【推荐3】Fountains of lava erupted from the Sundhnúkur volcanic system in southwest Iceland on January 14th, 2024. Lava flows welled up from a new gap, attacking the suburbs of Grindavík with at least three houses in their path burnt down. Nearby, construction vehicles that had been working for weeks to build large earthen dams in an attempt to divert(使转向)the lava’s flow had to pull back.

Lava is subject to gravity like other fluids, so it will flow down along a path of steepest descent(斜坡). With the temperature of its molten rock often well above 1,000 degrees Celsius, not much can stand in its way. Humans have tried many ways to stop lava in the past, from attempting to freeze it in place by cooling it with sea water, to using explosive s to cut off its supply. However, no attempt was successful.

Most recent efforts have focused instead on building dams in an attempt to divert the lava’s flow toward a different path of steepest descent, into a different “lavashed,” where lava would naturally flow. Results have been mixed, but diversion can be successful if the lava flow can be clearly diverted into a distinct area where lava would naturally flow — without threatening a different community in the process. Many attempts to divert lava have failed, however. Barriers built in Italy to stop Mt. Etna’s lava flows in 1992 slowed the flow, but the lava eventually over topped each one.

Diverting lava in Grindavík is difficult, in part because the land around Grindavík is relatively flat, making it harder to identify a clear alternative path of steepest descent for redirecting the lava. Icelandic officials reported on January 15th that most of the lava from the main fissure had flowed along the outside the barrier, however a new gap had also opened inside the perimeter(外围), sending lava into a neighborhood. Unfortunately, that implies that Grindavík remains at risk.

【推荐1】The battle to contain the global obesity crisis speeded up as American public health experts pressed for a sugar tax on the country’s most popular source of refreshment — sweetened carbonated drinks and fruit juices.

In what is certain to become a worldwide debate on the use of sanctions (制裁) to deal with obesity, a group led by academics from Yale and Harvard universities proposed a “cola war”, with a 1 cent tax per fluid ounce on sweetened beverages, raising the price of the average can of cola by 15 to 20 percent. They say this would cut calorie consumption from drinks by a minimum of 10 percent and contribute almost $15 bn towards the health costs of obesity.

“The reasons to proceed are convincing. The science base linking the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages to the risk of chronic disease is clear. Research suggests a tax would have strong positive effects on reducing consumption. We believe that taxes on beverages that help drive the obesity epidemic should and will become routine,” the experts say in the New England Journal of Medicine.

British nutrition specialists backed the move but said other sanctions, such as a tariff (关税) on sugar imports, could have the same impact but be less politically arguable.

Tam Fry, spokesman for UK National Obesity Forum, said: “We have got to start thinking very seriously about taxing unhealthy food and drink as part of the drive to improve the nation’s health and cut obesity. The amount of sugar that goes into these soft drinks is surprising and it has a double whammy, increasing obesity and rotting teeth.”

The US proposal follows a report by the respected Institute of Medicine this month calling for an increase in local taxes on soft drinks and junk food. In the UK, the British Medical Association narrowly defeated a proposal for a chocolate tax at its annual meeting.

Consumption of fizzy drinks, fruit juices, smoothies and other sweetened beverages is rising rapidly around the world and is recognized as a major contributor to the obesity epidemic, especially among children. Americans are drinking twice as much of the drinks as they did 25 years ago, and they now contribute 172 calories daily to the average US child’s diet. Experts say the UK is close behind.

Jack Winkler, professor of nutrition policy at London Metropolitan University, said: “I support this. It would be a massive public acknowledgement about the danger sugar poses to health.” But he proposed raising the price of sugar permanently by reforming the world goods markets. Charging tariffs, which are invisible, would be much better than raising taxes, he said. The British Nutrition Foundation said that, instead of altering food choices, increasing taxes “could simply mean higher prices for consumers — especially those on lower incomes”.

【推荐2】Reducing food waste is easy — just ask the students at a school in Wood bridge, America, who have become experts at sorting their lunchtime trash (垃圾). Since the fall of 2019, they have actively participated in a successful food-waste diversion program that not only saves money but also contributes to reducing the amount of trash that heads to landfills.

Actually, this program plays a crucial role in facing up to the challenges of climate change. By reducing food waste,the school minimizes the amount of trash sent to landfills, thereby reducing harmful methane emissions (沼气排放). The school’s program is making a significant impact. Each month, it moves over 1,300 pounds of food waste, resulting in an estimated reduction of 772 pounds in CO, emissions and the production of 180 kilowatt-hours of energy, according to Blue Earth Compost in America.

At school, when students are done eating lunch, they head to an appointed section — a row of desks, garbage cans and containers — where they sort their trash. Leftover liquids, such as juice or milk,are emptied into a big basin on the floor. The juice containers and plastic water bottles are placed into another container to recycle. Additionally, prepackaged, unopened snacks such as bags of carrots as well as produce such as apples and bananas are “rescued” and placed into a big basket with a handwritten “Donations” sign taped to it to send to the town’s senior center.

The benefits extend beyond environmental awareness. The program reduces trash-carrying costs as less weight goes into the trash bins,making it easier for cleaners to manage. The students also find this planet-friendly practice enjoyable and meaningful, considering it a small game that contributes to a bigger cause. This initiative proves that collective efforts, even on a smaller scale, can lead to significant changes, not only in waste reduction but also in educating a generation committed to preserving our planet.

【推荐3】David Daballen has been passionate about wildlife since he was a young boy. Now director of field operations at Save the Elephants, he’s been named as a finalist in the Tusk Conservation (环境保护) Awards, which celebrate Africa-based conservation leaders and wildlife rangers (护林员).

“When I first heard the news, I couldn’t believe it!” David says. “I hope it will inspire the next generation of Kenyan conservationists to follow in my path, Professionally, it will help my efforts in elephant conservation and allow me to scale up my mission to create more wildlife passages and develop even tighter relationships with leaders.”

“Over the past 20 years working with elephants, I have learnt to recognize 500 individuals through their ear patterns and tusk (长牙) shapes,” he says. “Many of them are like friends, and I know who they are by the way they hold themselves.” Recognizing individual elephants is the key to understanding how elephant society works, which in turn helps conservationists design solutions for coexistence that work for them and humans.

“Our field team collects data on a daily basis from a study elephant population,” David explains. They examine elephant families carefully: all births, disappearances, and soon. “A digital database enables analysis of population dynamics, social structure, individual and population dietary preferences, seasonal dispersal (扩散), paternity from DNA, and deaths from different causes, including illegal hunting. “As a Samburu elder, I am able to converse with all levels of leadership, and inspire behavioural change in local communities,” says David. He and his colleagues were able to persuade community leaders to act to stop elephant hunting in northern Kenya between 2009 and 2013.

“Thanks to the efforts of organisations like Save the Elephants, Kenya Wildlife Service and other partners, hunting has reduced considerably in Kenya,” says David. But these creatures are now facing a new trouble: human-elephant conflict (冲突) resulting from overgrazing and climate change. “Solving this is going to be a huge challenge,” David adds.