Protecting the Wild Animals

4 . A   new   study   has   found   that   ride-sharing   services   result   in   much   more   air pollution than other kinds of private and public transportation, and they also draw passengers away from more environmentally friendly methods of travel, like public transportation, walking or biking.

Several studies have suggested that ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft can worsen   traffic   problems   in   cities.   The   new   study   attempts   to   center   on   how ride-sharing   services   affect   air   pollution.   It   examined   the   effects   of ride-sharing services   on   7   of America’s   largest   cities.   Overall,   the   researchers   reported   that ride-sharing trips result in an estimated 69% more air pollution on average than the trips they displace. One of the big reasons is that ride-sharing vehicles are often driven without passengers in. This happens when drivers are either waiting for ride requests or on the way to pick up passengers.

This situation, known as “deadheading”, takes up about 42% of all ride-sharing driving. The researchers   said that deadheading results in about   50% more carbon dioxide than one person driving in a private vehicle.

Both Uber and Lyft do offer a choice of a “pooled” ride, which involves drivers picking up additional riders during the same trip. The study urges services like Uber and Lyft to work to increase the number of pooled rides and electric vehicles on the road, and improve connections to public transportation centers.

Uber made no comment on the latest report, but the company said it aims to be part of the solution to address climate change by working directly with cities, adding that it will continue to promote pooled trips and other means of transportation. Lyft said that the study made misleading claims about ride-sharing although it shared the practice of increasing the number of pooled rides and putting more electric vehicles in service.

Both companies have already operated businesses that offer electric scooters and bikes and have begun to include public transportation information in their systems.

5 . Multiple actions have been taken to fight food waste, but one young man is making a big difference with   technology. Liu Jichen, a student from Tsinghua University, has developed a WeChat mini-program called “Clear Your Plate”.

After a meal, users can open the mini-program and take a picture of their empty plates. Once the image is recognized by the AI, students can collect points and use them to buy gifts or purchase charity meals donated to children in poor areas.

The idea came from Liu’s experience in a canteen where he found that diners finishing their food could get a card and then small gifts with a certain number of cards collected.

“Technological innovation is a good way to reduce food waste and contribute to global food challenges.” Liu thought. With this in mind, he organized a team of 20 members to work on the project in 2017. To solve the AI’s problem of identifying photos of empty plates, the team spent half a year collecting over 100,000 samples in canteens and restaurants. In 2018, the mini-program was officially put into operation on Oct 16, World Food Day.

This year, the one-month campaign has attracted almost 1.6 million participants and collectively reduced food waste by 862 tons and carbon emissions by 3,337 tons.

“There were so many unknowns in research and development. For us, the biggest psychological challenge was whether we were confident enough to complete it,” Liu said. However, they not only achieved their goal, but now, the mini-program has more than 5 million registered users.

Thanks to his actions concerning social issues, Liu Jichen was inducted into the 2020 Class of Young Leaders   for the Sustainable Development Goals in September.

Our Environment in the Future

More and more children are suffering from eco-anxiety, which is     1    problem that causes people to worry a lot about the future of Earth and the life on it. They worry about climate change,    2    (pollute) and the loss of biodiversity. This has urged education experts     3    (call) for more teaching in schools about climate change, wildlife and the environment. So necessary is knowledge of them nowadays     4    experts believe it should be taught to all year groups.

The Teach the Future campaign finds that only one in four schoolchildren    5    (feel) they know enough about the climate crisis. It says this is leading to move children    6     (struggle) with eco-anxiety and worrying about the planet. A conservation organization, Earth Rangers,    7    (take) action to address the problem of eco-anxiety since it noticed that.

It says, Eco-anxiety does have a big effect    8    children in many ways. This includes feelings of fear and hopelessness. It is    9    (importance) to research and understand the ways in which we can help children deal with these feelings     10    (effective). In the meanwhile, schools should create conservation activities and help children teach their parents how to protect nature.

World Environment Day falls on June 5 every year. It expressed our pursuit for a better environment. It is also one of the ways that for the United Nations to raise global environmental awareness and take measure.

As young students, we should advocate environmental protection but start from the things around us. They include maintaining personal and environmental hygiene, caring for every plant and tree in the school, and participate in various public welfare activities that cares for nature.

In addition, while caring for an environment, we should active follow the rules of the school. Try to be good students with good manners, what will also contribute the construction of the most beautiful campus.