1 . The endangered pandas in the Qinling Mountains might face a new threat: the loss of their food, bamboo, which makes up 99% of their meals.

Adult pandas spend most part of the day eating bamboo and have to take in at least 40 pounds a day to stay healthy. However, a new study published in Nature Climate Change warned that they may soon find their food gone because most of the bamboo in the Qinling Mountains might disappear by the end of the century as a result of rising temperature worldwide.

A team made up of researchers from Michigan State University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences has studied the effects of climate change on the bamboo in the Qinling Mountains. They have found that bamboo is very sensitive to climate changes. “80% to 100% of the bamboo would be gone if the average temperature rises 3.5 degrees worldwide by the end of the century,” said Liu Jianguo, one of the report’s authors.

He added, “This is how much the temperature would rise by 2100 even if all countries will keep their promises in the Paris Agreement. But you know what is happening all around the world.”

In recent years, China has been trying its best to protect the endangered pandas by setting up more and bigger natural reserves.

“But it is far from enough and the endangered pandas need cooperation from the rest of the world, because their future is not just in the hands of the Chinese,” said Shirley Martin from the World Wildlife Fund but not a member of the team.

The Qinling Mountains, in the southwest of China, are home to about 260 pandas. That is about 13% of China’s wild panda population. In addition, about 375 are living in research centers and zoos in China.

2 . Many cities around the world today are heavily polluted. Careless methods of production and ________ of consumer demands for environment friendly products have ________ the pollution problem. One ________ is that millions of tons of glass, paper, plastic, and metal containers are produced, and these are difficult to get rid of.

________, today, more and more consumers are choosing “green” and demanding that the products they buy should be safe for the environment. ________ they buy a product, they ask questions like these: “Will this shampoo damage the environment?” “Can this metal container be ________ or can it only be used once?”

A recent study showed that two ________ five adults now consider the environmental safety of a product before they buy it. This means that companies must now change the ________ they make and sell their products to make sure that they are “green,” that is, friendly to the environment.

Only a few years ago, it was impossible to find green products in supermarkets, but now there are hundreds. Some supermarket products ________ labels to show that the product is green. Some companies emphasize that their products are clean and safe in their advertising and have made it their main selling ________.

The ________ for a safer and cleaner environment is making companies rethink ________ they do business. No longer will the public accept the old ________ of “Buy it, use it, throw it away and forget it.” The public ________ is still here, and companies are ________ their act gradually.

4 . Climate change and land-use change are projected to make wildfires more frequent and intense, with a global increase of extreme fires of up to 14 per cent by 2030, 30 per cent by the end of 2050 and 50 per cent by the end of the century, according to a new report by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and GRID-Arendal.

The paper calls for a complete change in government spending on wildfires, changing their investments from reaction and response to prevention and preparedness.

The report, Spreading like Wildfire: The Rising Threat of Extraordinary Landscape Fires, finds a higher risk even for the Arctic and other regions previously unaffected by wildfires. The report had been released before representatives of 193 nations held a meeting in Nairobi for the restarted 5th session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-5.2), between 28 February and 2 March, 2022.

The publication calls on governments to adopt a new “Fire Ready Formula” with two-thirds of spending devoted to planning, prevention, preparedness, and recovery, with one third left for response. Currently, direct responses to wildfires typically receive over hall of related cost, while planning and prevention receive less than one per cent.

To prevent fires, authors call for a combination of data and science-based monitoring systems with native knowledge and for a stronger regional and international cooperation.

“Current government responses to wildfires are often putting money in the wrong place. Those emergency service workers and firefighters on the frontlines who are risking their lives to fight forest wildfires need to be supported. We have to reduce the risk of extreme wildfires by being better prepared: invest more in fire risk reduction, work with local communities, and strengthen global commitment to fight climate change.” said Inger Andersen, UNEP Executive Director.

Wildfires disproportionately (不成比例地) affect the world’s poorest nations. With an impact that extends for days, weeks and even years after the flames die down, they block progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Coals and deepen social inequalities.

