In recent years, lots of American companies have gotten behind a potential climate solution called carbon capture and storage, and the government has backed it with billions of dollars in tax preferences and direct investments. The idea is to trap planet-heating carbon dioxide from the smokestacks of factories and power plants and ship it to sites via thousands of miles of new pipelines. Communities nationwide are pushing back against these pipeline construction and underground sites, arguing they don’t want the pollution running through their land.
Now the U. S. Forest Service is proposing to change a rule to allow storing this carbon dioxide pollution under the country’s national forests and grasslands. “Authorizing carbon capture and storage on National Forest System (NFS) lands would support the Administration’s goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent below the 2005 levels by 2030,” the proposed rule change says.
Some experts, like June Sekera, a research fellow with Boston University, question the timing of the proposed rule change, given community pushback across the country to pipelines planned on private land. Yet she says the Forest Service proposal to open up national parks for CO2 storage is “an end run around local towns and counties. And it’s a much simpler and way less expensive route.”
In an email, Scott Owen, press officer for the Forest Service, writes that the proposed rule change would allow the Forest Service to consider proposals for carbon capture and storage projects. He writes that any proposals must still pass through a secondary screening, adding, “The Forest Service has been ‘screening’ proposals for use of NFS lands for over 20 years as a means to be increasingly consistent in our processes and also be able to reject those uses that are inconsistent with the management of the public’s land. ” He notes the Forest Service currently does not have any carbon capture project proposals under consideration. The Forest Service has opened public comments on the proposed rule change until Jan. 2, 2024.
1. What does the Forest Service intend to do by changing a rule?A.Answer the appeals of communities. | B.Provide legal space for carbon storage. |
C.Enlarge national pipeline storage capacity. | D.Loosen tax burden on American companies. |
A.An eventful act. | B.A desperate try. |
C.An alternative way. | D.A breathtaking race. |
A.It is still up in the air. | B.It is dead in the water. |
C.It is widely recognized. | D.It is far from satisfactory. |
A.A fruitful research. | B.A timely rule change. |
C.An authorized project. | D.A controversial proposal. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】A few weeks ago, I bought a locally-grown salad from a vending machine(自动售货机). But then I immediately realized that it was packaged in a plastic jar. ''I guess I live with this jar now and forever. '' I thought sadly as I stared down at my new child.
The salad jar was only the latest in a long line of examples of how I am addicted to the responsibility of reusing everything, trying to never throw anything away. Water bottles have been given second lives, and berry containers are transformed into Tupperware. I recently even looked at a plastic straw in my fruit juice: Could I reuse it too…?
Yet trying to squeeze my salad jar under my kitchen counter this weekend, I finally had to admit: Being an environmentalist has turned me into a hoarder(囤积者). While keeping a certain number of jars and vegetable bags will allow me not to buy new containers, at a certain point those 30 berry containers begin to get a bit unnecessary. Who am I kidding? Then one day I came across a blog post that asks accusingly. ''Are you turning your own home into a landfill(垃圾填埋场)? ''
In my defense, there is absolutely no excuse not to be a conscious consumer. The solution is painfully obvious, but hard to admit: Delaying waste is not, in fact, rejecting waste. In an over-packaged, over-consuming culture, this can feel like a burden. While I refuse to throw away packaging, the fact remains: I already have it. The damage is done. I've been ignoring one of the most essential and difficult parts—reduce, reuse, recycle. Even if I go out of my way to reuse the waste I do have, I need to reduce what I am bringing home in the first place.
While I might not be ready to go full zero-waste, it's a goal that is admirable to work toward. Until then, my salad jar child is going to make a great overnight oats jar.
1. What does the author try to indicate by the last sentence in paragraph 2 ?A.How important reusing is. |
B.How enthusiastic she is about reusing. |
C.How she makes use of the plastic straw. |
D.Why she is responsible for reusing plastic straws. |
A.She enjoys collecting a variety of small jars. |
B.She has saved far more containers than she needs. |
C.She likes the idea of saving fine packages in daily life. |
D.She stores more berry containers than other containers. |
A.Over-packaging. | B.Delaying waste. |
C.Over-consuming. | D.Rejecting waste. |
A.buy fewer over-packaged goods |
B.throw away unnecessary packaging |
C.reuse materials as much as possible |
D.appreciate the value of recycling materials |
【推荐2】British artist Amy Sharrocks collects nearly all kinds of water. In 2013 she set up the Museum of Water, a live piece of artwork that travels all over the world and invited people to donate water—from spit to melted snow—in a bottle and discuss what it means to them.
