Shadowing Practice: Climate change: Are there too many people? - 6 Minute English - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

C1
Shadowing Controls
0% completed (0/66 sentences)
6 Minute English from the BBC.
⏸ Paused
All Sentences
66 sentences
1
6 Minute English from the BBC.
2
Hello, this is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English.
3
I'm Neil.
4
And I'm Sam.
5
We're talking about the environment in this programme, specifically climate change.
6
Now Sam, what do you think is the biggest cause of climate change?
7
An obvious answer would be that climate change is the result of carbon emissions caused by humans.
8
It's about people's carbon footprint – the measurement of how much carbon dioxide is produced by someone's everyday activities.
9
That makes sense.
10
But recently some scientists, especially in the West, have been focusing on another issue – the increasing number of people in the world, something known as overpopulation.
11
In this programme, we'll be discussing the controversial link between overpopulation and climate change.
12
And as usual, we'll be learning some new vocabulary as well.
13
as well.
14
Sounds good, Neil.
15
But first I have a question for you.
16
Over the last 100 years, within one lifetime, the world's population has soared.
17
At the start of the 20th century, it was around one and a half billion.
18
But how many people are there in the world today?
19
Is it a 7 billion, b 8 billion or c 9 billion?
20
I'll say around 8 billion people live on the planet today.
21
I'll reveal the answer later in the program.
22
Since climate change is caused by human activities, it seems common sense that fewer people would mean lower carbon emissions.
23
But in fact, the connection isn't so simple.
24
Not everyone emits carbon equally, and people in the Western world produce far more than people in sub-Saharan Africa or Asia.
25
Arvind Ravikumar is Professor of Climate Policy at the University of Texas.
26
He's made the surprising calculation that an extra two billion people born in low-consuming countries would actually add very little to global carbon emissions.
27
Here, Kate Lamble and Neil Rozelle, presenters of BBC World Service programme The Climate Question, discuss Professor Ravikumar's findings.
28
What he's saying is kind of astonishing, right?
29
Two billion people is, to say the least, a lot.
30
It's the combined population of Europe and Africa.
31
He's crunched the numbers and found that an extra two billion low-income people, as defined by the World Bank – these are people without cars, without electricity often – would see global emissions rise by just 1.5%.
32
Add 2 billion high-income earners – that's people with cars and power and all the mod cons – and Arvid reckons emissions would rise by more than 60%.
33
So when it comes to climate change and population, where you were born matters.
34
Professor Ravi Kumar made his discovery after crunching the numbers – an idiom meaning performing many mathematical calculations involving large amounts of data.
35
He concluded that whereas 2 billion low-income people would increase carbon levels very little, 2 billion high-income people would increase it a lot.
36
That's because high-income populations have mod cons, which is short for modern conveniences, technology and machines like cars, fridges and air conditioning that make life easier and more pleasant.
37
According to this view, the real problem is not overpopulation, but overconsumption.
38
Affluence – that's having lots of money and owning many things – has become a big factor in climate change.
39
And that's true in poorer countries as well as richer ones.
40
Listen to Rajesh Joshi, reporter for BBC World Service's The Climate Question, interviewing a rich Indian housewife, Priti Dagan, in her luxurious home in New Delhi.
41
I need everything that I buy.
42
You cannot be judgemental about anybody's needs.
43
And I derive a lot of happiness out of being very, very drawn towards consumer things.
44
and I love it and I'm not apologetic about it.
45
So if I tell you that poor people have a smaller carbon footprint as compared to their richer counterparts, do you feel apologetic about it?
46
So the brain says yes, we should be apologetic about it, but the heart does not agree.
47
Yes, poor can't afford lots of stuff so their carbon imprint is small, but here my heart wins over my brain because it gives me happiness.
48
Priti does not feel apologetic about her shopping.
49
She doesn't think that she should feel sorry.
50
Shopping makes her happy and she lets her heart rule her head – an idiom meaning that you do something based on emotions rather than reason.
51
Priti is being very honest.
52
She is consuming and looking for happiness in a way that people in the West have been doing for decades.
53
It seems overconsumption is a bigger cause of climate change than raw population numbers.
54
Speaking of which, what was the answer to your question, Sam?
55
Ah yes, I asked about the current global population.
56
You guessed it was around 8 billion people, which was the correct answer.
57
According to the United Nations, the world's population reached 8 billion on November 15, 2022.
58
Right, let's recap the vocabulary we've learned, starting with carbon footprint, a measurement of how much carbon dioxide someone's activities produce.
59
If you crunch numbers, you perform many mathematical calculations involving large amounts of data.
60
Modcons is short for modern conveniences, conveniences – machines like cars, washing machines and fridges, which make life easier and more pleasant.
61
Affluence means having lots of money or material possessions.
62
If you are apologetic, you show that you feel sorry for something harmful you have said or done.
63
And finally, the idiom let your heart rule your head means to do something based on emotion and personal desires, rather than for logical or practical reasons.
64
For now, it's goodbye.
65
Bye-bye.
66
6 Minute English from the BBC.
4.9/5 on App Store & Google Play

