Torrential rains have hit China In July, with 617.1mm of water reportedly falling form Saturday to Tuesday in Zhengzhou, for which more than 100,000 people have been evacuated. The scenes of devastation(破坏)in Zhengzhou added to a list of disasters this year that have raised the fear of climate change.

As the effects of climate change become more disastrous, well-known research institutions and government agencies are focusing new money and attention on an idea: artificially cooling the planet, in the hopes of buying humanity more time to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

That strategy, called solar geoengineering, involves reflecting more of the sun's energy back into space to abruptly reduce global temperatures. The idea has been considered as a dangerous and fancied solution, one that would encourage people to keep burning fossil fuels while on the other hand exposing the planet to unexpected threatening side effects, producing more destructive hurricanes, wildfires, floods and other disasters.

But as global warming continues, producing more destructive hurricanes, wildfires, floods and other disasters. some experts say that concerns about geoengineering should be outweighed by the imperative to better understand it, in case the consequence of climate change become so terrible that the world can't wait for better solutions.

One way to cool the earth is by injecting aerosols(气溶胶)into the upper layer of the atmosphere, where those particles(粒子)reflect sunlight away from the earth. That process works, according to MacMartin, a researcher at Cornell University.

“We know with 100% certainty that we can cool the planet,” he said. What's still unclear, he added, is what happens next. Temperature, MacMartin said, is an indicator for a lot of climate effects. “What does it do to the strength of hurricanes?” he asked, “What does it do to agriculture production? What does it do to the risk of forest fires?”

Another institution funded by the National Science Foundation will analyze simulations of aerosol injection, testing the effects on Weather extremes around the world. One goal of the research is to look for a sweet spot: the amount of artificial cooling that can reduce extreme weather events without causing broader changes in regional rainfall patterns or similar impacts.

How to Survive a Tsunami

A tsunami is a series of destructive and dangerous waves that are typically caused by earthquakes. If you live in a tsunami hazard region, make sure you know what to do in the unfortunate event of a tsunami. 【小题1】

1. Evacuate on foot if possible.

Bridges and roads might be damaged or blocked after an earthquake. Whether there is an official tsunami warning or you live in a tsunami hazard zone and an earthquake just happened, immediately start moving on foot. 【小题2】This helps you avoid getting stuck in a car in a dangerous location.

2. 【小题3】

In some cases, you might not have time to evacuate. If you don’t have time to get away, go up to a third floor or higher in a strong building. Even better, try to get on the roof of the tallest, strongest building you can find. If you’re right on the coast, there might be a tall tsunami evacuation tower nearby. Look for evacuation route signs and follow them to the tower, then climb to the top.

3. Grab something floating if you’re in the water.

This can help keep you safe if you get caught by a tsunami’s waves. 【小题4】 Grab the object and hold on tightly while you get carried by the waves.

4. 【小题5】

Tsunami activity can continue for up to 8 hours or longer. Stay away from the coast and on high ground for this period to play it safe. Listen to announcements from officials and only move when they say it’s safe to do so.

You may be stressed out and worried about loved ones, but you must stay where you are and try to remain calm. Don’t put your life at risk to try to meet up with someone in another area.

Paris is a city like no other,and much of this has to do with its beautiful architecture.But on April 15,Notre-Dame Cathedral,one of its most iconic structures,caught fire and lasted for several hours,nearly destroying the centuries-old church before firefighters were able to extinguish the fire.The tragedy all began when fire alarms rang in the evening as people rushed past the Notre-Dame Cathedral on their way home.Yet upon seeing the smoke,and then later the flames,a large crowd gathered in horror as it watched the spire(尖塔) of the famous cathedral collapse as the fire grew in size and intensity(剧烈).

The fire at Notre-Dame Cathedral started in or near the spires some 295 feet from the ground.According to Dunn,a fire expert,this was extremely problematic for two reasons.“If you’ve ever been in the attic of a church,you’ll instantly notice it’s all made of wood,which of course makes it ripe for a fire to spread quickly.Second,fire hoses can only reach a maximum height of fifty feet,making the spires in Notre-Dame Cathedral extremely difficult to address.”

“The firefighters used both an offensive and defensive strategy,” explains Dunn.“First,from the outside,they had aerial streams hitting the fire from several safe locations to contain the flames and prevent them from spreading to nearby structures.Then,they switched strategies to an inside one in which an offensive search-and-recover operation began.They did a great job.”

That brings us to the difficult but important discussion of what to do with the countless other places of worship around the world.“If centuries-old places of worship want to protect their buildings,they must install automatic sprinklers,” Dunn argues.“The problem is,no one wants to do that because it could deface the beautiful interiors(内部).But that’s really the only way they can ensure their structure will last another century.If they don’t take this problem seriously,any other places of worship around the world could suffer the fate as Notre-Dame Cathedral.”