Wealth Gap and Climate Action

News Bites

Wealth Gap and Climate Action Hi everyone, it's time for a new episode of News Bites… I'm Paz Bueno. And I'm Nancy Sun. In today's episode… Taiwan has a big wealth gap, scientists have four big ideas to fight climate change, and built-in allergy relief! Let's get into it. ________________________________ 台灣貧富差距擴大 Taiwan's Wealth Gap Gets Bigger Do we live in a fair society (公平的社會)? Of course some people have more money than others. It would be great to hear that our society is improving and becoming fairer. But is that the way it's really going? Unfortunately, one measure shows that things are moving in the opposite direction. That means the rich are getting richer, and the poor are getting poorer. 富人愈富，窮人愈窮。 The government has collected lots of data (數據) about this question. Now, they say the wealth gap is increasing. That means the difference between how much money the richest have, and how much the poorest have. The richest families in Taiwan have 67 times more wealth than the poorest 20% of families. 台灣最富有的家有的財富是最貧窮的家的67倍。 67 times as much money? That's a huge gap. That means for every one dollar a poor family has… …a rich family has 67 dollars. That's four times bigger than the wealth gap was 30 years ago. There is some good news, though. Taiwan has a smaller wealth gap than some other developed countries (已開發國家). Australia's wealth gap is 93 times, and France's wealth gap is 627 times! But why is it bad to have a big wealth gap? Actually, there are a few reasons. First of all, it's unfair (不公平). It can cause feelings of anger between the rich and the poor. This may lead to increased crime or other violence. However, there is a more important reason. That is, a big wealth gap hurts the economy. 巨大的貧富差距會損害經濟。 If the rich get more money, they tend to just save it (存錢). But if the poor get more money, they will spend it (用錢), to buy the things they need. That means shops will sell more, farmers will plant more, factories will build more, and the whole economy (經濟) will grow. In other words, if the people with less money have more of it to spend, this will help everyone. So, we should try to make Taiwan's wealth gap smaller. Not just because it's more fair, but also because it will make the economy stronger. ________________________________ 科學家講述最有力的氣候行動 Scientists Tell Strongest Climate Actions How can you help with climate change (全球暖化)? We all know the climate is changing, and the Earth's atmosphere is getting warmer. This is dangerous for everyone, so we need to take action (採取行動). But what can you really do? I have an idea. I'll make a big fridge and put the Earth inside, to cool it down. Don't joke around (不要開玩笑), this is serious. For real answers, we should listen to science. A recent survey asked 380 climate scientists this question. These are the top four answers they gave, for ways that one person can help with climate change. 調查問了 380 名氣候科學家，以下是他們最推薦的四種方法。 Let's count them down. Coming in at number four is… …using less energy for home heating and cooling (減少家庭供暖和冷氣的能源). That means we need to find better ways to warm and cool our houses. Traditional gas heaters and AC units use lots of power, which puts CO2 into the atmosphere. But new technologies like the heat pumps (熱泵) are much more efficient. The number three way is to eat less meat (少吃肉). The animals we use for meat take up so much of our planet's resources! For example, cows need a huge area of land. They eat tons of food and fart out (放屁) harmful emissions, all for a little beef. It's much better for the environment if we eat a vegetable-based diet. The number two way is to fly less (少坐飛機). That's because airplanes use so much fuel, making lots of emissions. If you care about the Earth, just take your holiday closer to home. And the number one way is to vote (投票). That's right, use your vote to choose leaders (領導人) who will act on climate change. And if you're too young to vote… …then at least you can talk about it with people who do vote, like parents and other family. Why is voting the best action you can take? One person can only do a little bit. We need to change the whole system (變整個系統). And we can only do that if our leaders really understand the problem. ________________________________ So, in today's News Bites… Taiwan's wealth gap is getting bigger. That means the rich are getting richer, and the poor are getting poorer. That's not just unfair, it also harms the economy. ________________________________ And, Scientists shared the top actions you can take to fight climate change. They say the best thing you can do is vote for leaders who will take strong action. ________________________________ 趣味小點 Tasty Tidbit Did you know that laughing can help with allergies? If you have hay fever, try laughing about it! A study showed that people who watched funny videos had fewer allergy symptoms for a few hours. This means that laughing might help reduce allergies. If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to [e-mail], and you might hear it at the end of an episode! We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!