3 . Off the coast of northeastern Queensland, Australia, near Magnetic Island in Florence Bay, the Great Barrier Reef corals (大堡礁珊瑚) are having a baby boom (激增).

“Every year there are more anrd more coral babies,” says Hillary Smith, an ecologist at ames Cook University in Australia.

That’s thanks to a simple but effective strategy for cleaning the region’s coral reefs: “seaweeding”. Like weeding (给……除杂草) a garden, seaweeding involves pulling big handfuls of large algae (水藻) off reefs and taking them away.

Experts say getting climate change under control is key to keeping the world’s reefs healthy. But meanwhile, local efforts such as seaweeding can help corals grow and reduce the effects of climate change.

The health of coral reefs around the world is dire: By 2050, 95 percent of the world’s coral could experience heat stress, according to a 2020 report by the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network. Algae is a big problem: Already, algae cover has increased on two-thirds of reefs around the world, and one study published in 2021 showed that half the world’s coral reefs have died since the 1950s. Removing seaweed from reefs requires a great deal of work but is not complex, making it a good project for citizen scientists eager to help restore (恢复) reefs.

When the project first began in 2018, Smith says researchers weren’t sure if removing seaweed would benefit the reef or if removal might have the opposite effect in some way. But now, “It’s all looking really positive for the reef,” she says.

Volunteers are ready and waiting to help near Townsville and at other affected Australian reefs, says the Earthwatch Institute’s Fiona Wilson.“We need lots of willing hands to remove seaweed. It takes weeks of time,”she says. “But obviously recovery of the Great Barrier Reef is a passion for many people, so we draw volunteers.”

6 . Lucy was rescued from a rural farm in New South Wales, Australia, two years ago. She was suffering from chlamydia (衣原体病), a disease widespread among koalas. Today, she is one of “the lucky” living creatures in tree corridors (走廊) that have been created by volunteers to protect koalas and other animals by saving their quickly shrinking habitats, or natural environment.

The corridors, planted by the local conservation group Bangalow Koalas, are made up of large systems of plants. They are intended for koalas and other animals like the glossy black cockatoos, possums, and wallabies. All of them are endangered, or at risk of becoming extinct. The corridors provide a safe path across the koala’s increasingly broken habitat. “Our corridors are actually trying to get them away from humans, from cars and from dogs,” said Linda Sparrow, president of Bangalow Koalas. “They can safely move across the landscapes and don’t have to put up with us humans.”

The koala is predicted to be extinct in the wild in New South Wales by 2050. Some of the biggest dangers include wildfires and habitat loss through land clearing for development. Koalas have already been declared endangered in several Australian states. A recent report by the Australian Koala Foundation said the animal was worth an estimated $3.2 billion per year to the tourism industry.

Founded in 2016, Bangalow Koalas has planted over 936,000 trees on 119 properties, helping koala conservation and improving the local ecosystem. The group, which depends on com munity volunteers, aims to plant 500,000 trees by 2025. Volunteer Lindy Stacker, who has been planting trees for over five years, still remains devoted to the cause. She said the activity is good for mental health and has brought the community together. “I can’t imagine a world where there’s no koalas in the wild. We’re going to do everything we can possibly to. make sure that won’t happen,” Lindy said.

7 . Are we human beings the only creatures in the world with a moral sense? Most experts in behaviour believe that morality is a uniquely human quality — yet I’m convinced that many animals can distinguish right from wrong. Decades spent watching animals have persuaded me that species living in groups often have a sense of fair play built on moral rules of conduct that strengthen their social relationships.

My studies of baby dogs and wolves reveal that they use a special signal to prevent misinterpretation of playful actions. They perform a “bow” — lowering the forelimbs (前肢) closer to the ground while keeping the back upright — when starting play, or in association with unfriendly actions such as biting, to convey their original intention. And role exchange is common, so that during play a dominant animal will often allow a physically weaker animal to have the upper hand. Such behaviors reduce inequalities in size, strength and dominance between playmates, promoting the cooperation that is essential for social play to occur. Indeed, on some occasions when an animal says “Let’s play” and then beats up an unsuspecting (无戒备的) animal, the “criminal” usually finds itself ostracized (排斥) by its former playmates.

What does this tell us about human morality? We should stop seeing ourselves as morally superior to other animals. True, our big brains give us a highly complicated sense of what’s right and wrong, but they also give us a much greater ability to benefit from immoral behaviour. In that sense, animal morality might be “purer” than our own. We should accept our moral responsibility towards other animals, and that means developing and enforcing more restrictive rules governing animal use. While animal minds may vary from one species to another, they are not so different from our own, and only when we accept this can we truly be moral in our relations with nature as a whole.