Shadowing English On Mobile

Learn English anytime, anywhere with the Shadowing English app. Improve your communication skills today!

Track your learning progress
AI grading and error correction
Rich video library
Download on theApp Store
GET IT ONGoogle Play
Shadowing English Mobile App

Context & Background

This program, "6 Minute English," centers around the critical issue of climate change and its relationship with population dynamics. The speakers, Neil and Sam, initiate the conversation by raising an intriguing question: could the human population be contributing significantly to climate change? The discussion leads to insights on the impact of carbon emissions and how not all populations contribute equally to this global crisis. In particular, they spotlight recent findings from Professor Arvind Ravikumar, who highlights that the carbon footprint varies dramatically based on a person's socioeconomic status and geographical location.

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

  • Carbon footprint: This term refers to the total amount of greenhouse gases produced to directly and indirectly support human activities. It’s vital for discussions about climate responsibility.
  • Mod cons: A shortened term for "modern conveniences," referring to contemporary technology and comfort items like cars and appliances.
  • Overconsumption: Refers to the excessive use of resources, often leading to environmental degradation, making it a key phrase for sustainability discourse.
  • Crunching the numbers: This idiom denotes the act of performing calculations, particularly when analyzing complex data, an essential skill in research contexts.
  • Heart wins over head: A phrase that describes situations where emotions dictate decisions over logical reasoning, useful in discussions about consumer habits and lifestyle choices.

Step-by-step Shadowing Guide

To enhance your English speaking skills using the "6 Minute English" episode on climate change, follow this structured shadowing guide. Effective shadow speech can significantly improve your pronunciation and fluency—essential elements for IELTS speaking practice.

  1. Watch the video: Start by viewing the full video to familiarize yourself with the context and tones of the speakers. Pay attention to how they articulate phrases and express opinions.
  2. Listen closely: Turn on the subtitles and listen carefully to the dialogue between Neil and Sam. Notice the rhythm of their speech, especially with phrases like "carbon footprint" and "mod cons."
  3. Repeat phrases: After watching, use the shadow speech technique by mimicking the speakers. Focus on the pronunciation, intonation, and emotion behind their words. This practice builds confidence.
  4. Practice alone: Choose key phrases from the list above and practice by yourself. Integrate them into your daily communication, whether in discussions or written reflections.
  5. Record yourself: Record your shadowing practice and compare your pronunciation with the original audio. This will help you identify areas for improvement and enhance your overall speaking skills.

By integrating these methods into your routine, you'll be well on your way to mastering English dialogue, thus greatly enhancing your overall communicative competence. Use the insights from this episode to spark deeper discussions, and continue to learn English with YouTube effectively!

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

☕ Buy us a coffee