There have been many attempts to create an all-plastic bike. However, most have never made it past the beginning stage. Igus, a Germany-based company of high-performance plastics, and Dutch start-up MTRL aim to change that with the igus:bike — the world’s first city bike crafted almost totally from recycled plastic.

Igus CEO Frank Blasé first got the idea while vacationing on a Florida beach. A conversation with workers at a rental company made him aware of the challenges of maintaining beach bicycles. The long-term exposure to sand, wind and saltwater caused the bikes to rust (生锈) rapidly. Many had to be replaced in as little as three months.

The igus: bike was uncovered at a German trade show. It can be left outdoors in all weathers and does not require lubricant oil to reduce friction (摩擦) between parts. Since it does not attract sand, dust or dirt, the bike can be cleaned with a garden water pipe in seconds. Currently, 90 percent of the igus:bike is made using plastic. This includes the bicycle’s hard but lightweight frame, bearings, pedals, and wheel rims.

The igus:bike will also help reduce the world’s plastic pollution. The company says a single adult bike gives new life to about 35 pounds of single-use plastic that would have entered our landfills or waterways. For example, the first prototypes were made from old fishing nets. MTRL says it is planning to set producing facilities near plastic landfills around the world.

“From ocean plastics to plastics from other sources, the igus:bike has what it takes to become a high-tech environmental product,” says MTRL co-founder Benjamin Alderse Baas.

The plastic bikes are expected to come onto the market in early 2023. An adult model, made from recycled plastic, will cost about €1,400. A slightly cheaper version made using new plastic and an electric bike are also in the works. Igus also plans on sharing its technology with other bicycle producers. “We want to enable the bicycle industry to produce plastic bikes,” says Blasé.

In order to meet growing food production and energy needs in low-and middle-income countries, solar-powered groundwater irrigation (灌溉) is rapidly gaining ground. More than 500,000 solar pumps (泵) have been set up in south Asia over the last few years and a major expansion is planned across sub-Saharan Africa.

Dustin Garrick, professor in the School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability, along with an international team, examined the trend toward solar pumps as a clear opportunity for boosting agricultural yields and reducing poverty, but the opportunity comes with risks.

While replacing electric or gas pumps with solar-powered irrigation holds the promise of reducing carbon emissions (排放), it is not guaranteed. Farmers who have access to these pumps may expand production of crops or diversify into other activities, which are not emissions neutral. Solar pumps will increase groundwater pumping efficiency, which may be desirable in regions that support such increases, but this could worsen groundwater lessening in regions that are already stressed. The cheap clean energy of solar pumps may lead to increased groundwater development, without necessarily decreasing overall emissions.

Despite these challenges, the clean-energy boost can serve as a stimulus for positive change in water and energy management but will require enhanced regulation and planning in both low-and high-income settings. Garrick and his team advocate for improved data collection initiatives, with a shift from separated to integrated approaches. They suggest using technology to measure water pumping and collecting remotely sensed data to monitor land use changes. As well, regulatory improvements are crucial, with mounting limits for carbon emissions and groundwater lessening established at various levels.

With groundwater management already a difficult challenge, we must act fast to understand the implications of the clean energy boost and poverty reduction acts to avoid these gains being won away by wells running dry. The rapid adoption of solar irrigation intensifies the urgency, demanding adaptation from governments and institutions to sail through these complexities.

When you want to go somewhere, you can easily find your way by using a map app on your smartphone- Your smartphone "knows" where you are and can tell you where to go.

This is possible with the help of satellite navigation （卫星导航）systems. On June 23, with the last satellite of China's Beidou Navigation Satellite System launched into space, the global network of 59 satellites has been completed. On July 31, Beidou started providing full-scale global services. More than 120 countries and regions are now using Beidou services. The BDS is entirely built by Chinese engineers, which is one of four global navigation systems, along with US' GPS, Russia's GLONASS and the European Union's Galileo,

It's difficult to imagine the great impact those satellite orbiting （围绕…运转）the Earth have on our daily lives- When you unlock one of Hellobike's bicycles, you are using the BDS. The popular bike-sharing company came out with two new bike models this year that are equipped with the positioning （定位）service. "The intelligent lock on each bike receives Beidou satellite signals and sends positioning information to the data center, which will help collect big data on the bikes and estimate users* riding demands in advance according to the data/ Chu Yiqun, a manager of Hellobike told Xinhua News Agency. Users can also find shared bikes more accurately thanks to Beidou's global positioning accuracy （精确）of 2.34 meters.       ,

Beidou adopts a unique two-way communication system, including its ability to receive messages sent by people from areas with poor communication signals. It allows people to send text messages up to 1,200 Chinese characters in length when mobile phone services are interrupted (中断）by natural disasters.       

Beidou can be used in areas that include fanning, public services and business. It has a positioning accuracy of under 10 meters. This summer; people along the Yangtze River used Beidou-based device to monitor （监测）floodwaters in real-time with an accuracy of just a few centimeters.