【推荐2】Japan's government announced Tuesday, April 13, 2021 that it would start releasing treated radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean in two years.

It's a move that's fiercely opposed by fishermen, residents and Japan's neighbors.

15 April, the first meeting of the China-ROK dialogue and cooperation mechanism of maritime affairs was held. The two countries urged Japan to fully consult with international institutions and neighboring countries, and cautiously handle the issue on the basis of participation by relevant countries and international institutions. This is the common position of the two sides. To protect the health of their own people and international marine environment, China and the ROK, as Japan's close neighbors and stakeholders, expressed grave concerns and strong dissatisfaction. This is perfectly natural and justified.

Assessment report of the IAEA experts says that the treated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant contains other radionuclides apart from tritium. According to Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the nuclear wastewater contains a total of 62 radionuclides. In August 2018, environmentalists found by analyzing data released by TEPCO that iodine-129 levels went off the chart for 60 times in the year 2017. The amount of strontium in the water is also well above the limit. It is reported that Canada has detected radioactivecaesium-134 in salmon from its west coast. In waters near Hawaii, the amount of radioactive materials is twice it was before. These are signs that nuclear pollution from Fukushima may have already spread to North America.

The oceans are not Japan's trash can; and the Pacific Ocean is not Japan's sewer. Japan should not expect the world to pay the bill for its treatment of wastewater. The lesson from Japan's Minamata disease is not far behind us. It should reevaluate the issue and control releasing the wastewater before reaching agreement with all stakeholders and the IAEA through full consultations. China reserves the right to make further reactions.

【推荐3】More than half the world’s population live in cities, and by 2050 the UN expects that proportion to reach 68%. This means more homes, roads and other infrastructure. In India alone, a city the size of Chicago will have to be developed every year to meet demand for housing. Such a construction increase is a bad sign for dealing with climate change, because making steel and concrete, two of the most common building materials, generates around 8% of the world’s CO2 emissions (排放). If cities are to expand and become greener at the same time, they will have to be made from something else.

Wood is one of the most promising sustainable (可持续的) alternatives to steel and concrete. It is not, however, everyday wood that is attracting the interest of architects.

Rather, it is a material called engineered timber. This is a combination of different layers, each designed to meet the requirements of specific parts such as floors, panels and beams (横梁). Designers can use it to provide levels of strength like steel, in a product that is up to 80% lighter. In addition, engineered timber is usually made into large sections in a factory for future use, which reduces the number of deliveries to a construction site.

According to Michael Ramage of the University of Cambridge, a wooden building produces 75% less CO2 than a steel and concrete one of the same size. However, if building with wood takes off, it does raise concern about there being enough trees to go round. But with sustainably managed forests that should not be a problem, says Dr Ramage. A family-sized apartment requires about 30 cubic metres of timber, and he estimates Europe’s sustainable forests alone grow that amount every seven seconds. Nor is fire a risk, for engineered timber does not burn easily. Besides, fireproofing layers can be added to the timber. All in all, then, it looks as if wood as a building material may get a new lease of life.

Samantha Cristoforetti . 2022/10/12 …仰观宇宙之大，俯察品类之盛，所以游目骋怀，足以极视听之娱，信可乐也。Looking up, I see the immensity of the cosmos; bowing my head, I look at the multitude of the world. The gaze flies, the heart expands, the joy of the senses can reach its peak, & indeed, this is true happiness. ESA及另外4人

Besides ‘‘wow” and “great”, what else would you say when flying over the Earth in space? Samantha Cristoforetti, an Italian female astronaut, posted several lines of a famous ancient Chinese composition on Twitter during her mission at the International Space Station to share her joy.

She first wrote in Chinese, and then attached an accurate translation of the lines in both Italian and English to help more people understand. The text she quoted is from the Preface to Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion, a Chinese calligraphy masterpiece by Wang Xizhi of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. She also attached three photos taken in space of China’s Bohai Bay and the day-night view of Beijing.

The beauty of space and Chinese literature resonated on Cristoforetti’s Twitter account. Her post went viral on Twitter with thousands of retweets, likes and replies in a few hours. “Her quotation of the lines shows that she observed the universe with the vision of Chinese civilization while observing China from space,” one user comments. “A European astronaut in space recites Chinese ancient poetry, how romantic,” says another.

Cristoforetti has been highly praised for her Chinese language skills. The Italian speaks half a dozen languages and has previously taken part in joint training between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the China Manned Space Agency. Apart from Cristoforetti, Matthias Maurer, a German astronaut from ESA who went to China together with Cristoforetti for the joint training, can also speak fluent Chinese. Since China and Europe have had friendly cooperation in the field of manned space flight, many foreign astronauts have shown great interest in learning Chinese.

ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher is positive about the unifying spirit of space exploration. He said, “Space is international. There is no way to put a boundary in space—because the space station and the satellites fly around the earth, cross boundaries, cross cultures, cross religions and different divides in terms of philosophy and history.”

While there may be many problems between nations here on Earth, in space, cooperation is strong.