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 【小题1】 the lack of waste infrastructure in developing regions.

Research published in Environmental Science & Technology in 2017 shows that rivers 【小题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 【小题3】 and investment project focused on high-leakage rivers. As a Founding Global Oceans Sponsor, the Alliance will 【小题4】 its materials and logistics (物流) capabilities. The National Geographic Society has also supported the Renew Oceans 【小题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 【小题6】 her of the need to do something positive for an environment 【小题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) 【小题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 【小题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 【小题10】 for empowering local communities while cleaning up the world’s trash and providing necessary fuel.

Go Recycling

No one looking at the state of Earth in 2023 can be in any doubt that we are facing three serious environmental problems: climate problem, loss of biodiversity (生物多样性) and pollution of air, soil and water. To solve the problems, we increase the use of electric cars, 【小题1】 greener eating and reduce plastic use. However, sometimes these solutions can be opposite to the expected goals. For instance, creating space for biofuel crops to give off fewer pollutants and greenhouse gases can, in fact, 【小题2】 increase the cutting down of trees. That means in most cases solutions aiming at one problem each time are 【小题3】 to be effective. And, what is perhaps lacking is a(n) 【小题4】 of how interlinked these problems are.

We should realize that a key 【小题5】 linking all the three problems is waste. The root cause of global warming is CO₂, a waste gas. The seas are polluted by plastic and other waste products. We 【小题6】 forests, among other things, to grow more food — much of which goes to waste.

A shocking figure lies at the heart of our special report on our world — of the more than 100 billion tons of things that humans use each year, hardly 10% is recycled. That makes it obvious a full-range war on waste should be paid 【小题7】 attention. The situation requires our speedy moving away from the way of thinking — “take, make, throw” — towards a more recyclable one, which means we should begin 【小题8】 the products and when they reach the end of their useful lives, they can be recycled.

Solving the three problems calls for a huge transition with joint efforts. Governments must take the lead by introducing laws with the purpose of rewarding green practices, such as the 【小题9】 of waste. Industries can reduce, re-use and recycle wherever possible, and 【小题10】 themselves with suppliers and the like-minded to realize recyclable business models.

All Change in Curitiba!

Like many other major world cities, Curitiba in southern Brazil has had to deal with issues such as pollution, poverty, and limited public funding. However, the architect and three-times mayor of the city, Jaime Lerner, has introduced some 【小题1】 solutions.

As part of his ‘Master Plan’, Lerner hoped to make the city more environmentally friendly. He initiated a recycling scheme. In return for delivering recyclable rubbish to specified 【小题2】 points, residents receive a bag of vegetables or bus tickets. As a result, Curitiba now has one of the highest recycling rates in the world. Lerner also ordered the 【小题3】 of 26 urban parks. As well as preventing pollution, these control flooding.

Lerner did not win over all the city’s residents immediately, however. When his plans to 【小题4】 part of the centre were passed, local businesses were up in arms, fearing a reduction in profits. Realising he needed to act quickly, Lerner had the 【小题5】 of six blocks completed within three days. When a group of motorists attempted to drive through the new pedestrian area, Lerner arranged for local primary schools to hold a painting workshop on the streets. The drivers were forced to turn back. Luckily for Lerner, this rebellion was 【小题6】. The increase in profit rapidly persuaded shop owners to change their minds.

Lerner’s determination helped 【小题7】 the Curitiba of today. The average income per capita has risen from a level that was below the Brazilian average in the 1970s to 66% above the average, and surveys indicate high levels of resident satisfaction.

So, is it all just one big success story? In some respects, Curitiba may have been too successful for its own【小题8】. People and businesses have come to the city, which now has more than 1.8 million residents. This has put the city under enormous stress. Forty years ago, buses transported 54,000 passengers a day. Now the number is 2.3 million. According to some experts, the transport system has reached its 【小题9】 efficiency capacity. Following a rise in complaints about the noisy and 【小题10】 buses, the service is in decline.