Fresh warning sounded on plastics problem

Walk along any beach in the world, no matter how isolated, and you will see plastic of some kind washed up on the shoreline,     1    (offer) a reminder of the reckless throwaway culture of the present-day world.

Lately, a study     2     (sound) a fresh warning on the damage caused to the marine ecosystem due to discarded plastics, which eventually has a bearing on human health due to the seafood we consume.

In a paper     3    (title) “A Growing Plastic Smog” published on March 8, 2023 in the peer-reviewed research journal Plos One, researchers called on governments around the world     4    (take) sweeping action to address the “unprecedented plastic pollution” of the world’s oceans.

The plastics break down over time into minute particles that cannot be detected by the naked eye, but find their way into the marine ecosystem and into the seafood humans consume. No one knows for certain     5     the long-term damage will be to marine life and humans, but the study placed much of the blame on the plastics industry for failing to recycle or design for recyclability. “    6     eaten, microplastics can severely damage an animal’s internal tissues. Globally, we have reached a situation     7     we can no longer ignore the plastic pollution pandemic that is infecting our oceans,” he said.

“This research shows us that beach cleanups and citizen science projects that focus on the environmental fate of plastics have little impact on solving the enormity of the plastic problem. Marcus Eriksen, lead author of the study, said in a statement that the findings were a “stark warning     8     we must act now at a global scale”. “We’ve found an alarming trend of exponential growth of microplastics in the global ocean since the millennium, which     9    (expect) to reach over 170 trillion plastic particles,” said Eriksen, adding that the exponential increase in microplastics across the world’s oceans makes     10     necessary to “bring in an age of corporate responsibility for the entire life of the things they make”.

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan was     1     (severe) damaged by a tsunami in 2011, leading to a major nuclear disaster. Since then, water has been continuously used     2    (cool) the damaged reactors (反应堆) and prevent further damage.

Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the     3    (operate) of the plant, said that the storage tanks took up too much space due to the wastewater. So Japan initially said that it     4    (begin) releasing the water into the ocean in the spring of 2023.

On March 17, part of the equipment     5    was related to the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant started operation for     6    first time, according to Japanese media TV Asahi.

According to The Guardian, the Japanese government argued that the water     7    (treat) to remove most of the radioactive isotopes (同位素), so the water would be safe to be released into the ocean.

However, not everyone agrees with this decision. Environmental groups and local fishermen have expressed concern about the impact of the wastewater     8    marine life and the fishing industry, the BBC reported.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry on March14 once again denounced (谴责) Japan’s unilateral (单边的) decision to dump nuclear-contaminated wastewater into the sea,     9    (consider) the move an attempt to shift the risk of nuclear pollution to all of mankind.

The ministry also warned the country not to start the plan     10    full consultation (磋商) with its neighbors and relevant international institutions.

6 . Conifers (针叶树) are generally better than broad-leaved trees at purifying air from pollutants. But deciduous (落叶的) trees may be better at taking in particle-bound pollution. A new study led by the University of Gothenburg shows that the best trees for air purification depend on the type of pollutants involved.

Trees and other greener in cities provide many benefits that are important for the well-being of residents. Leaves and needled on trees filter air pollutants and reduce exposure to poisonous substance in the air. But which trees purify the air most effectively? Researchers from the University of Gothenburg have collected leaves and needle from eleven different trees growing in the same place in the Gothenburg Botanical Garden (GBG) to analyse which cub-stances they have absorbed.

“This tree collection provided a unique opportunity to test many different species of trees with similar environmental conditions and exposure to air pollutants,” said Jenny Klingberg, a researcher of the GBG

A total of 32 different pollutants were analysed, some of which are bound to articles of various sizes. Others are gaseous. This project has focused on paths (多环芳烃). In cities, traffic is the biggest source of these pollutants, which are released due to incomplete burning in engines.

“Our analysis show that different species of trees have different abilities to absorb air pollutants. Conifers generally absorb morn gaseous paths than broad-leaved trees. Another advantage of conifers is that they also act as air purifies in winter, when air pollution is usually at its highest,” said Jenny Klingberg.

“This study contributes to improving our understanding of the ability of trees to clean the air and which species are best at absorbing air pollutants,” said Jenny Klingberg. This known-edge is important for urban planning when designing sustainable cities. While trees and green-era can contribute to better air quality in cities, at the end of the day, the most important measure is to reduce emissions.

