Learning English

Rich to pay for climate damage

Rich nations have agreed to pay into a fund that will help poorer countries damaged by the effects of climate change.

Some are calling the deal a ‘historic victory’, but others worry it is not enough.

รับชมวิดีโอพร้อมทำแบบฝีกหัด

Image: Getty images

NEWS REVIEW PODCAST NOW AVAILABLE - SUBSCRIBE HERE

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Did you like that? Why not try these?

• World population reaches 8 billion
• Twitter: One million leave
• Race to save the planet

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The story  

People in the world’s poorest countries suffer the devastating effects of climate change more than anyone else.

Now, rich nations have agreed to pay into a fund to help countries damaged by the industrial activity of the developed world.

The UN’s climate chief says this ‘will benefit the most vulnerable around the world.’

Some are calling the deal a ‘historic victory’, but others worry it is not enough.

Key words and phrases

empty
meaningless

• My dad says he won’t buy me a birthday present, but it’s an empty threat. I know he will.
• I hoped she would arrive on time, but it was another empty promise.

game-changer
something that causes a significant change

• Smartphones are a game-changer. The way we do things is completely different now.
• This high-speed train could be a game-changer for international travel.

hot air
it sounds impressive but it’s nonsense

• The PM said she would lower taxes, but it’s just hot air.
• The conspiracy theory has been dismissed as hot air.

To do

Try our quiz to test yourself on today's language.

Downloads

You can download the audio and PDF document for this episode.

More

We hope you enjoyed News Review. You can find more episodes here.