The pressure for change is building: reactions to the Glasgow climate pact

The Glasgow climate package, aimed at ensuring the world limits global heating to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, was     1     even by the UK hosts as“imperfect", and leaves much of the hard work on cutting greenhouse gas emissions for next year. Boris Johnson,the UK prime minister, said:“We asked nations to come together for our planet at Cop 26, and they have answered that     2     . I want to thank the leaders, negotiators and campaigners who made this pact (协议、契约）happen and the people of Glasgow who welcomed them with open arms."

"There is still a huge amount more to do in the coming years. But today's agreement is a big step forward and, critically, we have the first ever international agreement to phase down (逐步减少)coal and a     3     to limit global warming to 1.5C. I hope that we will look back on Cop 26 in Glasgow as the beginning of the end of climate change, and I will continue to work     4     towards that goal."

Al Gore,the former US vice-president,also praised the public pressure put on world leaders at the conference: “The Glasgow Climate Pact and the pledges made at Cop26 move the global community forward in our urgent work to address the climate crisis and limit global temperature rise to 1.5C, but we know this progress, while meaningful,is not enough. “We must move faster to deliver a     5     transition away from fossil fuels and toward a cleaner and more equitable future for our planet.The progress achieved in the lead-up and at Cop26 was only possible because of the power of people young and old using their voices to demand action."

Many developed and developing countries nailed the progress it represented on the world's goals .But green campaigners warned that the     6     of the climate crisis meant the world was running out of time. Frans Timmermans, executive vice-president of the European Commission,     7     up many countries' reactions, saying:“'It doesn't stop here,it only starts."

On the last-minute weakening of language about phasing out coal, Timmermans said: "Let's be clear, I'd rather not have the change. I was very happy with the language we had." But he added it was “like going from 24 carat gold to 18 carat, it's still gold...we are now making     8     steps to eliminate coal ...and that countries that are so dependent on coal are willing to be part of that agreement is astonishing".

Countries will have to return next year and the year after to     9     their targets on cutting greenhouse gas emissions. Laurence Tubiana, one of the architects of the 2015 Paris deal and now CEO of the European Climate Foundation, said the outcome showed that the 2015 Paris climate agreement was working as     10    .

A good grilling

As they reopen after lockdown, many restaurants are firing up their barbecues. Diners appreciate food grilled over glowing charcoal embers, but the     1     residents often do not. Pollution levels near restaurants can be     2     higher than average, because of emissions from kitchens. With the increasing popularity of indoor barbecuing, it is a problem that is set to get worse.

The researchers tested a commercial grill,     3     with the sort of multistage filtering system used in many — though by no means all — restaurants. Apart from typical pollutants and particulate matter, they also discovered polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (多环芳烃). These cancer-causing chemicals are mainly produced by the incomplete combustion (燃烧) of     4     and oil-based sauces. The researchers estimated that if their half-a-square-metre grill was used for nine hours a day, it would release between 400 and 500 kilograms of fine and ultrafine particulate matter into the air every year. With many restaurants using 2.5-square-metre grills 16 hours a day, the level of pollution from most commercial    5     would be much higher.

The researchers are investigating which extraction systems best protect all the people     6     such as the restaurant employees. Taller chimneys are one option. But Dr Aleysa, an expert in combustion technology, suspects they would just     7     the pollution elsewhere. The results of these tests will be published next year.

Meanwhile, Dr Aleysa’s team have come up with their own solution: a new kind of grill, which they reckon can cut pollutants by 90%. Dr Aleysa is reluctant to go into     8    . But the basic idea is that before being released to the outside, the fumes are sucked back down through the embers and into a combustion zone, where hydrocarbons and odour compounds are fully burnt. That lessens the need for expensive extraction systems and fiddly filters that must be     9     cleaned.

An industrial partner is keen to put the grill into production. It could go on sale by the middle of next year. It will cost a bit more than a standard grill, says Dr Aleysa. But he believes that would be offset by lower     10     costs. Better air quality around restaurants would be welcome. But the big test will be whether chefs believe the new grill can produce that same barbecue flavour.

Ocean plastic has become a defining problem of our time, and a challenge to the world’s brightest thinkers and innovators. With a significant portion of plastic waste entering through rivers, the Alliance to End Plastic Waste is supporting the work of Renew Ocean to     1     the lack of waste infrastructure in developing regions.

Research published in Environmental Science & Technology in 2017 shows that rivers     2     dump anywhere from a half to three million tons of plastic into the seas every year. According to the data, ten rivers alone carry 93 percent of the river-borne plastics that end up in the ocean. To help prevent this plastic waste from reaching the ocean, the Alliance to End Plastic Waste will sponsor Renew Oceans, a localized     3     and investment project focused on high-leakage rivers. As a Founding Global Oceans Sponsor, the Alliance will     4     its materials and logistics (物流) capabilities. The National Geographic Society has also supported the Renew Oceans     5    .

Renew Oceans is part of the Renewology partnership, a brainchild of Priyanka Bakaya. Growing up in Australia, Bakaya became fascinated by science, chemistry, and the environment. Trips to India as a child     6     her of the need to do something positive for an environment     7     strained by plastic waste. At Stanford University, she became aware of social entrepreneurship and continued developing her ideas for ending plastic waste in business school at MIT.

How does Renew Oceans plan to tackle a(n)     8     insurmountable (难以克服的) problem? First, using proprietary (专利的) “biofence” technology designed by Renewology, plastic waste is collected as it flows down rivers and branches. ReFences divert the plastic and thus keep it from accumulating and entering the ocean. As     9    , the program has major side benefits. The plastic collected across the developing world will be converted into fuel, while waste pickers will receive compensation directly tied to the fuel generated from the plastic they collect. Renewology can become a powerful     10     for empowering local communities while cleaning up the world’s trash and providing necessary fuel.

Tesco promises to ban brands that use excessive plastic packaging.

Tesco has promised to step up its efforts in the battle against single-use plastic with measures that include banning brands using excessive packaging.

Dave Lewis, Tesco's chief executive, said the company will “reserve the right not to list” products with too much non-recyclable packaging from next year onwards.

Tesco gave suppliers a list of     1     materials in May 2018. It is now planning to turn up the pressure because of the growing public     2     about plastic packaging.

“We can't overlook the fact that for too long, packaging on     3     goods has been excessive,” Lewis wrote. "We have all opened a bag of crisps and wondered why the packaging is twice the size of the     4    .”

Tesco has been the     5     of criticism over its packaging in the past, but any improvements could have major implications for Britain's plastic waste. Lewis said giving up the plastic used to package tins in multipacks would save 490 tonnes of plastic a year, and it could     6     the sale of more than 50 million plastic beer can binders.

Other supermarkets have tried out processes that could reduce packaging. Morrisons and Waitrose have tested refill stations to allow customers to buy packaging-free goods, including pasta, wine and cleaning materials. Iceland last year promised to     7     plastics from its own-brand products within five years.

Supermarkets and food companies in the UK have been required to take action by government plans to introduce the “polluter pays”     8     in its approach to waste. New rules, currently under consultation, could force private companies, including supermarkets, to pay as much as £l billion a year more towards the UK's recycling infrastructure—up from about £70m now.

Lewis called for the government to take a national approach to recycling in order to     9     processes. Households face     10     variation in the quality of recycling services, which can result in products being sent to landfill that would be recycled under a different local authority.