1 . Usain Bolt burned about 10kcal of energy to win his gold during the 200 metre spring final at the Olympic Games, which could roughly power an old 60W light bulb for 11 minutes. If you could make use of all the power generated by all the athletes during the Games, you would still be nowhere close to reaching the 29.5 billion Watts consumed overall by the athletes, spectators and organizers over the event. We take sport for granted, but do we ever consider its cost to the planet?

From the water required to maintain the golf course during The Masters tournament to the hundreds of flights it takes to bring football fans to a World Cup, major sports events are not helping much in the fight against global heating. What’s more, there is a lack of recognition within sport of its responsibilities and little discussion about possible solutions.

This is strange, given that the effect works both ways: the climate crisis is not just affected by sports, but it is already having a negative impact on many sports. When ice-climber Will Gadd set out to conquer the world’s glaciers, he didn’t realize it would become a race against climate change. “I thought glaciers are there forever.” When he arrived at the summit, Gadd was shocked: “The ice…wasn’t there. The things I planned to climb were gone.”

Global heating is noticeable in other sports. Amy Steel played professional netball until she suffered from heatstroke after playing in 39℃ conditions and unfortunately, the damage was permanent. Not only that, but extreme weather events made more frequent as a result of global heating mean sporting events are more often delayed or canceled. This has cost sport billions in potential earnings.

Yet sport can be a powerful motivator: it can unite whole nations behind its teams. Could sport have a role to play in driving climate awareness? Will Gadd and Amy Steel are among many athletes who think so? One thing is certain. Sport must put climate change at the top of its agenda and decarbonize at a Usain Bolt-like pace to make a difference.

2 . After years of debate, gray wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park. Fourteen wolves were caught in Canada and moved to the park. By 2016, the Yellowstone wolf population had grown to more than 170.

Gray wolves once were seen here and there in the Yellowstone area and other parts of United States, but they were gradually displaced by human development. By the 1920s, wolves had disappeared from the Yellowstone area. They went farther north into the deep forests of Canada, where there were fewer humans around. The disappearance of the wolves had many unexpected results. Deer and elk populations—major food sources(来源)for the wolf—grew rapidly. These animals ate large amounts of plants, which reduced plant diversity(多样性)in the park. With the disappearance of gray wolves, coyote(草原狼)populations also grew quickly. The coyotes killed a great number of red foxes in the park, and completely drove away the park’s beavers(河狸).

As early as 1966, biologists asked the government to consider reintroducing wolves to Yellowstone Park. They hoped that wolves would be able to control the elk and coyote problems. Many farmers were against the plan because they feared that wolves would kill their farm animals or pets.

The government spent nearly 30 years thinking up a plan to reintroduce the wolves. The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service carefully monitors and manages the wolf packs in Yellowstone. Today, the debate continues over how well the gray wolf is fitting in at Yellowstone. Elk, deer, and coyote populations are down, while beavers and red foxes have made a comeback. The Yellowstone wolf project has been a valuable experiment to help biologists decide whether to reintroduce wolves to other parts of the country as well.

3 . Last year, Americans spent more than $22 billion on chocolate. But the tasty treat comes at a far greater cost than this.

That’s because farmers often cut down trees in the rainforest when they need more land to plant cacao trees. This leads to climate(气候)change. In turn, climate change hurts cacao crops(产量). This puts chocolate at risk. But experts are developing solutions to ensure its future.

Chocolate comes mainly from the Cocoa Belt, a narrow piece of land along the equator. In the Cocoa Belt, it is hot and rainy. The conditions are perfect for growing cacao. But in recent years, climate change has a bad influence on the weather in the Cocoa Belt. As a result, cacao trees produce fewer beans. Climate change has also led to the spread of disease that harms trees.

In 2013, researchers studied the changing conditions in the Cocoa Belt. They said that by 2050, it will be harder to grow cacao in 90% of places where it is now planted. But Christian Bunn of the International Center for Tropical Agriculture says chocolate won’t disappear anytime soon. Plans to protect it are already taking shape.

One solution to the problem is cross-breeding(杂交). Scientists have developed new cacao trees that stand up to disease. Some even produce more cacao.

Weather stations will also help. Groups are building them in Africa. Around 70% of cacao is grown there. lnformation from the stations will help farmers know when to plant trees. “Years back, farmers would follow farming rules that go with the seasons,” Bunn said. “Those rules don’t always apply anymore.”

These fixes could help farmers grow more cacao on less land. That could help end the push to clear rainforest. That’s good for chocolate, and a sweet deal for the planet.

“Everything has a side effect,” Bunn said. “We have to be smarter about our food.”

4 . Begun 30 years ago, the Kubuqi desert greening project has succeeded in not only controlling the fast growth of the seventh-largest desert in China, about the size of Kuwait, but also turning about 6, 000 square kilometers of the desert — one-third of it — green.

The desert lies about 800 kilometers to the west of Beijing in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region (自治区) and the greening efforts have also controlled desertification (沙漠化) in the rest of the area.

