Shadowing Practice: Climate Change: How does it really work? | ClimateScience #1 - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
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Climate change, or global warming, is something we hear about all the time.
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But what exactly is warming our planet?
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And how will it impact our Earth and the life that calls it home?
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Earth has a layer of gases around it which we call our atmosphere.
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This atmosphere acts like a barrier of sorts.
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It protects us from harmful radiation coming from the sun.
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The atmosphere also helps keep the earth warm enough to support life.
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This happens because some of the gases in our atmosphere, like carbon dioxide and methane, are able to trap heat from the sun.
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These are called greenhouse gases.
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A greenhouse works by trapping the light from the sun inside of a glass cage.
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This can provide warm temperatures for the plants inside during the cold winter months.
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Carbon dioxide and methane are called greenhouse gases
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because they too are able to trap the sun's heat and make the Earth warm, just like a greenhouse would.
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Without any greenhouse gases, our Earth would be cold and deserted just like Mars.
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But too much of it could make our planet hot and lifeless, like Venus.
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We need just the right amount to have a climate like ours on Earth.
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As a matter of fact, CO2, the greenhouse gas responsible for about 80 % of global temperature rise,
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only makes up around 0 .03 % of our atmosphere.
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So even small changes can have big consequences.
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Unfortunately, many of our factories, cars, power plants, and the way we make our food emit plenty of greenhouse gases
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when they burn fossil fuels like coal and oil.
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This adds more CO2 to the atmosphere, thereby making our planet hotter.
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This is really, really important, because recently, the Earth has been warming fast.
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You may say that the Earth has warmed up before, and you would be correct.
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We actually used to be in an ice age not too long ago.
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The difference this time, however, is the rate at which the Earth is warming.
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The planet is warming much, much faster than what it's used to.
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Global air temperatures have gone up by about 1 degree since the Industrial Revolution.
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Two -thirds of this rise in temperature has happened since 1975.
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5. In the past, it's taken the planet about 5 ,000 years to warm 5 degrees.
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We're actually expected to go 20 times faster than that this century.
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Animals and plants that would usually have a chance to evolve adaptations
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or migrate to deal with the changing climate over thousands of years now have almost no time and therefore face extinction.
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As well as this, rising temperatures result in higher sea levels as hotter water expands and melting ice flows into the seas.
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A warmer climate will also lead to more extreme weather events such as intense hurricanes and longer droughts.
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Climate change is a global problem that will need everyone's help to fix.
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We'll be creating more videos like this that talk about solutions to climate change, so consider subscribing if you want to know more about what we can do to make human life on Earth sustainable.
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Speaking Goals for This Clip

This video is perfect for building fluency in explaining complex ideas clearly—an essential skill for IELTS speaking practice and everyday English. You’ll learn to break down scientific concepts (like climate change) into simple, conversational terms, using transitions and examples to keep listeners engaged. It’s also great for practicing pacing: the dialogue balances detail with clarity, helping you avoid rushing or speaking too slowly.

Phrase Bank

  • "acts like a barrier of sorts"
  • "traps heat from the sun"
  • "just the right amount"
  • "small changes can have big consequences"
  • "emit plenty of greenhouse gases"
  • "the rate at which the earth is warming"
  • "face extinction"
  • "result in higher sea levels"
  • "lead to more extreme weather events"

These phrases work in discussions about the environment, science, or even everyday problems—try using them in english speaking practice to sound more natural.

Fix Your Weak Spots

The video’s steady, explanatory tone is ideal for practicing stress and intonation in longer sentences. Notice how words like "greenhouse gases" and "extreme weather events" are emphasized to highlight key ideas. To improve, use a shadowing app to mimic the speaker’s rhythm—repeat phrases like "We’re expected to go 20 times faster than that this century!" to master the rise and fall of natural speech. This technique, called shadow speech or shadowspeak, helps you internalize fluency and pronunciation. For IELTS speaking practice, focus on pausing between ideas (like after "Unfortunately, many of our factories...") to sound more confident. Keep practicing, and you’ll soon explain complex topics as smoothly as the video’s narrator!

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →