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  • Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning

  • English. I'm Neil.

  • And I'm Rob.

  • Rob, I've been reading about ways to protect

  • the environment and I've decided to

  • eat less meat. And maybe drive my car

  • less too.

  • Good for you, Neil! And flying less can also

  • help reduce air pollution.

  • Right. Flying and driving less are two good

  • ways to combat climate change because they

  • reduce your carbon footprintthat's

  • the amount of carbon dioxide or CO2

  • released into the atmosphere as a result

  • of your everyday activities.

  • The idea of reducing carbon emissions is catching

  • on in the music industry too. Bands and artists

  • who go on tour around the world generate large

  • carbon footprints.

  • So recently some music groups like Massive

  • Attack and Green Day started thinking about

  • ways to reduce the impact their tours are

  • having on the environment.

  • Ha! Green Daywhat a good name for a band

  • trying to be environmentally friendly!

  • Today we'll be finding out about bands and

  • musicians who want to continue going on tour

  • but do it in ways which reduce their

  • environmental impact. And of course we'll

  • be learning some related vocabulary on the way.

  • So, it seems like the days of rock and roll

  • stars flying around the world in private jets

  • may soon be a thing of the past.

  • Indeed, Rob, and that brings me neatly to

  • my quiz question. One British band recently

  • announced they would stop going on tour until

  • they were 100% carbon neutral, but which band?

  • Was it: a) The 1975, b) The Rolling Stones,

  • or c) Coldplay

  • Well, Coldplay had a hit with their song

  • The Scientist, and we are talking about carbon

  • dioxide and the climate, so I'll say c)

  • Coldplay.

  • Good thinking, Rob! We'll find out the answer

  • later. But first let's hear from another

  • artist concerned about her carbon impact.

  • Fay Milton is the drummer of the band Savages

  • and co-founder of the climate pressure group

  • Music Declares Emergency. She spoke to BBC

  • Radio 4's programme You & Yours:

  • This year I have actually turned down a tour.

  • My income comes from touring so it has put

  • me in a bit of a precarious situation but

  • I actually feel quite good about itit

  • feels like the right thing to do in this moment.

  • Even though Fay earns a living as a drummer

  • by going on tour, she has started to turn

  • them downmeaning to reject or refuse

  • the offer of touring.

  • Losing the income she usually gets from touring

  • puts Fay in a precarious situation – a situation

  • where things could become difficult, in this

  • case financially difficult, because she isn't

  • making money from playing the drums.

  • But she still wants to do the right thing

  • in other words, do what is most fair,

  • ethical and just. For Fay, fighting climate

  • change is even more important than

  • doing what she lovesgoing on tour with

  • the band.

  • Well, good for her! I'm not sure if I'd

  • be so committed as Fay. But if bands stopped

  • touring altogether, fans wouldn't get to

  • see gigsor live concerts and hear the

  • music they love.

  • Well, that's an interesting point because

  • it might be possible for bands to carry on

  • touring and also reduce their environmental

  • impact at the same time. Bristol band, Massive

  • Attack, want to do exactly that. Their singer

  • Robert Del Naja explains:

  • We're working with an electric bus company.

  • We're going to look at all the energy being

  • renewable and obviously the power we can

  • create will go back to the grid, so we're hoping

  • we can actually create legacy green

  • infrastructure which can then power

  • future gigs. We plan to travel to Europe

  • solely by train, with the band, the crew

  • and all the gear.

  • Swapping tour planes for trains and encouraging

  • fans to travel to gigs by bus are two good

  • ways to reduce the total carbon footprint

  • of the concert.

  • And by using renewable energy, the gig can

  • create power. This can then be put back into

  • the national grid, called the grid for short

  • the network supplying electrical power

  • across a country.

  • Well, Massive Attack are certainly ticking

  • all the green boxes, Neil, but who else is

  • doing a good job? Remember your quiz

  • question earlier?

  • Ah, yes. I asked which band has decided to

  • stop touring until their tours were carbon

  • neutral and you said?

  • I said c) Coldplay.

  • And you were right! Are you a Coldplay fan,

  • Rob? Just remember to leave your car at home

  • the next time you go to their gigs!

