1 . To understand the effect of ice melting (融化) around the world we first have to understand what an ice sheet actually is. Covering 5.4 million square miles in Antarctica (南极洲) and 656,000 square miles in Greenland, an ice sheet is actually a huge land of ice from the Ice Age. These sheets form in areas where snow that falls in winter does not melt entirely over the summer. This ice, home to different species of animals, is now melting at a rate that cannot support the life it currently holds.

Many of these creatures rely on ice sheets as land for resting, hunting and protection, yet as the size decreases, they are forced out of their homeland in search of other land on which to live. Often this means journeys to search for food and an imbalanced ecosystem happens when different species are forced together onto the coast.

Since the 1990s, the deer population has dropped by 56 per cent—climate change has caused warmer temperatures over winter setting off rainfall instead of snow, which freezes more quickly underfoot and makes it harder to walk and search for food. In the summer, frozen layers of land melts and releases trapped diseases which bring death to animals. A similar situation has fallen on the polar bears who suffered a 40 per cent population loss between 2001—2010.

Quite apart from these problems, the threat of sea levels rising if the ice caps were to disappear is approaching. If the Greenland Ice Sheet melted, the sea level would rise around six meters, and if the Antarctic Ice Sheet melted, sea levels would rise by around 20 feet. As a matter of fact, sea levels have risen about eight inches since 1880, three of which we’ve gained over the last 25 years. This seemingly small amount has already caused dangerous flooding, loss of farmland and more deadly storms.

While we’re still a long way from losing the ice sheets all together, we’ve already lost too much and if we don’t take climate change seriously now, we will certainly hit the point of no return.

2 . I don’t think I can recall a time when I wasn’t aware of the beauty of the ocean. Growing up in Australia, I had the good fortune of having the sea at my side. The first time I went to Halfmoon Bay, I suddenly had the feeling of not being able to feel the ground with my feet anymore.

For my 10th birthday, my sister and I were taken out to the Great Barrier Reef. There were fish in different colors, caves and layers of coral (珊瑚). They made such an impression on me. When I learned that only one percent of Australia’s Coral Sea was protected, I was shocked. Australian marine (海洋的) life is particularly important because the reefs (暗礁) have more marine species than any other country on earth. But sadly, only 45% of the world’s reefs are considered healthy.

This statistic (数据) is depressing, so it’s important for us to do everything to protect them. The hope that the Coral Sea remains a complete ecosystem has led me to take action. I’ve become involved with the Protect Our Coral Sea activity, which aims to create the largest marine park in the world. It would serve as a place where the ocean’s species will all have a safe place forever.

Together, Angus and I created a little video and we hope it will inspire people to be part of the movement. Angus also shares many beautiful childhood memories of the ocean as a young boy, who grew up sailing, admiring the beauty of the ocean, and trying to find the secrets of ocean species.

3 . A young Dutch inventor is widening his effort to cleanup floating (浮动的) plastic from the Pacific Ocean. He has developed a floating device (设备) to trap plastic waste moving into rivers before it reaches the oceans.

Boyan Slat was just 18 years old when he invented a system for catching waste in the ocean. He also founded an environmental group called “The Ocean Cleanup”. Its purpose is to develop the system. Last year, Slat showed the next step: a floating device which is called Interceptor. It removes plastic out of rivers. The device is powered by energy from the sun. “The 1,000 rivers are responsible for about 80% of plastic going into the world’s oceans,” said Slat. Three of the machines have already been used. Each machine costs about $775, 660, but the cost might drop as production increases.

Since they were used, the machines have been doing very well, collecting the plastic bottles and all the rubbish in the rivers. According to Slat, it is necessary to close “the tap”, which means preventing more plastic from reaching the ocean in the first place. He wanted to clean them all in the next five years. “This is not going to be easy, but if we do get this done, we could truly make our oceans again, ”said Slat.

The device is designed to be safe in rivers. Its nose is shaped to change directions to keep it away from larger floating things. It works by guiding plastic waste into an opening in the front of the device. The waste is then carried inside the machine where it is dropped into containers. The devices ends a text message to local operators that can come and empty it when it is full.

4 . Will you crazy about these newly-built products that are not merely quite useful but also good to the environment? Come and see then!

