Latest Stories
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Volcano risk fears rise after fatal eruption
Are deadly volcanos becoming more frequent? An active volcano on New Zealand’s White Island has exploded. Some scientists think this could be the first of many more terrible eruptions.
- Science
- Reading Band 11
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Anger and sadness over seal with coffee bottle
Is our sea life in danger? Baby porpoises are poisoned by chemicals. A whale washes up with 100kg of litter in its stomach. Now, a seal clutches a coffee cup in a viral photograph.
- Climate
- Reading Band 11
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Toxic air pollution chokes Delhi
Is this a glimpse of the future? Delhi in India is covered in a toxic fog. Schools are shut and people are staying indoors. In cities across the world, air pollution is a growing problem.
- Health
- Reading Band 14+
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Plenty of food, but millions are starving
Can we feed everyone? World Food Day is this week. We already make enough for 10 billion people — and, yet, one in nine humans does not have enough food. How did that happen?
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Climate protests cause chaos in 60 cities
Are Extinction Rebellion protestors heroes? All week long, they have disrupted city centres around the world. They say it is the only way to save our future. But many disagree.
- Climate
- Reading Band 14+
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Happy birthday modern China, 70 this week!
Is China the world’s most important country? It certainly has the most people. And for most of history it has also been the richest — the inventor of paper, gunpowder and the compass…
- Society
- Reading Band 11
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Nations get together to help save Earth
But will they make a real difference? This week, nations were all summoned to a great gathering in New York to present solid plans to speed up progress on reducing greenhouse gases.
- Climate
- Reading Band 11
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Seals, dolphins, porpoises thriving in Thames
Does nature always bounce back? The Thames was declared dead, without oxygen, in the 1950s. This summer, 138 seal pups were spotted basking on the banks, and swimming among new marine life.
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Amazon loses football pitch of trees each minute
Can we stop Brazil cutting down trees in the Amazon rainforest? Satellite images show that an area the size of a football pitch is lost every minute. It is replaced with farmland for cows.
- Climate
- Reading Band 8
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Europe’s brutal heatwave could be the new normal
Can Europe adapt to rising temperatures? Last week, France sizzled in 45.9C heat — the hottest the country has ever seen — while soldiers fought wildfires in Spain. Is global warming winning?
- Climate
- Reading Band 14+
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World population to reach 10 billion by 2100
Can Earth sustain so many people? The United Nations predicts that our global population will peak at about 10.9 billion by the end of the century. It could put a big strain on resources.
- Climate
- Reading Band 14+
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The Norwegian town that has abolished time
Should we get rid of clocks? The 350 residents of Sommarøy have declared their town the world’s first, time-free zone. They say that living by the clock is making us stressed and unhappy.
- Science
- Reading Band 11
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UK drenched in rainiest June on record
Should we be grateful for all this rain? It is a very wet week across the UK, with floods in some parts of the country. Many of us do not like rain, but it has an important job.
- Climate
- Reading Band 5
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Thousands of letters demand action on plastic
Should plastic be banned? Six billion tons of plastic are dumped into the ocean every year. This week, students are sending letters to the Government demanding an end to the pollution.
- Climate
- Reading Band 5
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Pressure mounts to speed up action on climate
Could we go carbon-free in just six years? The protest group Extinction Rebellion says that this must happen in order to save the planet. Politicians say it is impossible. Who is right?