China Leads the World in Clean Energy

That was slower than in September.

In September, prices rose 0.6 percent.

So prices grew more slowly, but people still paid more. What helped in October?

Gas prices helped most.

The average gas price fell during October.

It went from 4.41 dollars a gallon to 4.18 dollars.

That was a fall of more than five percent.

That helped drivers. But the full picture was still difficult, right?

Yes. Home heating oil rose two percent.

Electricity prices rose 0.9 percent.

These costs can affect homes and businesses.

They can also make other goods more expensive.

So cheaper gas did not solve the whole problem. What happened to another measure?

Another measure rose 0.3 percent.

This measure leaves out food and energy prices.

It rose for the third month in a row.

Workers may feel this pressure too. How are wages changing?

Prices are still growing faster than wages.

Pay is not catching up.

One economist called it the worst gap since the 1970s.

Officials also said the number was disappointing. What did one White House adviser say?

He called it “not a good number.”

He said high oil prices can affect the whole economy.

For families, the message is simple.

Gas became a little cheaper, but daily costs are still high.

Thanks, Ethan.

A small pause before story two. Wondering whether A1, A2 or B1 is the best level for your English listening? Try LinguaWire's online level assessment. It checks eight language skills and gives you a clearer picture of what you can do and what to practise next. Take your level check at linguawire.com/assessment. Now, on to our next story.

John Kerry says countries should follow China on green energy.

Now we go to Chloe, our environment correspondent.

Thank you, Daniel. China is moving quickly into green energy.

John Kerry says other countries must move faster too.

He spoke as the climate meeting COP31 opened in Turkey.

What is China doing now?

China makes many solar panels and electric car batteries.

It also makes most of the world’s electric cars.

In 2025, clean-energy exports passed 220 billion dollars.

Nearly three quarters of electric cars were made in China.

Those are very large numbers. What has China promised to do?

In March, China adopted a new five-year plan.

For the first time, it promised to help lead world climate work.

The meeting in Turkey may show what that promise means.

So the important question is action, not only words. What does China already have?

China has strong factories and exports.

It has about 85 percent of solar production capacity.

It has about 80 percent of battery production capacity.

Other countries may need these products from China.

That gives China an important place in the world. Why should other countries move faster?

Kerry says other countries are falling behind.

He says this can hurt their economies.

He also says it can make climate problems worse.

His message is simple: use cleaner power quickly.

Did he say why countries are changing now?

He said oil and gas from other places can be a problem.

Some countries now want to make their own energy choices.

Kerry said renewable energy is growing quickly.

But he also said much of the world is still moving slowly.

That makes the climate meeting especially important this year.

Let’s review three useful words and one grammar pattern.

Price means the amount of money you pay for something.

In the first story, we heard, “Prices rose 0.4 percent in October.”

The price of bread is higher today.

Cost means the money needed to buy or do something.

In the first story, we heard, “daily costs are still high.”

The cost of heating is high this winter.

Wage means money a worker receives for work.

In the first story, we heard, “Prices are still growing faster than wages.”

Her wage is paid every Friday.

“That was slower than in September.”

We use “be” with an adjective to describe something.

For example, “was slower” describes the speed of price growth.

“The full picture was difficult.”

Repeat after me: That was slower than in September.

That was slower than in September.

That's all for today's stories and recap. If there were any English words you'd like to remember, you don't have to rely on memory alone. You can save vocabulary from today's podcast on the LinguaWire website, then practise those words later with flashcards and revision. See how at linguawire.com/vocab. Thanks for listening, and we'll see you next time.