Eco-friendly Umbrella

Traditional umbrellas come with a fixed surface. Although it is changeable, you cannot replace it easily. This eco-friendly design is more flexible. It is actually only an umbrella skeleton without any surface, which can be folded, so you can put anything such as newspapers, plastic bags or whatever you want to serve as the protecting surface.

Pollution-sensitive Dress

Don’t be caught outside unaware of pollution levels in the air. The pollution-sensitive EPA Dress by Stephanie Sandstrom notices pollution in the air accordingly. This dress—which is actually quite pretty—looks like you pull it from the bottom of the dirty laundry pile when the air is dirty. It might protect your health by advising you to stay indoors for the day, but it won’t do you any favor if you’re meeting with clients.

Eco-friendly Car Racer

Can you image a car racer is so eco-friendly that its tyres are made from potatoes, its body is created from hemp (大麻) and rapeseed oil and it runs on fuel made from wheat and sugar beet? The one seater racing car called Eco One is built by experts from Warwick University, who hope that Eco One will be used by the automotive industry. It is sold at $ 51,000.

Eco-friendly Moss (苔藓) Carpet

Do you know it is said that walking on fresh grass can really increases your blood circulation? The Moss Carpet, created by Nguyen La Chanh, looks at getting the grass to your feet. The mat includes ball moss, island moss and forest moss. The humidity (湿度) of the bathroom ensures that it grows well. And that’s why you need to place it there and not anywhere else.

5 . A new research shows human activity is changing the sound of the Earth’s oceans and seas. Scientists say the sound changes of our oceans, seas, and other waterways affect many marine （海洋的） animals – from very small shrimps to huge whales.

Sound travels very far underwater, Francis Juanes, an ecologist at the University of Victoria in Canada, told the Associated Press. For fish, he explained, sound is probably a better way to sense their environment than light. Sounds help fish and other marine animals survive and communicate with each other. Sounds also help some ocean animals find food and avoid their hunters.

However, increased noise from humans is making it harder for these animals to hear each other. The noise is coming from shipping traffic, underwater exploration, and other noisy human activities. For many marine animals, their attempts to communicate are being masked （掩盖） by sounds that humans have produced. Experts explain that masking happens when one or more noises in the water block sound important to a marine animal’s living. The overall number of marine animals has gone down by about half since 1970. Some studies show the stress from human noise might also affect the immune system as well as reproductive health or behavior. “Imagine having to raise your kids in a place that’s noisy all the time,” said Joe Roman, a marine ecologist at the University of Vermont.

When people think of problems facing the ocean, we often think of climate change, plastics, and overfishing. But noise pollution is another thing we need to be monitoring. “Sound pollution may be easier to deal with than other ocean problems,” Scientist Juanes says. “If we make something for the ocean, think about how to make it quieter.”

8 . In the past few decades, the way we shop has changed dramatically. We used to buy our goods in traditional shops. Now, customers are increasingly buying online, where they can order whatever they want directly to their door with the click of a mouse. As companies race to improve their Internet shopping experience, the trend towards shopping online is predicted to continue.

Most people commonly think that online shopping is better than in-store shopping. After all, an online store does not use the electricity that a traditional store might use and it doesn't require the customer to drive anywhere. So you would think the carbon savings must be significant.

Take the typical home delivery round in the UK, for example. Supermarket drivers often do 120 deliveries on an 80-kilometre round, producing 20 kilograms of CO₂ in total. In contrast, a 21-kilometre drive to the store and back for one household would produce 24 times more CO₂! However, the reality is slightly more complex than that. Many home deliveries fail the first time and the driver has to make a second or third attempt to deliver the purchase.

The carbon footprint also goes up if the customer chooses to return the item. A study in Germany shows that as many as one in three online purchases are returned. According to another study, merchandise（商品）worth nearly $326 million is returned each year in the USA. Two billion kilograms of this ends up in landfill（垃圾填埋池）, leading to 133 tons of CO₂ being released.

When we take all these factors into consideration, we realize that online shopping isn't necessarily as green as people might think. There is some positive news, as various online retailers（零售商）are starting to lower their carbon footprint by turning to electric delivery vehicles. However, the question of how to deal with returns efficiently and without waste is a challenge that many companies have not wanted to face, but they have to shoulder responsibilities.