For urban dwellers living in concrete jungles, few things are more therapeutic (使人心情好转的) than a mindful walk in nature, especially a tropical jungle     1     (fill) with wonders and adventures.

That is     2     the tropical rainforest in Xishuangbanna Dai autonomous prefecture,     3     is known as the kingdom of flora and fauna located in China’s Yunnan province, is growing in     4    (popular) as a destination for weekend tours,     5     (attract) people from far and wide.

Once you step into the forest, you will be awed by what you are seeing and want to snap some pictures     6     (share) on social media. You would probably find your phone     7     signals, then you would realize how far away you already are from the urban hustle and bustle.

With the help of local guides, you could feast your eyes on various mesmerizing (有吸引力的) rainforest     8     (phenomenon) such as the strangling growth habit shared by those sprawling (蔓延的) strangler figs (无花果); “sky gardens” featuring epiphytes (附生植物) such as ferns, bromeliads, and orchids growing entwined (缠绕) on the trunks of bigger trees; and crown shyness (树冠羞避) that can     9     (see) among some tree species whose crowns maintain social     10     (distant) with each other to form a canopy with channel-like gaps.

9 . If you’ve ever been annoyed with package, you probably love the idea of a package-free grocery store. And zero waste at the supermarket isn’t such a crazy dream; a new store in Germany is promising exactly that.

The Original Unverpackt in Berlin is a project of Sara Wolf and Miena Glimbovski. They crowdfunded the project, and the idea proved so popular that they are more than doubly funded.

The store will sell food locally to reduce transportation costs and energy use. There are containers that can be reused, or better yet, you can bring your own. It’ll also carry non-food things like cleaning products and personal care items.

The German project isn’t the only grocery store fighting wasteful packaging. In.gredients, in Austin, Texas is the first zero-waste store. It offers things that are filled in customers’ own containers and it offers reusable containers too.

Of course, plenty of stores have been doing some version (版本) of reduced packaging for years. The First Alternative Natural Foods Co-Op in Corvallis, Oregon, where I do most of my shopping, offers all dry goods including baking goods and dried fruit and beans in bulk (散装), and plenty of others too, including tofu, cheese, eggs, honey, and butter oils, soaps and pet foods too. I bring my own containers, and a couple of produce (农产品) bags for small items. I’m probably using half or less than half of the packaging I used to shop at a Whole Foods in Connecticut before I moved.

So even if you don’t have a zero-waste grocery in your town, you can still cut down on the packaging you use by planning ahead, and patronizing those businesses that offer bulk-food buying. Farmers markets are great in this way too — you can give the farmer any packaging right back for reuse.

10 . Tech companies, like Microsoft, Dell, HP and Motorola, have already begun making their devices more repairable, getting ahead of Right to Repair laws that are very likely on the way. A sure sign is the order signed last year by the president of the USA. It directed the Federal Trade Commission to create Right to Repair rules.

In the past, Microsoft has actively lobbied (游说) against Right to Repair bills, but surprisingly, in October, Microsoft agreed to expand its repair choices, supplying access to parts and information needed for repairs. They have promised to make parts and service manuals available to the public by the end of 2022. Microsoft even promised to conduct a study evaluating the environmental impact of device repairability. “This is the first time we have seen a major company step up and make the promise,” says Kyle Wiens, CEO of repair guide site iFixit. “ Amazingly, instead of telling the activist shareholders to go away, Microsoft said we’re gonna do it.”

Right to Repair is a global movement that advocates for people’s right to repair their own electronic devices and extend the life of the devices. Advocates believe this is going to help solve the pressing problem of e-waste—used electronics that people no longer want — which is a major source of pollution. Activists advocate for laws that will force makers to increase device repairability.

The shareholders advocacy group called As You Sow drove Microsoft to increase device repairability using a tool often employed by climate activists. As shareholders, climate activists often introduce resolutions that other shareholders can vote on, thereby forcing companies to make changes. “It’s a smart strategy to use your position as a shareholder to raise these kinds of issues, because it demands a company response,” says Aaron Perzanowski, a law professor.

The positive response from companies like Microsoft, Perzanowski says, could be linked to a combination of public pressure, a desire to get ahead of upcoming laws and a growing understanding of the problem of electronic waste.