The project, which began about 30 years ago, can be looked to as an example of efforts to advance green development, in order to create harmony between humans and nature, and leave a better environment for future generations.

The success of the project, which has been praised by the UN Environment Programme as an “eco-pioneer”, sets an example for successful desertification control and ecosystem improvement based on effective government policies, supported by investment (投资) in the eco industry and combined with the efforts of local farmers. These three aspects are key to the success of the “Kubuqi model”.

Elion, a private ecology (生态) and investment company, has invested about 38 billion yuan($5. 82 billion)in the Kubuqi desert-greening project since 1988 helping to lift about 102, 000 local farmers out of poverty. For example, the locals grow a drought-tolerant (耐旱) plant, Chinese licorice, which is the most used herb in traditional Chinese medicine. The plant helps enrich the desert soil, with the bacteria around the roots of the plants producing nitrogen (氮气). Besides, Cistanche, another type of drought-tolerant herb, was introduced after the successful planting of licorice. Under the company’s guidance and with the local government’s support, the local people benefit from the “environmental wealth”.

More companies should be encouraged to apply the “Kubuqi model” in other desert control projects in Inner Mongolia and neighboring Gansu province, where the climate conditions are similar but not quite the same, so as to further gain experience and enrich the model in practice. Showing it can be successfully applied in other areas will help promote the model worldwide.

5 . Scotland is packed with beautiful places to visit and you could honestly spend months and months exploring everything this wonderful country has to offer! Next I’m going to take you through some of the best place to visit in Scotland, based on where we have personally visited so far!

If you asked me where my favourite place to visit in all of Scotland is... I would say, Glen Coe. The whole area of Glen Coe constantly had my face in shock due to the beauty that I was witnessing1 was witnessing (亲眼看见). It’s just a stream of dramatic mountains, lakes, rugged (崎岖的) beauty and more.

Fort William is probably one of the most well-known places to visit in Scotland. It’s a popular tourist destination thanks to being home to the UK’s tallest mountain: Ben Nevis. Fort William is also the starting point for one of the world’s most famous train rides: The Jacobite. Harry Potter fans will recognize it as the Hogwarts Express, and this train ride will take you through the beautiful countryside, crossing some iconic Harry Potter filming locations such as the Dumbledore’s Grave and the Glenfinnan Viaduct!

This island feels totally different from other parts of Scotland and is truly rugged and ready! There are many hot spots to explore including the Old Man of Storr, the Fairy Glen. I even stayed on a private island with its very own lighthouse, which was one of the coolest places I’ve ever visited and one of the most romantic places stay in Scotland.

This is the largest national park in the UK so it’s another popular place to visit in Scotland and it’s no surprise why. It’s absolutely beautiful and there’s so much happening at the Cairngorms National Park! From skiing or meeting local reindeers, you’ll not go bored and you’ll be surrounded by beauty the entire time.

8 . Tsunami(海啸)is a natural disaster, which is a Japanese word that means “sea wave”.A tsunami is a huge sea wave that forms mainly in the Pacific Ocean area.People die and property is destroyed when a tsunami hits land.What causes these dangerous sea waves? Sometimes, tsunamis are caused when earthquakes take place underwater.Then, water begins to move up and down from the top of the ocean right down to the bottom.Waves begin to form, and each wave is called a tsunami.

A tsunami is less than one meter high and can move at a speed of almost 800 kilometers per hour while it is far out in the ocean.But the tsunami rises much higher and moves more slowly as it comes closer to land.

The weather bureau(气象局)warns people over the radio and television when a tsunami is heading for land.These warnings have helped save many lives.

10 . Asia is the birthplace of the world’s three ancient civilizations: ancient China, ancient India and Babylon. Each gave the world different architectural styles and global landmarks, such as the Great Wall of China. Taj Mahal of India.With the conclusion of the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilization, let’s take a look at the architecture of Asian civilizations.

The Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China is an ancient defense project with the longest construction time and the largest workload put into a landmark, stretching out to a total length of more than 5,000 kilometers. Only when you have been to the Great Wall and witnessed its majesty can you truly say you have visited China.

Angkor Wat,Cambodia

The Angkor Wat in Cambodia is one of the largest religious monuments in the world,built on a site measuring 162.6 hectares. It was built by the Khmer King Suryavarman Ⅱ in the early 12th century in Yasodharapura(present-day Angkor),the capital of the Khmer Empire, as his state temple and eventual mausoleum(陵墓).

Taj Mahal, India

The Taj Mahal is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the south bank of the river Yamuna in the Indian city of Agra.It was commissioned in 1632 by Mughalemperor Shah to house the tomb of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj Mahal was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 for being“the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world’s heritage”

Al-Khazneh, Jordan

Al-Khazneh, also known as the Treasury, is one of the most delicate temples in the ancient Arab Nabataean Kingdom city of Petra,Jordan. The 45-meter-high and 30-meter-wide building is a magnificent building with a pronounced Greek style. It is said to have been a place where pirates hid their treasure.