1 . Electric cars are already greener than petrol cars in almost every part of the world today, according to researchers. They say electric vehicles are “a no-regret choice” even in places where power nets haven’t gone fully green.

Some previous comparisons suggested petrol cars produce lower net carbon emissions (净碳排放量) over their lifetime than battery- powered cars. Yet these analyses have often compared only two fixed models of cars.

Instead, the researchers from Radboud University looked at the average emissions across many classes of car to get a clearer global picture. It includes during its production, while it is being driven and when it is broken, for all the petrol and electric cars sold in 59 areas across the world in 2015. They connected with information of those areas in the following years and found that the electric vehicles are greener than the new petrol cars. Electric vehicles already have lower net carbon emissions in 53 of those 59 areas. Only in some countries that use coal heavily, such as India and Poland, are electric car emissions worse than those of petrol cars.

The researchers say that the differences between petrol and electric cars on the carbon emissions will grow bigger as power stations get greener. By 2030, they expect the carbon emissions of electric cars to be 20 percent lower than that in 2015, and 30 percent lower by 2050. The suggestions for governments are clear, says Knobloch.“There is no need to wait. Don’t be confused by all those different results out there. It’s a no-regret choice already.”

3 . The first rule of popular science is to reveal the wonder and mystery of the world. For that reason, Sentient (Picador), written by photographer and wildlife film-maker Jackie Higgins, is my pick of the year. According to my interviews with many readers, I select other four newly-published books in 2022.

This book describes how our ancestors hunted and consumed ancient animals such as mammoths, bison, giant camels and many more now-extinct species. The diet of the Clovis peoples of North America was a menu described as “a record of a lost world”. This book explains how our dinners robbed the world of so many large animals. It gives inspiration for how modern humans can be at peace with nature.

In 1999, Mann published a graph showing the rapid post-industrial rise in global temperatures. Two decades later, his book The New Climate War remains convinced that we can prevent climate change. This book sets out a common-sense approach to carbon pricing and a revision of the Green New Deal. Of course, there are still many people who deny that climate change is even happening.

Physicist Kate Greene imagines that she spends four months in a geodesic dome in Hawaii, with five other people, to mimic living in a colony on another planet. The story describes the future of our Earth. Kate makes readers cherish the natural environment. “No sunshine on our skin, and no fresh air in our lungs,” Greene turns the frustrations into a moving story.

The birds were once common across the peninsula. But as development over the last 100 years reduced the habitats on which the bird depends, the species became endangered. Mark Walters travels the state to report on the natural history and the current situation of Florida’s flag ship birds. This book can raise people’s awareness of protecting the birds’ habitats.

4 . Over the past 5,000 years, China has given birth to a large number of cultural heritages, Among these are the beautiful porcelain wares (瓷器) produced in Jingdezhen in East China’s Jiangxi Province. Here we explore their development and importance in today’s society.

Jingdezhen is well-known around the world for Its porcelain, It has produced porcelain since the Five Dynasties (907 ~ 960). Jingdezhen in known as the “porcelain capital” for its different kinds of porcelain wares with rich and cool styles, Of all the products, blue and white porcelain is the most famous, Such unique porcelains with the fine style have been praised as “the Treasure of China”.

Starting in the Song Dynasty (906 ~ 1279), kiln (窑) appeared in every household in every village in Jingdezhen, which was key to the establishment of its porcelain tradition.

During the Yuan Dynasty (1271~ 1368), a new technique for blue and white porcelain was invented. During the Ming (1368~ 1644) and Qing (1644~1911) dynasties, techniques for mining, painting, and firing were advanced, bringing Jingdezhen’s porcelain craftsmanship (工艺) to a historic high. At that time, the establishment of the Zhushan Imperial Kiln and the growing porcelain market overseas accelerated the development of the industry, turning Jingdezhen into a major porcelain production center.

The Republic of China (1912~1949) saw the growth of porcelain industry as well as a rise in shops and traders, which helped increase ties between Jingdezhen and other areas in China and other countries, After the People’s Republic of China was founded in 1949, the porcelain industry saw its development at high speed.

However, with the economic growth and the use of new technology over the last decades, the traditional porcelain production worsens. Although some traditional techniques have been preserved, a large part of them were lost. In 2006, Jingdezhen porcelain craftsmanship was listed as a national cultural heritage.

9 . Antioxidants (抗氧化剂) are found naturally inn plants like blueberries, blackberries, and red cabbage. Scientists believe antioxidants may help prevent heart disease and help fight against diseases like diabetes. But tomatoes naturally only have a small amount of antioxidants in them.

British scientist Cathie Martin wanted to see if she could create tomatoes with lots of antioxidants by changing the DNA of a tomato plant.

A plant developed from specially created DNA is known as a GMO, or “genetically modified organism”. For hundreds of years, farmers have created new kinds of plants by mixing existing plants together using natural methods. GMO plants are different because the plants’ DNA has been changed by scientists. Scientists who do this usually think they’re improving the plants in some way.

After working on developing purple tomatoes for years, Dr. Martin’s experiment worked. Soon her plants were producing small purple tomatoes. Though the color is unusual, what’s really special about the tomatoes is that they have very high levels of antioxidants. Even better, the tomatoes remained fresh almost twice as long as normal tomatoes. Soon, Dr. Martin and other scientists created a company to promote the tomatoes.

The company tested its tomatoes on mice that were likely to get cancer. The mice who were fed the purple tomatoes lived about 30% longer than the mice who were fed normal tomatoes. Though that’s good news, experiments on mice don’t always predict what effects on humans will be like.

And GMO products weren’t popular with customers. Many people were scared by the idea that the foods weren’t “natural”. There are still questions about the effects of GMO crops on the environment and other plants, but most scientists agree that food from GMO crops is safe to eat.

On September 7, the government approved a GMO plant designed to target human health. Dr. Martin and her company plan to introduce the tomatoes at farmers’ markets across the US in 2023. They also hope to sell the seeds to people who want to grow their own.

10 . Imagine if we could turn items that would normally be thrown in the dustbin into warm, waterproof blankets—a young girl from Wales is doing just that!

Twelve-year-old Alyssa Faith has spent the past year collecting abandoned chip bags which she then transforms into foil (箔纸) warming blankets. She donates them, along with toiletries and other essentials, to organizations that support people who are unhoused throughout Wales and as far as Ukraine. So far, she’s turned over 10,000 chips bags into 200+ blankets!

Alyssa got the idea to make these innovative blankets from a Facebook story about Pen Huston of East Sussex, England. Pen started a Crisp Packet Project to make survival bags with foil blankets and gives them to those in need throughout the United Kingdom.

As a budding environmentalist, Alyssa thinks there’s an added bonus to using chip bags. “Crisp packets are really hard to recycle, so this is a new way to stop them going in the bin,” she said.

For each bag, she starts by opening the packet and washing it, which is her least favorite part, then she places four packets on a piece of parchment paper (羊皮纸) and irons them so they stick together. The last step is placing the packets between the clear plastic and ironing them to seal it all together. The result is a foil blanket similar to the ores used in emergencies. It takes Alyssa about an hour and a half to make each blanket, and her mom says the project keeps her out of trouble!

“She makes the blankets after school—it certainly keeps her away from her phone,” said Alyssa’s mom, Darlene Dean. “She’s passionate about the environment, and the homeless support organizations in North Wales have been very positive about the blankets.”

This young lady is really going places! We love that she’s channeling her skills towards helping others in such a huge, meaningful way. Keep up the great work, Alyssa!