1 . In the old days, when you had to drive to a movie theater to get some entertainment, it was easy to see how your actions could have an impact on the environment. After all, you were jumping into your car, driving across towns, coughing out emissions (排放) and using gas all the way. But now that we’re used to staying at home and streaming (流式传输) movies, we might get a little proud. After all, we’re just picking up our phones and maybe turning on the TV. You’re welcome. Mother Nature.

Not so fast, says a recent report from the French-based Shit Project. According to Climate Crisis: The Unsustainable Use of Online Video, digital technologies are responsible for 4% of greenhouse gas emissions, and that energy use is increasing by 9% a year. Watching a half-hour show would lead to 3.5 pounds of CO2 emissions. That’s like driving 6.28 kilometers. And in the European Union, the Eureca project found that data centers (where videos are stored) there used 25% more energy in 2017 compared to just three years earlier, reports the BBC.

Streaming is only expected to increase as we become more enamored of our digital devices (设备) and the possibility of enjoying entertainment where and when we want it to increase. Online video use is expected to increase by four times from 2017 to 2022 and account for 80% of all Internet traffic by 2022. By then, about 60% of the world’s population will be online.

You’re probably not going to give up your streaming services, but there’re things you can do to help lessen the impact of your online use, experts say. For example, according to Lutz Stobbe, a researcher from the Fraunhofer Institute in Berlin, we have no need to upload 25 pictures of the same thing to the cloud because it consumes energy every time. If instead you delete a few things here and there, you can save energy. Moreover, it’s also a good idea to stream over Wi-Fi, watch on the smallest screen as you can, and turn off your Wi-Fi in your home if you’re not using your devices.

2 . Children from four Buckingham shire primary schools visited Epilepsy Society to plant a hedge (树篱) as part of a Plant-for-the-Planet project. The children from these schools were planting a hedge in the garden of the Queen Elizabeth House at the charity in Chalfont St Peter. Plant-for-the-Planet gives children across the globe the opportunity to learn about the threats of global warming to the environment, and then put their new knowledge into practice as they plant new trees.

The day was organised by Bob Sherren who showed the children how to plant the planet-friendly line of trees in protective chambers (防护室) to shield them from hungry wildlife as they settle in their roots. Bob said, “The day really was ‘Thinking Globally, Acting Locally’ put into action. The children learned about the importance of planting trees as a way of helping to bring about climate justice (正义) for many living in poorer nations and of course enjoyed planting the trees too.” The eventual hedge, which will grow to full size over ten years behind the Queen Elizabeth House, is made up of trees such as oaks, silver birches and so on.

Bob added, “The children were also able to help people living at Epilepsy Society because they will gain some well-needed privacy from the hedge in time. The natural wildlife benefits too from the fruits and nuts that a hedge made from native species can provide as well as the possibility for any number of nesting sites.”

Emma Darlington, Epilepsy Society’s volunteer officer, said, “I think it’s so important to encourage the younger generation that the future is in their hands and that they can make a difference, whether it is through taking part in projects like this or spreading awareness. We hope they learn a little bit about the work we do at Epilepsy Society too — the trees they planted will be enjoyed by everyone here for years to come.”

3 . 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.

6 . Garbage sorting (分类) has become a hot topic around China, especially after Shanghai began carrying out a regulation (规章) on July 1.

Beijing has been expected to do the same. At present the regulation gives garbage sorting responsibilities to government departments, property management groups and other organizations. It also gives rules for companies, explaining how they’re responsible for waste collection, transportation and treatment. Citizens are free of responsibilities for the moment.

The long-awaited revision will soon change the situation. “Taking out the trash without sorting it properly will be illegal,” said Sun Xinjun, director of the Beijing Commission of Urban Management. In Shanghai, violators (违背者) are now fined up to 200 yuan for trash-sorting violations. “The maximum fine in Beijing will not be less than that,” he said.

The Beijing city government first promoted garbage sorting in 2009. Authorities have since called on citizens to sort their household waste into four types—recyclable waste, kitchen trash, dangerous waste and others , and leave it in a colored dustbin or trash can. Blue-colored dustbins are for recyclable items, green for kitchen trash, red for dangerous materials and grey for other waste.

To promote the awareness of garbage sorting and expand the base of participants, authorities have employed workers to help citizens. With intelligent devices, those who throw in recyclable waste at given places will be rewarded with bonus points, which can be used to buy daily goods. At some communities, there are no color-coded dustbins. Instead, a scheduled garbage collection service is offered to help improve the environment. In other communities, workers offer a door-to-door service to collect recyclable or kitchen waste.

Beijing Environmental Sanitation Engineering Group has been promoting new garbage sorting facilities such as recycling cabinets and smart kitchen waste trash cans since 2016, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Since last year, the haze (霜)weather had happened many times in my hometown, when it has done great harm to our life. What’s worse, many people have to see the doctor due with serious diseases caused by the haze.

People have realized the harm effects on their health and the importance of protect the environment. Measures have taken to reduce the haze. The government suggests each citizen goes to work by public transport.

As for me, I go to school by bike and on foot every day. Besides, I will tell the others to protect the environment, too. Now, it’s time for each of us to contribute to the environmental protection, doesn’t it?

8 . Earth Hour is organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature. It’s a big event usually at the end of March every year. On this evening, people “ go dark”.    1    

It’s true that turning off lights for one hour saves only a small amount of power.    2    On one level, joining in Earth Hour makes people think about the problem of climate change and what we can do in everyday life to protect nature. But on another level, a large number of people’s acting together sends a powerful message to governments and companies.    3     They begin considering green issues and protecting wildlife when making big decisions.

The logo (标识) of Earth Hour is “60+”. The number 60 is for the 60 minutes of Earth Hour.     4     In fact, people who join in Earth Hour say that taking part makes them want to do more for the environment.

    5    Musicians give concerts by playing acoustic (原声的) instruments instead of electric ones, and using candles instead of electric lights. Famous cooks create special recipes for families to prepare and eat by candlelight. Tree-planting activities, group walks and runs are also among the choices.

Last Sunday we took a part in a clean-up activity in a forest outside the city. When we arrived, we were sad to see rubbishes everywhere. Though there was a “Do Not Litter” sign at the entrance, that didn’t stop people litter around.   Our team leader, Jim, divided us by two groups - one cleaned up the north side of the forest and the other cleaned up the south side. We cleared up a lot of waste we were very happy to see the forest looked clean than before. It was absolutely worth our effort! There will be other clean-up activity in the green belt next Sunday. You can contact Jim and sign up for it if you’re willingly to help. Whoever participated will receive a medal like last time. I’ll join you too until I have time.