The program aims to understand why people treasure water and help prepare them for a drier future and climate,Ms. Sharrocks told an audience of climate experts, activists and museum curators(馆长). ''For example, we show them how to have three minute showers to better deal with water shortages,'' she said.
Amy is not alone as a matter of fact. As world leaders increasingly face up to the serious results of climate change,curators are planning a new wave of museums, which are devoted to what many consider a vital issue of the times. In 2015, a former lawyer Miranda Massie created the first United States museum which was entirely devoted to climate change in New York City. ''Climate change is affecting virtually every aspect of our lives,'' Ms. Massie said. ''But we can't fight the problem with topdown policies alone. We need the public to participate and museums are a way to open people's mind to what matters. ''
Bridget McKenzie, director of Flow Associates, wanted to raise awareness of the dilemma of the Pacific island nations, which are particularly vulnerable(易受伤害的) to rising sea level. So with her team she set up a ''ghost boat'' made of old fish nets at the University of Cambridge's Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, and asked visitors what they would take with them if they were suddenly forced to leave their homes.
While museums can be a powerful way of communicating the effects of climate change, they should also practice what they spread and control their own emissions (排放物). ''Roughly half of cities' emissions come from energy use in buildings, '' said Elliot Goodger, a museums' association representative of the West Midlands in Britain,''museums have a duty to be energy efficient, for example, by using laser lighting for displays or improving their building materials. ''
1. Why did Amy Sharrocks set up the Museum of Water?A.To help people get rid of water shortages. |
B.To collect some special water worldwide. |
C.To remind people to attach importance to water. |
D.To warn people of the danger of a drier future. |
A.Fighting climate change demands joint efforts. |
B.More climate museums should be built in future. |
C.Climate change is a matter of concern to the public. |
D.Policy responses to climate change need improving. |
A.What is valuable to people. |
B.What causes sea level to rise. |
C.Rising sea level puts people's homes at risk. |
D.The Earth's climate change endangers fishing. |
A.Take the initiative. |
B.Lead by example. |
C.Change their traditional functions. |
D.Add climate topics to their programs. |
【推荐3】For some people, walking or running outdoors is a great way to exercise. What may not be so great is seeing rubbish all over the ground. Well, some people are doing something about it.
A Swedish man named Erik Ahlström, started the movement in 2016. He moved to Stockholm from a small community (社区) in northern Sweden. Each day he would ride his bike to work. He became worried about the amount of rubbish and litter he saw each day on his way to work. So, he took matters into his own hands. He began picking up the rubbish.
Today, plogging is an official activity, which is becoming more and more popular. People of all ages are welcome to plog. Exercise while helping your community.
Along with cleaning up the environment, there may be another reason to choose plogging instead of just jogging. You may get a better workout. One fitness app, Lifesum, records one hour of plogging as burning 288 calories.
As can be seen, cities around the world now hold plogging events. The goal is to spread the idea that littering is not acceptable. People would think twice before dropping a garbage on the ground.
A.Plogging is equal parts of exercise and community service. |
B.And that is how plogging was born! |
C.And plogging does good to your health. |
D.Usual jogging burns about 235 calories. |
E.They are plogging! |
F.There are people all around the world doing this. |
G.You get to know your neighbors. |
Most kids grow up learning they cannot draw on the walls. But it might be time to unlearn that training-this summer, a group of culture addicts, artists and community organizers are inviting New Yorkers to write all over the walls of an old house on Governors Island.
The project is called Writing On It All, and it’s a participatory(参与式) writing project and artistic experiment that has happened on Governor's Island every summer since 2013.
“Most of the participants are people who are just walking by or are on the island for other reasons, like they came for the jazz festival, or they just kind of happen to be there,” artistic director of Writing On It All, Alexandra Chasin, tells Smithsonian. com.
The 2020 season runs through June 26.Each session(会期) has a theme, and participants are given a variety of materials and prompts and asked to cover surfaces with their thoughts and art This year, the programs range from one that turns the house into a short piece of collaborative(合作的) writing to one that explores the meaning of exile(流亡) .
Governor's Island is a national historic landmark district long used for military purposes. Now known as “New York's shared space for art and play,” the island, which lies between Manhattan and Brooklyn in Upper New York Bay, is closed to cars but open to summer tourists who come for festivals, picnics, adventures, as well as these “legal graffiti” sessions.
The notes and art scribble on the walls are an experiment in self-expression. So far, participants have ranged in age from 2 to 85. Though Chasin says the focus of the work is on the activity of writing, rather than the text that ends up getting written, some of the work that comes out of the sessions has stuck with her.
