It’s extremely important to be     1     (care) of your carbon (碳) footprint so you don’t contribute to greenhouse gas emissions (排放) and climate change. And there are tons of ways you can reduce your impact     2     the environment. You can start by lessening plastic waste.

Plastic packaging     3     (end) up in the landfill and harms the environment. When you’re out buying new things, avoid single-use products or containers     4     create a lot more waste in the environment. Instead, choose     5     (option) that have the least plastic packaging or are reusable, such as glass bottles or tupprware containers. You should also start packing food and drinks in reusable containers     6     (reduce) the waste of plastic bags or water bottles.

If you do have to get single-use products, check if they’re recyclable so they get repurposed rather than     7     (go) to a landfill. For example, take reusable bags with you to the store so you don’t have to get plastic bags at     8     cash desk.     9     (similar), avoid prepackaged fruits and vegetables if you can buy them individually.

If items like plastic     10     (throw) with your regular garbage, they will go directly to landfills. So before throwing your waste, sort out the paper, batteries, plastic containers, and glass.

3 . The Sanjiangyuan National Park, China's first experimental national park, has been established to protect the local environment. The area is known as the country's "water tower" because it houses the headwaters of the three great rivers of the country: the Yangtze, the Yellow and the Lancang rivers.

Covering a total area of 123,100 square kilometers, the national park emphasizes the protection of the entire ecosystem, including all of the local natural resources such as wild animals, water, grassland and forests.

Since the national park started its trial operation in 2016, locals have been called on to help protect and improve the environment. Their work includes patrolling (巡逻) the grassland as well as monitoring and rescuing the park's wildlife. To date, there are 17,211 rangers (护林人) operating in the national park.

Kunsang, now 39 years old, is a Tibetan herdsman (牧人) turned park ranger for the headwaters of the Yellow River in the national park. On November 16^th, 2020, Kunsang put his life at risk while attempting to save a wolf trapped in a broken ice patch on a lake. Braving temperatures of minus 10 degrees Celsius, Kunsang rushed over to the wolf and pulled the wild animal out from the icy opening on the frozen lake with the help of his colleague.

The efforts of rangers including Kunsang are paying off, and the national park has seen its wild animal populations bounce back apparently in recent years. Hoh Xil (Kekexili) National Nature Reserve, one of the largest no man's lands in China and a part of the Sanjiangyuan National Park, is now home to more than 70,000 Tibetan antelopes, said Wang Xiangguo, deputy director of the park. The official explained that the population numbers for the rare species, which is under first-class state protection in the country, once declined sharply to no fewer than 20,000 due to the impacts of illegal hunting.

4 . Last month, a study was published that examined climate change's direct effects on Earth's seasons. Scientists found a connection between climate change and the temperature and duration of the summer season. If left unaccounted for, summers in the Northern Hemisphere could last nearly six months by the year 2100 if global warming continues in its tracks, according to the study. With the seasons off-balance, it will further domino with harmful effects for human health and agriculture.

Yuping Guan, a physical oceanographer at the State Key Laboratory of Tropical Oceanography at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and his colleagues combined daily climate data from 1952-2011 to get a sense of the start and end of each season in the Northern Hemisphere. Over a nearly 60-year period, they discovered that summers grew, on average 78 to 95 days long, while winters on average shortened from 76-73 days. The spring and autumn seasons also reduced. Guan and his team used the findings from the data to create a model to hypothesize (假设) how the seasons can possibly change in the future. They found that if left untouched summers in the Northern Hemisphere could last nearly six months, while winters could deplete to less than two months.

If Earth's seasons continue to shift, it brings negative risk among human health and agriculture. Longer and hotter summers, for example, can cause mosquitoes and other disease-carrying insects to potentially “expand” their scope and land in places they're usually not found. “Because seasons influence the life cycles of plants and animals, climate change could disrupt species' ability to adapt. Scott Sheridan, a climate scientist also added, “If seasons start changing, everything isn't going to change perfectly as they should. If we take an example of flowers coming out of the ground, those flowers could come out, but bees aren't there to pollinate (授粉) yet or they're already past their peak.” With negative effects like these, human health and agriculture face hardships moving forward.

This study further demonstrates how harsh climate change is on humans, plants and animals, reminding us how much we are all connected within the environment we share.

5 . Out in the Arizona wilderness, a very good boy is doing his part to save the planet. Chipper, an 8-year-old rescue dog who loves to _________, and his owner, Katie Pollak, are on a mission to help the _________ environment, picking up garbage wherever they _________ it near their home in Mesa, Arizona.

Pollak realized her dog had a(n) _________ passion for plastic shortly after _________ him from a shelter back in 2011, when he demonstrated an _________ in collecting water bottles. So she encouraged it and he motivated her to do the same. Soon they _________ a team and started getting out and picking up garbage _________.

Everywhere they go, they collect bags and bags of garbage— _________ beer cans, plastic bottles, old clothing and more - that other people have __________. Pollak always comes prepared with bags to collect the __________, and has been shocked at how much garbage she and her dog can pick up on a __________ day.

Pollak and Chipper often meet up with friends to do big cleanups. Many of them are part of an __________ called Wild Keepers, which plans to collect 1 million pounds of litter by the year 2023. They’ve been at it since 2016 and have collected over 200,000 pounds so far.

Chipper’s __________ skill has made him something of a celebrity. Over 28,000 people follow their __________ through Pollak’s social media account.

