【推荐2】The European Commission has recently proposed classifying nuclear and natural gas as sustainable sources of energy. The proposal will place the sources on the EU’s “green” list. However, the proposal has already divided member countries.

France, Hungary, Poland, and Romania have supported the proposal as a stepping stone to clean energy. Much of Eastern and Central Europe still depends on fossil fuels like coal for energy. While renewable energy sources like the wind and sun have become more affordable, technology has not advanced enough to store power for long periods of time. Therefore, an immediate transition (转变) might not be possible for Europe.

Proponents of the proposal agree that natural gas is still a fossil fuel. Nevertheless, it emits less carbon dioxide than coal and could serve as a more sustainable alternative during the transition to greener energy sources. Nuclear energy plants are another promising energy source and release water vapor instead of carbon dioxide as a by-product. Because of this, proponents view nuclear and natural gas as “bridge” sources that can pave the way to a low-carbon future.

Other European member states are opposing the proposal for a number of reasons. Under the proposal, gas power plants labeled “sustainable” could emit 270g worth of CO₂ for each kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity they produce. A panel of experts has criticized these guidelines, recommending that only 100g of CO₂ per kWh could be considered sustainable.

Spain, Denmark, and Luxembourg have charged that the proposal would distract from renewable energy goals. Germany, a long-time opponent, has questioned about including nuclear power in the list. Nuclear power plants may be low-carbon, but the storage of nuclear waste continues to be an issue. It is also costly to construct them and would use up financial resources that could be invested in other renewable energies.

【推荐3】Biofuels (生物燃料), gained from plants and animal matter, are a key solution to the environmental problems caused by fuels like coal. “Bioalcohol (生物酒精) is the most common biofuel and is produced by sugars found in materials such as corn. With some engine redesigned, it can be used directly by cars, buses, etc.,” says Professor Daniel Tan, “12 percent of transport fuel could come from biofuels, especially bioalcohol, by 2030.”

But a 2016 study of biofuels said, “Bioalcohol presently is mostly produced with food crops. Altogether, the environmentally-friendly biofuels rely on about 2-3 percent of the global water and land used for agriculture, which could feed a large number of hungry people.”

Energy experts have therefore been trying to deal with the problem. Recent research led by an international team found that the agave (龙舌兰) plant might offer a way out. This plant tends to be the right bioalcohol source to supersede others such as sugarcane (甘蔗) and corn.

Daniel Tan explains that the agave can be grown in unfavorable conditions and is not a major food crop. “It can grow in areas that lack water and rainfall without being watered by farmers, and it does not compete with food crops or put demands on limited water. This kind of useful plant is recently being grown in Australia. It can survive Australia's hot summers,” he says.

The study finds that sugarcane produces just a little more fuel per square meter each year than the agave. However, the agave outperforms sugarcane in a range of areas, including pollution to the earth, and water using. The agave uses 69 percent less water than sugarcane and 46 percent less water than corn for the same amount of fuel produced. As for corn，it produces less fuel per square meter each year than the agave.

However, Daniel Tan states: “The first generation of bioalcohol from the agave recently faces a big competition from oil, whose recent low price makes it far more attractive to customers. Without some policy support from the government, bioalcohol production from the agave faces big challenges.”

【推荐1】I come from a family of dog lovers—although my late mother never fed our pet s table foods, so I suppose that she was as lukewarm about them as I was. While I had the idea of getting a cat just after I moved to my first tiny studio apartment in New York City, I quickly realized the litter box(猫砂盆) would never be out of my line of sight. So I headed to the local nursery to pick up some indoor plants for a little companionship(陪伴). Little did I know that Phil and Charlotte, the philodendron and spider plant I bought that day more than25 years ago, would still be my roommates all these years later.

I have nothing against people who love their dogs—if pet ownership makes them happy, I’m happy for them. But as an extremely independent person, I find dogs too needy. When so many people kept puppies(小狗) during the lockdown days of the early COVID-19 pandemic, I turned my apartment into a greenhouse. My home became the quiet and peaceful place I needed at the time. And never once did I need to double-mask to take a dog on a walk in the cold rain!

But plants have personality and need attention too. They just don’t show it by crying or jumping on me. I’ve got a peace lily, which I’ve named Herald, who lowers his head dramatically(夸张做作地) when he needs a drink, giving me a message that the rest of the crowd are probably thirsty too. He springs back up just as dramatically right after I water him, and he makes me feel so proud that I’m keeping living things alive. It’s a quieter form of caregiving and companionship than pets, but it brings me purpose and joy.

Phil and Charlotte have completely different personalities than Herald. They know and have kept all my adult-life secrets, and like any good roommates, they maintain a low profile(低姿态). Overwatering, underwatering, fertilizer(肥料) or no, a fancy new flowerpot(花盆)—they don’t care about any of it. They just grow. I may not be able to take them to the dog park to communicate with my neighbors, but I have joined a community gardening group where all the members happily talk about their beloved potted friends too. So even if it seems unlikely, plants can widen your social circle just as much as a dog can.

【推荐3】 José Salvador Alvarenga is a Salvadoran fisherman who spent 13 months at sea. He is the first person in recorded history to have survived in a small boat at sea for more than a year.

On November 17, 2012, Alvarenga set off on a professional fishing trip with a young fisherman named Ezequiel Cordoba, with whom he had never worked. Stepping aboard the ship from a fishing village on the Pacific coast of Mexico’s southern Chiapas state, they planned to be out about 30 hours hunting shark, tuna and mahimahi. A few hours into their voyage, a storm struck that lasted five days and blew them off course. Alvarenga called his boss on the ship’s radio for help, but it — and much of the rest of the boat’s electronics — had been disabled by the storm. The boat’s motor was also damaged.

A search party was sent, but after two days with no success, their boss gave up and assumed they had drowned. All on their tod and without food or supplies, the two fishermen survived by eating raw fish, turtles and jellyfish. They drank rainwater and turtle blood. As weeks turned to months, Cordoba became severely unwell from eating months of raw food and died.

Alvarenga then spent another nine months alone at sea, until he eventually spotted a small island. Abandoning his boat and swimming to shore, he almost immediately met a local couple who called police. He had reached the Marshall Islands. His journey lasted 438 days and his voyage is estimated to have covered between 5,500 to 6,700 miles.