“One of the sessions that moved me the most was state violence on black women and black girls,” says Chasin, explaining that in the room, people wrote down the names of names of those killed because of it. “People do beautiful work and leave beautiful messages.”
1. What does the project Writing ON It All invite people to do?A.Unlearn their training in drawing. |
B.Participate in a state graffiti show. |
C.Cover the walls of an old house with graffiti. |
D.Show their artistic creations in an old house. |
A.They are just culture addicts. |
B.They are graffiti enthusiasts. |
C.They are writers and artists. |
D.They are mostly passers-by. |
A.It’s a military site that attracts tourists and artists. |
B.It’s an open area for tourists to enjoy themselves. |
C.It’s an area now accessible only to tourist vehicles. |
D.It’s a place in Upper New York Bay formerly used for exiles. |
A.It creates some meaningful artistic works. |
B.It starts the career of many creative artists. |
C.It helps increase the influence of graffiti art. |
D.It just focuses on the sufferings of black females. |
【推荐2】Do animals have feelings?
People often assign feelings to animals. That zoo polar bear’s vacant stare must mean he’s sad. The uh-oh expression a dog flashes after knocking over the garbage indicates shame. But scientists haven’t determined whether these human-like expressions really mean anything. After all, it’s very difficult to read a dog’s mind.
Scientists believe that certain brain cells in humans called spindle cells (棱形细胞) are responsible for human social behavior and the interplay between thoughts and feelings. Studies have revealed that chimpanzee, dolphin and whale brains also possess spindle cells.
Even animals that don’t have spindle cells, such as dogs, have shown behaviors that can suggest a human-like social sense.
Observations of apes have also revealed behavior that appears to represent various human-like desires. In some tests, chimpanzees demonstrate what looks like altruism (利他主义) helping their own kind and even other species without the expectation of a reward.
A.Although these are all animals that can act people-like, the presence of these cells does not mean that the animals have feelings. |
B.Anyone who claims to know what animals feel doesn’t have science on their side. |
C.In recent experiments, dogs have shown that they know to follow a human’s pointed finger to find a food treat. |
D.Many people think that empathy is a special emotion only humans show. |
E.Other experiments have cast doubt that animal behavior can reliably signify an underlying feeling. |
F.This illustrates the difficulty in accurately interpreting animal behavior as a marker of human-like feelings. |
【推荐3】Pricing is more than number; it’s series of integrated (综合的) strategies. For most businesses, managers put a great deal of effort into making and marketing their products, but where many fall short is in transforming the value they create into profits.
All too often critical pricing decisions prove ill-considered. Many companies base pricing primarily on their costs, leaving money on the table in the form of hidden profits. In reality they could make more if they focused instead on the value they deliver to customers. Baseball fans are willing to pay over $100 for a ticket stub (票根) for the baseball game in which Cal Ripkin broke Lou Gehrigs’ record of playing 2,160 games in succession. For them, these tickets have a collector’s value which far exceeds the admission cost charged that day to enter the ballpark.
A product’s cost simply represents the floor or minimum price that should be charged. Everything charged above that floor is obtained from the perceived value in the mind of the purchaser. Think about how diverse people are. It would be surprising to find two people who value the same product identically. Value is highly subjective and intensely personal. Thus a clearly inter-linking, data-backed value analysis is the key to developing a worthwhile pricing structure.
Adjusting your price with value and adopting multi-price mindset are the fundamentals of pricing for profits and growth. The traditional search for the perfect price has to be replaced with a multi-price mindset. One price simply is not the best. What is required is a series of strategies to benefit from each customer’s unique valuation of a product. For example, managers in Carribean attractions know vacationers from snow-covered Boston will value their hotel rooms more highly in January than those from sunny Florida. Therefore, they advertise their rooms for $350 a day in Boston newspapers if you ring up and use the promotional code “Boston”. But if you were to use the code “Florida” instead, you might get the same rooms for $250 a day—the price quoted Florida advertisements.
1. What needs improving for most businesses according to the author?A.Making products. | B.Expanding market. | C.Digging pricing. | D.Decreasing costs |
A.They root in personal preferences. | B.They vary with the market. |
C.They are often over-explored. | D.They are closely cost-related. |
A.The more prices offered, the more profits to be made. |
B.Businesses should outweigh pricing over anything else. |
C.Customers prefer to buy the same products at different prices. |
D.Proper pricing offers a shortcut to generating big new profits. |
A.To uncover challenges in business. | B.To blame casual pricing decisions. |
C.To decode the art of pricing. | D.To promote multi-price mindset. |