  • Right! Today, we've been looking at some

  • of the ways music bands and artists are trying

  • to fight climate change. They want to reduce

  • their carbon footprintthe amount of carbon

  • they release into the air.

  • Some musicians are starting to turn downor

  • refuse, long world tour dates because flying

  • from country to country playing gigsor

  • live musical concerts, generates so much

  • carbon dioxide.

  • Bands like Savages, Green Day and Massive

  • Attack are trying to do the right thing - taking

  • the most fair and ethical course of action,

  • even though for some artists, the income lost

  • from not touring puts them in a precarious

  • or difficult situation.

  • But when they get it right, bands can be carbon

  • neutral or even generate power which can be

  • put back into the national gridthe network

  • supplying electrical power across a country.

  • All of which means we can 'keep on rocking'

  • into the next century without increasing carbon

  • emissions and adding to climate change.

  • So, Rob, you could say you were 'born to

  • run'… on renewable energy!

  • Ha-ha! Very funny, Neil. That's all for

  • today but remember to join us again soon for

  • more topical discussions and vocabulary from

  • 6 Minute English, here at BBC Learning English.

  • Thanks for listening and bye!

  • Bye.

Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning

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B1 carbon touring band tour rob climate

Touring bands and climate change: 6 Minute English

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    林宜悉 posted on 2020/04/04
Video vocabulary

Keywords

massive

US /ˈmæsɪv/

UK /ˈmæsɪv/

  • adjective
  • Very big; large; too big
  • Extensive in scale or scope.
  • Solid and heavy.
  • Exceptionally large; huge.
  • Large or imposing in scale or scope.
situation

US /ˌsɪtʃuˈeʃən/

UK /ˌsɪtʃuˈeɪʃn/

  • noun
  • Place, position or area that something is in
  • An unexpected problem or difficulty
vocabulary

US /voˈkæbjəˌlɛri/

UK /və'kæbjələrɪ/

  • noun
  • Words that have to do with a particular subject
  • The body of words used in a particular language.
  • The words that a person knows
  • other
  • The range of words known to or used by a particular person or group of people.
impact

US /ˈɪmˌpækt/

UK /'ɪmpækt/

  • noun
  • A striking effect or result to hit with force
  • Act or force of one thing hitting something else
  • A marked effect or influence.
  • other
  • To collide forcefully with something.
  • verb
  • To hit or strike someone or something with force
  • other
  • (especially of a tooth) wedged so that it cannot erupt.
  • To have a strong effect on someone or something.
amount

US /əˈmaʊnt/

UK /ə'maʊnt/

  • noun
  • Quantity of something
  • verb
  • To add up to a certain figure
climate

US /ˈklaɪmɪt/

UK /ˈklaɪmət/

  • noun
  • Typical weather conditions in a particular place
  • other
  • The general attitudes, feelings, or opinions that people have at a particular time.
  • other
  • A region with particular weather conditions.
  • other
  • The typical weather conditions in an area over a long period.
legacy

US /ˈlɛɡəsi/

UK /'leɡəsɪ/

  • noun
  • A gift by will, especially of money or personal property.
  • An old or outdated computer system or software.
  • Literature, arts etc. from previous generations
  • Something left or handed down by a predecessor.
  • Something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past.
  • Something left or given by a person who has died
  • adjective
  • Relating to old or outdated computer systems or software.
  • other
  • The state of using old or outdated computer systems or software.
  • Something left or handed down by a predecessor.
atmosphere

US /ˈætməˌsfɪr/

UK /'ætməsfɪə(r)/

  • noun
  • Air around us
  • Feeling or mood of a place
combat

US /kəmˈbæt, ˈkɑmˌbæt/

UK /'kɒmbæt/

  • verb
  • To fight someone or something physically
environment

US /ɛnˈvaɪrənmənt, -ˈvaɪən-/

UK /ɪn'vaɪrənmənt/

  • noun
  • A set of hardware or software parameters that define the characteristics of a computer system.
  • The natural world, as a whole or in a particular geographical area, especially as affected by human activity.
  • Natural world in which plants and animals live
  • The people and things that are around you that affect how you behave and develop.
  • The entire surrounding conditions of something