Pronunciation ChallengeCNN10: COP26 / Bellwether / CNN Heroes

[transcript]

The COP26: UN Climate Change Conference

First of all, I have to say that COP26 is not a badge number, and it has nothing to do with the police. The COP stands for Conference of the Parties, a gathering of members of the United Nations, and the 26 is because this is the 26th year that the global climate summit has been held. Carbon dioxide emission is definitely one of the most important topics on the agenda. Most scientists say these emissions are harming the global environment by causing Earth's average temperatures to heat up. A smaller group of scientists say climate change happens naturally and that the Earth can absorb human carbon emissions. However, the goal of these UN summits is for member countries to lay out new plans to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide.

During COP21 in 2015 that was held in France, the Paris Agreement entered into force which requested member countries to be committed to reduce their carbon emissions by certain amounts, which could include relying less on coal for energy and more on renewable forms like solar or wind power. Nevertheless, the COP21 commitments were not legally binding, meaning there was no penalty if nations failed to meet them, so during this year’s COP 26, the UN is pushing for even greater efforts to reduce carbon emissions.

The Bellwether Elections

The word “gubernatorial” means relating to a governor. And the two gubernatorial election races that had just taken place are the ones in New Jersey and Virginia. While most gubernatorial races don't get the amount of national attention that presidential elections do, these two, in particular, are closely watched as types of forecasts about how America's two main political parties are competing. You may have heard these races referred to as "bellwether elections". The term "bellwether" refers to something that's a predictor for or resembles a larger phenomenon. You can think of a bellwether as a leader, or to put it in the context of 2021, an influencer.

These gubernatorial races can provide a glimpse into how the country is feeling one year after a general election season and can predict trends for how the country may act one year moving forward during the midterm elections. And now the results are confirmed with Republicans winning Virginia and the Democrats successfully defending New Jersey. Although the result isn't a direct indication of what will happen across the country moving forward, it can give a sense of how America is feeling in the off-year.

CNN Top 10 Heroes of 2021

Folks, if you’ve been following CNN10 throughout this year, then you’d definitely be familiar with some of this year’s CNN top 10 heroes. In fact, if you could remember back in March (2021), we introduced the “Eye to Eye” Organization for Learning Disability. And in April (2021), there was a news coverage of “Heroes of Nigeria” that’s about a foundation in Nigeria dedicated to saving orphans from Islamic Militants. These are people being recognized for their extraordinary efforts to improve others' lives. Now, you get the chance to vote for the CNN Hero of the Year, the winner receives $100,000 in support of their great work. Check out today’s CNN10 video for more information.

[Sentence of the day]

The COP 21 commitments were not legally binding, meaning there was no penalty if nations failed to meet them.

[Vocabulary words]

1. commitment
A willingness to give a promise or firm decision to do something.

e.g. The boss thanked his staff for having shown such commitment.

2. binding
Something powerful that cannot be legally avoided or stopped.

e.g. The contract wasn't legally binding.

3. penalty
a punishment usually for breaking the law.

e.g. The legislators asked for the maximum penalty for spreading fake news to be increased to one year.


Alright, that’s all we have time for today.
President Biden was caught dozing off in COP26.
Some say that he was simply meditating deeply.
I say that he was demonstrating the best way for humans to reduce carbon emissions.
What do you think? Leave a comment down below.
This is Ken Miao and I’ll see you again next time!

Day 27

The COP21 commitments were not legally binding, meaning there was no penalty if nations failed to meet them.

Day 40 ^^ The COP21 commitments were not legally binding , meaning there was no penalty if nations failed to meet them .

The COP21 commitments were not legally binding, meaning there was no penalty if nations failed to meet them.

The COP21 commitments were not legally binding, meaning there was no penalty if nations failed to meet them