Robot teachers

1. If you think of the jobs robots could never do, you would probably put doctors and teachers at the top of the list. It's easy to imagine robot cleaners and factory workers, but some jobs need human connection and creativity. But are we underestimating what robots can do? In some cases, they already perform better than doctors at diagnosing illness. Also, some patients might feel more comfortable sharing personal information with a machine than a person. Could there be a place for robots in education after all?

2. British education expert Anthony Seldon thinks so. And he even has a date for the robot takeover of the classroom: 2027. He predicts robots will do the main job of transferring information and teachers will be like assistants. Intelligent robots will read students' faces, movements and maybe even brain signals. Then they will adapt the information to each student. It's not a popular opinion and it's unlikely that robots will ever have empathy and the ability to really connect with humans like another human can.

3. One thing is certain, though. A robot teacher is better than no teacher at all. In some parts of the world, there aren't enough teachers and 9 - 16 percent of children under the age of 14 don't go to school. That problem could be partly solved by robots because they can teach anywhere and won't get stressed, or tired, or move somewhere for an easier, higher-paid job.

4. Those negative aspects of teaching are something everyone agrees on. Teachers all over the world are leaving because it is a difficult job and they feel overworked. Perhaps the question is not “Will robots replace teachers?” but “How can robots help teachers?” Office workers can use software to do things like organise and answer emails, arrange meetings and update calendars. Teachers waste a lot of time doing non-teaching work, including more than 11 hours a week marking homework. If robots could cut the time teachers spend marking homework and writing reports, teachers would have more time and energy for the parts of the job humans do best.

(Adapted from https://learnenglish.brtishcoucil.org/)

1. Megafires, which were once rare, are becoming more frequent. Over the past 40 years, the number of acres burned by wildfires in the United States has risen by 1,000 percent. Scientists believe that climate change is a key reason for this increase. Warmer and drier weather, along with earlier snowmelt, means that the dry season is now longer, leaving forests more vulnerable to fires.

2. In addition, past land management policies have also made the problem worse. For many years, the U.S. Forest Service focused on putting out all wildfires. However, people did not understand that some forests have evolved to burn. Occasional small fires remove undergrowth and allow new trees to grow, which helps keep the forests healthy.

3. During the 20th century, when forest rangers fought every fire, large amounts of dead wood built up in the forests. This created the perfect conditions for larger, hotter fires. When a fire starts in these areas, it is more likely to become a megafire. Unlike regular wildfires, megafires can permanently change the landscape. For example, the 2011 Las Conchas megafire in New Mexico turned some forested areas into grasslands.

4. Some areas, like Florida and Australia, have used controlled burns to reduce the damage caused by wildfires. These fires are set deliberately to burn away dead matter without harming living plants. However, the U.S. Forest Service currently spends much of its budget fighting megafires, which are becoming more common each year.

5. In an ironic feedback loop, megafires are not only fueled by climate change, they also contribute to it by releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. As a result, megafires could become even more common in the decades ahead.

Biodiversity conservation

1. The UNESCO World Heritage Centre works to protect the world's natural and cultural heritage and promote sustainable development. It achieves this by applying the World Heritage Convention worldwide. Its main tasks include monitoring the condition of heritage sites, providing technical support to countries, training conservation experts, and managing projects to ensure heritage is preserved for future generations.

2. Since 2002, the Central Africa World Heritage Forest Initiative has focused on conserving forests in the Congo Basin. This program improves the management of World Heritage sites and integrates them into the region's ecological systems. UNESCO also supports protecting endangered species, like elephants and giraffes, in areas such as the W-Arly-Pendjari Complex (Benin, Burkina Faso, Niger) and Garamba National Park (Democratic Republic of the Congo). Community-based efforts, such as those in Lake Malawi National Park, protect unique biodiversity, including the lake's fish species.

3. In emergencies like natural disasters and conflicts, UNESCO provides support through the Rapid Response Facility. This program has helped protect over 25 sites covering 300,000 km². For example, in Manovo-Gounda St. Floris National Park (Central African Republic), UNESCO helped wildlife recover after years of civil unrest.

4. Working with local communities is a key part of the World Heritage Convention. UNESCO launched the Community Management of Protected Areas for Conservation initiative in 2000 to support sustainable community projects, such as those in Botswana's Okavango Delta and the Maloti-Drakensberg Park in South Africa and Lesotho.

5. The World Heritage Marine Programme, started in 2005, protects marine areas of global importance. Efforts include monitoring conservation, promoting coral reef resilience, and using environmental DNA research to address climate challenges. These initiatives aim to preserve marine heritage for future generations.