Microplastics are some of the Earth’s tiniest and     1     (harm) enemies.     2    new study reveals that microplastics have even polluted Alpine snow and Arctic ice. How did the microplastics get there? The study,    3     (publish) this week in the journal Science Advances,assumes that the tiny particles become airborne and, when     4     (sweep) up into the Earth’s atmosphere, can be transported virtually around the globe. If microplastics     5    (find) in original Arctic ice, they’re probably being breathed in, lived in and eaten by animals in other ecosystems.    6     microplastics are being swirled around the atmosphere, the study says, we’re breathing     7    in, as well. And that could have serious health     8     (consequent).“The high MP concentrations detected in snow samples from continental Europe to the Arctic indicate significant air pollution and stress the urgent need for research     9     human and animal health effects     10     (focus) on airborne MPs,” the study says.

Breathing dirty air causes the premature death of at least 1,200 children across Europe each year. Actually, many thousands more     1     (trouble) with physical and mental health problems that could have lifelong impacts.

    2     it comes to air pollution, we can’t think of children     3     little adults. They receive more pollution, and it starts in the womb (子宫) and continues in kindergarten and onwards.

Children are more exposed to dirty air than adults because they have a     4     (fast) breathing rate, are closer to the ground and are outdoors more. They are particularly     5     (sense) to dirty air, and pollutants can have a permanent impact on their development. The impacts begin before birth,     6     contributes to low birth weight and premature birth.

Reducing the     7     (source) of air pollution, including road traffic, coal and solid fuel burning, and industrial emissions (排放物), is key. Action should also be taken     8     (reduce) the specific risks to children. These could include putting clean air zones around schools, where traffic would     9     (restrict) and idling engines (怠速运转) prohibited. Local authorities and schools should also consider     10     (plant) trees, ivy screens and hedge fences around playgrounds.

9 . Around the world, people are realizing the significant problems caused by plastic waste. In the last 65 years, we have become increasingly dependent on plastic. It’s easy to understand why: it’s cheap to produce, light — therefore easy and cheap to transport — and incredibly strong and durable.     1    

One popular solution to the problem is to prohibit single use plastics. In the British supermarkets, shoppers are encouraged to make more environmentally-friendly choices in packing and transporting their food.     2     Some governments have even promised to ban the use of single-use plastic altogether by the not-too-distant future.

However, such plans may not be beneficial to eliminate (消除) the use of single-use plastic altogether.     3     This is not just because of its low cost. It’s also because infection and cross-contamination (交叉感染) are minimized. Plastic packaging is also crucial in the food industry. It ensures that food is safe for consumers.

Another issue is that alternative materials to plastic are often more environmentally harmful than plastic. Take paper bags, for example.     4     The process requires cutting trees, the emission of greenhouse gases and the production of poisonous chemical waste. Even more pollution is created when paper bags break down.

Clearly there is a need to reduce plastic waste and its impact on the environment.     5     Industries that rely on single-use plastics for people’s health and safety must be considered. Moreover, alternative materials must be evaluated strictly regarding their own environmental impact.

On August 24, Japan started releasing wastewater from its Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (福岛第一核电站) into the Pacific Ocean. This has caused anger and fear across the world.

In March 2011, Japan experienced the strongest earthquake in its     1     (record) history. The earthquake caused a tsunami (海啸),     2     greatly damaged the Fukushima nuclear plant. Ever since then, the plant has been producing a large amount of radioactive wastewater. So far, it     3     (collect) more than 1.3 million tons of it. The first round of release will last 17 days. The whole process will take about 30 years.

The plant was operated by TEPCO (东京电力公司). According to the company, the wastewater is diluted (稀释) before     4     (it) release. However, there’s still a problem. Some of the most dangerous substances are very likely     5     (remain) in it.

“They’ll pollute the ocean, the animals within it, and     6     (final), the earth,” said Tacko Fujimura, an official at Japan’s Zen-Noh (日本农业合作社联合会).

On the same day, China announced     7     immediate ban on all seafood products from Japan. This     8     (decide) was made to “protect the lives and health of the people.” In a statement, the country’s Foreign Ministry (外交部) called Japan’s move “    9     (self) and irresponsible.”

China was the biggest buyer of Japanese seafood. More than 255,000 users took a poll (民意调查) on Weibo. Up to 97% of them said that they would no longer eat seafood from Japan. “We’re on the same planet,” said one of them. “Nobody can be free from harm. It’s just a matter     10     time.”