6 . Some of the oldest art in human history is being damaged, scientists say. And climate change may be speeding up its loss. New research reports that ancient rock art in Indonesian caves is degrading over time, as bits of rock slowly break off from the walls. It's a huge loss for human history.

Salt crystals（结晶）building up on the walls are a key part of the problem, the study suggests. These salt crystals go into the cave walls, changing sizes as temperatures rise and fall. This process causes the rock to slowly break down.

Salt crystals may become larger when exposed to repeated changes between wet conditions and periods of drought. These kinds of changes are expected to become more obvious as the climate continues to warm.

In particular, the researchers say, climate change may cause more intense El Nino （厄尔尼诺）events in the future. These events can strengthen the kinds of conditions that help salt crystals form Scientists are still debating the exact influence of climate change on El Nino, a natural climate cycle that drives changing patterns of warming and cooling in the Pacific Ocean.

The new study, led by Jillian Huntley, examined 11 ancient cave art sites in South Sulawesi, Indonesia. The researchers found evidence of salt formation at all 11 sites. It's merely a small part There are more than 300 known eave art sites around the region. The researchers note that salt crystals may indeed be part of the problem, adding that climate change is a growing threat, one that deserves more attention.

8 . An Ontario teen is making waves by turning old fishing gear into new treasures. Since last year, Natalie, 15, has been taking lost or thrown — away fishing nets and rope and transforming them into bracelets, rope art, mats, baskets and necklaces.

Last year, Natalie was working on an assignment for her science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) class. As part of the assignment, she learned about “ghost nets”, which are fishing nets that have been left or lost in the ocean by people who fish.

“They have huge effects on our environment. They can kill coral reefs and many animals,” said Natalie. “46 percent of the Pacific garbage is ghost gear.” The Great Pacific Garbage is a huge collection of trash floating in the Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and California.

Natalie told her mom she wanted to do something to help. She got in touch with a handful of charities, including the Sea Protection Society and Coastal Action.

After getting some shipments of ghost nets and rope from those organizations, Natalie, with the help of her family, started turning the discarded gear into new artworks. “We've made bracelets, rope art, mats, baskets, and we've made necklaces, which also use beach glass in them,” she said. Natalie then started selling the artworks online, the crafty buying and selling website.

She donated all her profits-minus a small sum of change to cover supplies — to the charities that donated fishing supplies to her. She's also been donating all the income from her non-profit business, called Nautical Waters, to charity. Natalie said she hoped to continue her passion for ocean life, with plans to study marine biology in university.

9 . When you walk on a sandy beach, it takes more energy than striding down a sidewalk — because the weight of your body pushes into the sand. Turns out, the same thing is true for vehicles driving on roads. The weight of the vehicles creates a very shallow indentation (凹陷) in the pavement (路面) — and it makes it such that it’s continuously driving up a very shallow hill.

Jeremy Gregory, a sustainability scientist at M.I.T. and his team modeled how much energy could be saved — and green-house gases avoided — by simply stiffening (硬化) the nation’s roads and highways. And they found that stiffening 10 percent of the nation’s roads every year could prevent 440 megatons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions over the next five decades — enough to offset half a percent of projected transportation sector emissions over that time period. To put those emissions savings into context — that amount is equivalent to how much CO2 you’d spare the planet by keeping a billion barrels of oil in the ground — or by growing seven billion trees — for a decade.

The results are in the Transportation Research Record.

As for how to stiffen roads? Gregory says you could mix small amounts of synthetic fibers or carbon nanotubes into paving materials. Or you could pave with cement-based concrete, which is stiffer than asphalt (沥青).

This system could also be a way to shave carbon emissions without some of the usual hurdles. Usually, when it comes to reducing emissions in the transportation sector, you’re talking about changing policies related to vehicles and also driver behavior, which involves millions and millions of people — as opposed to changing the way we design and maintain our pavements. That’s just on the order of thousands of people who are working in transportation agencies. And when it comes to retrofitting (翻新) our streets and highways — those agencies are where the rubber meets the road.

10 . What’s one thing that can make all the difference between a kid nodding and actually getting out there to make changes? An activist role model, of course. Nothing is quite as inspiring to a kid as seeing just how many incredible teen activists are out there, battling for climate justice, and much more. We’ve rounded up 4 kids who have made a name for themselves doing just that: fighting the good fight.

Sarah Goody

Sarah Goody is the founder of Climate NOW. She’s a 15-year-old activist who is, believe it or not, currently living in an animal shelter in Hawaii. She was given The Diana Award for her efforts to support climate justice—and she led the San Francisco Climate Strike with 40,000 protesters behind.

Genesis Butler

Genesis Butler gained fame at the age of 10 when she became one of the youngest people to ever give a TED talk. She’s the founder of non-profit Genesis for Animals and is an outspoken advocate of animal rights, climate justice, and veganism.

Alexandria Villasenor

Alexandria Villaseñor is a 15-year-old activist, the founder of Earth Uprising. “When I go out and protest, I feel like I have a say in what’s going to happen to the earth,” Villasenor told The New Yorker. And as it turns out, activism is in his blood, for his great grand-uncle was labor rights organizer Cesar Chavez.

Peyton Brown

Activism doesn’t always mean hitting the streets. Peyton Brown decided to use her voice—and her talents—for change by starting a fashion line to empower young girls to speak out. With her mom’s support, she started designing at just 7 years old, and this little artist-activist proves there are so many different ways we can fight for change.