Major Snow, the 21st solar term of the year, begins this year on Dec 7 and ends on Dec 20, marking the start of the season. It begins when the sun reaches the celestial longitude (天文经度) of 255° and ends when it reaches 270° 【小题1】, so it is named Major Snow.

By the start of Major Snow, most of China has already seen the start of winter. 【小题2】. At this time of year, the snow gradually settles in the Yellow River Basin. In far north there is heavy snow; while in the south, it is mild with less rainfall.

【小题3】. Snow adds warmth and wetness to the winter wheat, preventing dry air in winter. It can also store and lock in water needed for the following year, and it kills off bacteria and pests which decreases the risk of disease.

During Major Snow, people often eat jujube cakes, made from red jujube dates (枣) which are rich in vitamin C, protein, calcium, iron, vitamins and other nutrients. 【小题4】. Jujube dates not only replenish (补充) the spleen and stomach, but also protect the liver, increase muscle strength, and are said to be anti-aging. Because of their affordable price and high nutritional content, jujube cakes are popular all over China at this time of year.

In some areas, cured meats become a specialty product, as a way to store meat over the winter months. As the saying goes, small snow seals the ground, heavy snow seals the river. 【小题5】.

Major Snow is an excellent season for people to replenish their bodies. There is another saying, “Replenishing your body in winter means you will be strong enough to fight a tiger in early spring.”

When it comes to global warming, we know that the real problem is not just fossil fuels — it is the logic of endless growth that is built into our economic system. If we don't keep the global economy growing by at least 3% per year, it will get into crisis. That means we have to double the size of the economy every 20 years, just to stay afloat. It doesn't take much to realise that this need for fast growth makes little sense given the limits of our planet.

Rapid climate change is the most obvious symptom of this contradiction, but we're also seeing it in the form of deforestation (滥伐森林) and mass extinction, with species dying as a result of the loss of their habitats. It was unthinkable to say this even 10 years ago.

The question is what to do about it. How can we redesign the global economy to bring it in line with the principles of ecology? The most obvious answer is to stop using GDP to measure economic progress and replace it with a more thoughtful measure-one that accounts for the ecological and social impact of economic activity. Outstanding economists like Nobel Prize winner Joseph Stiglitz have been calling for such changes for years and it's time we listened.

But replacing GDP is only the first step. While it might help refocus economic policies on what really matters, it doesn't address the main driver of growth: debt. Debt is the reason that the economy has to grow in the first place. Because debt always comes with interest, it grows fast — so if a person, a business, or a country wants to pay down debt over the long term, they have to grow enough to at least match the growth of their debt. Without growth, debt piles up and eventually lead to an economic crisis.