil, thank you so much for having me
again on 6 Minute English.
Bye for now.
Bye.
Vocabulary
Word 1 of 15economy
word
0:48
"the system by which a country produces, buys and sells goods and services."
More Listening Practice
About this lesson
Discover the concept of degrowth and how it challenges traditional ideas about economic progress in this 6 Minute English episode.