Shadowing Practice: What If The World Went Vegetarian? - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Chances are you or someone you know is a vegetarian, so we thought we'd try a thought experiment.
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What would happen if everyone in the world was suddenly a vegetarian?
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What effect would it have on our lives and the planet?
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Before we begin, full disclosure: none of us at ASAP Science are vegetarians, and the worldwide rate of vegetarianism is fairly low,
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ranging from about 4 -5 % in the US and Canada to a little over 30 % in India.
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5 billion cows, over a billion sheep and nearly a billion pigs in the world.
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Without any meat -eating humans to provide a market, whole herds of domestic animals would disappear.
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And this would free up vast quantities of land.
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About 33 million square kilometers of land are used for pasture, an area about the size of Africa.
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And that's not even counting the land used to grow crops exclusively for animal feed.
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Some of it would be needed for the increased amount of vegetable crops, but much of the land currently used as pasture is actually too dry to grow crops.
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Without humans adding artificial nutrients, this land could turn to desert.
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But if properly managed, it's possible that some farmland would return to its natural state of grassland or forest, which could help counteract global climate change.
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After all, the loss of CO2 -absorbing trees cleared for agriculture is a major reason why global levels of CO2 are going up.
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Cows and other grazers also affect our climate power than CO2.
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combined with the loss of forests and other effects Livestock production is responsible for about 15 % of global greenhouse gas emissions,
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which is more than all the world's planes, trains and automobiles put together.
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In fact, many scientists believe that reducing meat consumption may be one of the best strategies for managing climate change.
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A vegetarian diet would also greatly reduce water consumption.
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Around 70 % of global freshwater consumption is used in agriculture.
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It takes 15 ,000 liters to make a kilogram of beef 6 ,000 liters for pork, and 4 ,000 liters for chicken.
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Compare this with 1 ,600 liters for cereal crops 900 liters for fruit and 300 liters for garden vegetables.
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Of course, A kilogram of meat packs many more calories than the equivalent weight of fruit, but even if you compare the ratio of water per calorie of available food energy,
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beef is still 5 times more water intensive than fruit, 7 times more than veggies, and 20 times more than cereal.
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So are there any downsides to a vegetarian diet?
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Well, we'd be left without a cheap source for many byproducts of livestock,
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like leather from animal hides or animal fats which alternatives do exist,
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their production would need to increase, meaning more land dedicated to growing crops and less restored to its natural state.
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A more complicated fact is that raising and processing animals is a full time job for more than 1 billion people,
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most of whom are small scale farmers in the developing world.
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While some may be able to move to producing milk or eggs, or even growing vegetable crops, many would be faced with their way of life becoming obsolete.
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Of course, any increase in vegetarianism is likely to be a gradual process rather than a sudden cutoff, and surprisingly, the trends are actually in the opposite direction.
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In places like India and China, people are becoming wealthier and as a result consuming more meat which effectively cancels out the declines we see in other countries.
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So we actually tried to go vegetarian for 21 days straight as an experiment in our new ASAP Thought episode.
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Check out the video if you want to see how it went, what we learned in the process and how he felt about it both mentally and physically.
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And subscribe for more weekly science videos.
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Why practice speaking with this video?

Engaging with the video "What If The World Went Vegetarian?" offers a unique context for practicing English speaking skills. The topic encourages discussions around environmental issues, dietary choices, and their broader social implications, allowing learners to explore complex vocabulary and expressions. By practicing with this video, you can enhance your ability to articulate opinions, make arguments, and engage in debates—essential skills in both everyday conversations and academic settings.

Moreover, using techniques like shadowspeak through a shadowing app can significantly improve your fluency and pronunciation. Shadowing involves repeating what you hear in real-time, which helps internalize sentence structures and rhythm. This method can lead to better retention of the language and an overall boost in your conversational skills, especially with the intricate topics discussed in the video.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

In the video, several key grammatical structures and expressions are utilized, which can be beneficial for learners:

  • Conditional sentences: Phrases like "What would happen if everyone in the world was suddenly a vegetarian?" demonstrate how to formulate hypotheticals, useful in discussions about future possibilities.
  • Passive voice: Usage such as "Livestock production is responsible for about 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions" helps learners understand how to emphasize action and outcomes instead of the subject performing the action.
  • Comparative expressions: The video compares water consumption like "beef is still 5 times more water intensive than fruit." Mastering comparatives is essential for making comparisons effectively in discussions.
  • Quantifying with percentages and figures: Expressions such as "70% of global freshwater consumption is used in agriculture" help learners practice numerical values in English, which is important for conveying information succinctly.

Common Pronunciation Traps

While watching the video, learners may encounter several pronunciation challenges. Here are a few key words and phrases to watch out for:

  • Vegetarian: The word can be tricky, as the pronunciation may differ depending on the speaker’s accent. Ensure to practice the soft 'g' sound.
  • Greenhouse gas emissions: This phrase contains multiple syllables and may be difficult for non-native speakers. Break it down into manageable segments while shadowing.
  • Obstacle: In discourse about the dietary implications, this word appears frequently. Practicing its pronunciation will aid fluency in conversations surrounding challenging concepts.

Working on these pronunciation traps as you practice your English can help you sound more natural and confident. Using a shadowspeak method will further assist you in mastering these words and expressions, ensuring you improve your English pronunciation significantly.

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 →