6 . More and more birds are flying to settle at Qinghai Lake, one of the highest inland lakes in China, thanks to the protection efforts of local governments. Covering an area of over 4,000 square kilometers. Qinghai Lake is also the country's biggest saltwater lake. Located in Northwest China's Qinghai Province, the lake is famous for the two islands at its northwest point--Cormorant Island and Egg Island. The two islands have plenty of floating grass and various schools of fish, offering rich food sources for birds. The islands have become a paradise(天堂) for different kinds of groups of birds and have been called"Bird Islands".

Each March and April, when ice and snow covering the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau starts to melt, over 20 kinds of birds fly to the Bird Islands to lay eggs. During the months, flocks of birds cover the whole sky over the islands and birds eggs can be found everywhere. Visitors can hear the singing of birds from miles away. These have become a world famous symbol of the lake.

To protect this paradise for birds and support calls for ecological protection, China set up the Qinghai Lake Natural Protection Zone at the end of 1997. Meanwhile, the State has pointed out the Bird Islands and Spring bay of the Qinghai Lake as central protection zones.

Inspection(视察) officials and management employees often patrol（巡逻） the lake, improving local residents' knowledge of related laws and spreading knowledge about animal protection to visitors. They are making great efforts to call on people to love and protect the birds. At the same time, they have built special fences around the island area to prevent wolves, foxes and other carnivorous(食肉的) animals, as well as illegal hunters from breaking up the birds’nest building,egglaying and breeding. As a result, more and more birds are coming to the islands for sheltering and breeding.

7 . Four Environmentalists You Should Know

Throughout history, environmentalists have had a great influence not only on natural spaces, but also on our individual lives. Here are four influential ones.

●John Muir (1838~1914)

His lifelong love for hiking began when he hiked to the Gulf of Mexico in 1867. Muir spent much of his adult life wandering in—and fighting to preserve—the wilderness of the West, especially California. His tireless efforts led to the creation of Yosemite National Park, Sequoia National Park, and millions of other conservation areas.

●Rachel Carson (1907~1964)

Born in rural Pennsylvania, Rachel Carson went on to study biology at Johns Hopkins University. After working for the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Carson published The Sea Around Us and other books. Her most famous work, however, was 1962’s Silent Spring, in which she described the harmful environmental effects of pesticides (杀虫剂). After Carson’s observations were proven correct, pesticides like DDT were banned.

●Wangari Maathai (1940~2011)

Wangari Maathai was from Kenya. After studying biology in the US, she returned to her home country to begin a career in environmental activism. Maathai founded the Green Belt Movement, which, by the early 21st century, had already planted some 30 million trees, provided jobs, and secured firewood for rural communities. In 2004, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize while continuing to fight for the planet.

●David Brower (1912~2000)

David Brower was associated with wilderness preservation. He became the Sierra Club’s first executive director in 1952, then, over the next 17 years, the club membership grew from 2, 000 to 77, 000. It won many environmental victories under his leadership. After leaving the club, he went on to found other environmental groups like Friends of the Earth, and the Earth Island Institute.

10 . When an empty parking spot appears before us, many of us would see it for what it is—a place that could be filled with cars and trucks. But to eco-engineer Shubhendu Sharma, it's a space to be planted with trees and turned into a forest.

What's more, he believes these tiny forests can grow anywhere, including our most crowded and polluted cities where they can help maintain clean air and water and provide habitat for animals and insects. “A forest is not an isolated piece of land where animals live together,” says Sharma. “A forest can be a complete part of our urban existence.” Most of us know just how important trees are to our health and to the planet. Yet millions of hectares of forest are cleared every year due to farming, ranching, logging and construction. The World Wildlife Foundation estimates that 20 percent of the Amazon rainforest and surrounding ecosystems have already been lost.

Inspired by the work of Japanese scientist Akira Miyawaki, Sharma built a forest in the backyard of his family's home in northern India in 2010. He planted 100 young trees in the 75-square-meter plot. They grew and a dozen species of birds came to check them out. The plantings created welcome shade, and their roots were able to absorb even the abundant monsoon rains. After a year, he had his own forest. Since then, Sharma has founded a company called Afforestt. Its top priority is to bring back natural forests to places where they no longer exist. So far, Afforestt has planted 144 forests in 45 cities around the world. Sharma has shown you can take a space the size of six or seven parking spots and create a forest with 100 trees. Ready to create your own tiny forest? If your answer is yes, let's follow Sharma's 5-step procedures to grow our own forests.