Free levelled English reading practice. Read for meaning first, then use the full Speed Reading tool to time yourself and track your progress.
Earth’s climate has always varied, but the rapid warming observed since the nineteenth century is primarily driven by human greenhouse-gas emissions. Carbon dioxide absorbs outgoing infrared radiation, altering Earth’s energy balance. Burning coal, oil and gas transfers carbon from geological reservoirs into the atmosphere, while deforestation both releases stored carbon and can reduce future uptake. Oceans and land ecosystems absorb a substantial share of human emissions, moderating atmospheric accumulation but producing consequences such as ocean acidification. Climate sensitivity, feedbacks and regional impacts remain active research areas, yet uncertainty about exact outcomes does not imply uncertainty about the basic mechanism. The policy difficulty arises because emissions are embedded in energy, transport, food and industrial systems while damages unfold unevenly across generations and regions.
