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| Words in the News
Monday 22 July 2002
Vocabulary from the news. Listen to and read the report then find explanations of difficult words below.
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California gets landmark green law
Summary: One of the first laws to tackle greenhouse gasses in the United States, The Clean Cars Act, is due to come into effect today. The law is something of a snub to President Bush, who recently refused to sign up to an international treaty reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This report from David Willis:
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| | The News | |
| | | The Clean Cars Act is the first law in America to force car manufacturers to find ways of reducing the emission of greenhouse gasses, including carbon dioxide, which cause global warming. Amongst the ideas already mooted; vehicles which are lighter and more aerodynamic and therefore consume less fuel or imposing a surcharge on some of the larger cars and vans in order to deter people from buying them.
In California, more than half the motoring population drive what is known as a sports utility vehicle -- trucks which average around twelve miles to the gallon (approximately 0.43km/l). Yet surveys showed the majority of people here favour measures to reduce global warming. The big car manufacturers, of course, are not so keen. They spent millions of dollars in an attempt to defeat this legislation, warning it would cut their profits and raise the cost of new cars. Now they're considering forcing a state-wide referendum on the subject in an attempt to get the law overturned.
Although the US produces nearly a quarter of the world's carbon emissions, President Bush has refused to sign the Kyoto Protocol, committing rich countries to reducing air pollution. Some believe California's move will shame other states and eventually the federal government into action on the matter.
DAVID WILLIS, BBC NEWS, LOS ANGELES
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| | The Words
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| | | to force
to make someone do something, even if they don’t want to
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| | | emission of greenhouse gasses
release of harmful gasses into the air
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| | | mooted
suggested
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| | | consume
use
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| | | imposing a surcharge
making the price artificially higher
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| | | to deter
if you deter someone from doing something, you encourage them not to do it with the threat of some negative action – here, the threat is that they will have to pay more
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| | | the motoring population
people who drive
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| | | a state-wide referendum
a vote held across the whole state to see if the public agree
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| | | shame
if you shame someone, you make them feel embarrassed or guilty about their actions
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