Is clean energy the way forward?

Warmer:
a. Read the names below. Run a quick web search about them and write down what you
consider important information about their jobs and political careers.

1. Joe Biden:

2. Rishi Sunak:

3. Keir Starmer:

Vocabulary I:

a. Complete the sentences using the words in the box.

act attendeesbudget concern current economy

equivale greengrowth s invest policies productio

referendumspreads subsidie upcomin n
nt
recessio s g
n

1. To in something is to provide money for something, like a project or a

fund.

2. If something is , it exists now.

3. An is a written law passed by a government.

4. are people who go to an event, such as a conference or a forum.

5. Describing things as means they are related to protecting the

environment and not polluting.

6. A is a period when trade and industry are not successful and there is a lot
of unemployment.

7. A government prepares its every year, which is a financial plan for

how and when they will spend money.

8. are money given to companies or organizations by the government, when

what they are doing helps people or society.

9. If something , it gradually affects a larger area.

10. means the same or equal to.

 11. When a country is doing well financially and there are lots of people with jobs, this would be
described as .

12. The is the world of finances and money in a country or society.

13. are ideas politicians have that they have written down and want to turn
into law.

14. If you have , it means you are worried or nervous about something.

15. A is when everyone in a country can vote to make a decision about one
particular subject.

16. is the process of making things in large quantities, especially in a

factory, so that they can be sold.

17. Something that is planned to happen soon could be referred to as .

b. In small groups, try to use the words in sentences of your own. Share your sentences with
each other.
 Is clean energy the way forward?
Larry Elliott
26 January, 2023
1 After 15 years of bad economic performance for
the United Kingdom, the prediction is for a small
recession in 2023.
2 British politicians know they have a problem. In
the past 13 years, five different prime ministers
have suggested different ways to improve the
economy, none of which have helped. The current
Chancellor of the Exchequer says his upcoming
budget will be all about economic growth, but the
situation is unlikely to change very quickly.
3 There is now a search for policies that will not
only improve the economy but do so in a
way that spreads the benefits of growth to the
poorer parts of the country. Politicians, like Rishi
Sunak or Keir Starmer, could start by taking a
look at what Joe Biden is doing on the other side
of the Atlantic with his Inflation Reduction Act
(IRA).
4 The purpose of the IRA is not really to deal with
the cost of living in the US. Instead, it offers
subsidies to companies that set up clean-energy
factories in the US and tax breaks for people who
buy new electric vehicles produced there. The
President of the United States’ new act was a
popular topic of conversation at the World
Economic Forum in January, 2023.
5 There were lots of World Economic Forum
attendees who strongly supported the IRA. A
former US treasury secretary said it was a
positive thing for the US to do. France’s
Finance Minister, Bruno Le Maire, said it was a
good thing the US was giving companies a
reason to invest in green technology and that the
EU should do the same.
6 Some people in the UK agree. The head of the
Confederation of British Industry, Tony Danker,
said earlier in January that it was possible for the
UK to lead the world in green technology and
businesses but only if it changed its way of
thinking.
7 Unfortunately, the current UK government
doesn’t feel the same way. Grant Shapps, the
Business Secretary, said recently that
Britain didn’t need something similar to the IRA
because it was already doing better than the US in
terms of green energy. Kemi Badenoch, the Trade
Secretary, has concerns about what Biden’s plan
was causing other countries to
do in response in recent talks with the US and the
EU.
8 A different approach will probably require a change
of government. A man who wants that, the Leader
of the Opposition, Keir Starmer, used his visit to
the World Economic Forum to talk about his ideas
for a green economic plan. While it won’t please
all Labour supporters, Starmer’s thinking has
changed since the days when he was supporting a
second
EU referendum. Supporters of Brexit have always
argued that leaving the EU provided an
opportunity to use state aid, subsidies and tax
breaks to increase the UK’s production
of goods and improve the economy, and the
Labour leader seems to be slowly warming to
some of those ideas.
9 Clearly, the UK could never spend as much
money as the US on a plan like this, but it
makes sense to borrow for investments that
would possibly improve the economy and help
the environment. A UK equivalent of an IRA
doesn’t have to cost a lot of money
because, as Danker said in his speech, there are
smart ways in which the government can spend
money to support this area of trade and
business.
10 And if the Confederation of British Industry can
support these ideas, then there is no reason why
Keir Starmer and Labour should not do the same.
© Guardian News and Media 2023
First published in The Guardian, 26/1/2023
Reading Comprehension:

a. Write the correct paragraph number (1–10) next to each paragraph summary.

An expert believes that the UK should invest in green technology and businesses but that there needs to
be more support for these ideas.

British politicians keep trying to think of ways improve the economy, but it’s difficult and will take
time.

Keir Starmer believes that doing something similar to Joe Biden would be a good idea.

Some politicians from different countries think that the Inflation Reduction Act is a good model for what
their own countries should do.

The President of the United States has created an act that the UK could possibly copy to improve their
economy.

The current UK government doesn’t believe they should copy the Inflation Reduction Act.

The Inflation Reduction Act gives green companies subsidies and helps people save money if they buy
green technology, such as electric cars. The act is being talked about internationally.

The UK has had a bad economy for a long time and it is unlikely to get better in 2023.

The writer concludes by saying that if experts in business think that investing in green technology is a
good idea, political parties should think the same.

There are different ways the UK could try to create something similar to the IRA, and not all of the
methods would cost a lot of money.
Vocabulary II:

a. Write down the word class of each of the words below to complete the table. Use the wordpool
to help you.

adjective adjective adverb infinitive infinitive

verb – verb – plural plural singular
continuous past noun noun noun

economy economic
1. 2.
invest investing investments
3. 4. 5.
recent recently
6. 7.
support supported supporters
8. 9. 10.

b. Discuss what helped you identify the word classes.

c. Match the words to form compound nouns from the article.

1. business a. aid
2. finance b. breaks
3. state c. minister
4. tax d. secretary
5. trade e. secretary

d. In small groups, discuss what you think each of the compound nouns means. Check in a
dictionary or use your phone.
Discussion:

a. Use the prompts to have discussions.

• “Green energy is a dream that can’t really be accomplished.”

• “All countries should assume strategies similar to Biden’s.”

a. Write a short opinion piece on what your own country and government can do to help the
economy and the environment at the same time.

b. Share your work with a partner. Tell each other something you liked and something you
think the other could improve on.