It is an uncomfortable fact that civilized society is almost completely dependent upon fossil fuels in nearly every aspect. Whether you believe there are hundreds of years or just a few decades left of this resource, the fact remains that it is a limited resource. At some point, fossil fuels are going to either be gone or become too expensive to realistically use. That is, when fossil fuels become too expensive to use, people will just start using something else. Though this may work well in theory, actually shifting from fossil fuels is not the same as shifting from one brand of shampoo to another.

This is entirely due to the fact that humans rely so much on the infrastructure (基础设施) they have developed, which is entirely dependent upon this resource, accounting for 85% of the United State's energy use. If the world were entirely dependent upon solar energy, that would be fine because sunlight is a continuing resource. However, at the current state of things, humans are in a dangerous position owing to its complete dependence upon one single limited input.

Fossil fuels are also responsible for a significant amount of land, water, and air pollution beyond their carbon dioxide (二氧化碳) production. For example, coal mining brings solid wastes to the surface that would normally remain underground and the areas around a mine can remain barren (贫瘠的) for generations due to the lack of proper topsoil. The burning of coal for energy also produces many different types of particulate (微粒的) matter that pollutes the air. Compared with fossil fuels, renewable energy is far more environmentally friendly.

There exists an argument that renewable energy options are not as efficient as fossil fuels because the deployment (部署) of renewable energy equipment like the wind turbine (风力涡轮机) costs a lot of money. However, when factors such as pollution and climate change are considered, renewable energy is actually far more efficient than fossil fuels. And fossil fuels will be surely replaced by renewable energy whether it is your generation or your grandchildren's.

Young Chinese are increasingly making their voices heard and influencing world opinion as they take on more important roles in international organizations and global projects. At a ceremony in Beijing, singer and actor Karry Wang was made the National Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) by Erik Solheim, the organization’s executive director.

“The youth are no longer merely onlookers when it comes to environmental action, nor should they be. I will spare no effort to do everything I can to take care of our Earth, and I invite everyone to join me in generating a wave of positive action,” Wang said in his speech after the appointment. In 2016, Wang widely publicized the Wild for Life campaign, reaching 400 million viewers.

Beyond drawing attention to wildlife, he called on his followers to pledge to reduce their electronic waste through social media. Within 24 hours, his post was shared 1.67 million times and more than 400,000 followers signed the pledge. “Our actions will soon be the leverage to change the world.” Wang says, calling on the younger generation in China and around the world to raise their awareness of environmental issues.

Erik Solheim says, “It is inspiring to see the strong and determined voice of Chinese youth when it comes to the environment. When young people set their minds to change, it is incredible to see the great things that can be accomplished. We are very excited to work with Karry Wang to create even more awareness about the environmental problems and solutions.”

According to a UN report, young people’s participation will help achieve the sustainable development goals in the Asia-Pacific region set for 2030. Besides Wang, other UNEP Goodwill Ambassadors include actress Li Bingbing, Ellie Goulding and celebrities from all walks of life both from China and abroad.

Man did not have to think about the protection of his environment in the past. There were not many people on the Earth, and natural resources seemed to be unlimited.

Today, things are different. 【小题1】地球上有太多的人. We are using up our natural resources too quickly, and at the same time we are polluting our environment with dangerous chemicals. 【小题2】If we continue like this, human life on the Earth will not survive.

Everyone realizes today that if too many fish are taken from the sea, there will soon be none left. 【小题3】Yet, with modern fishing methods, more and more fish are caught. We know that if people cut down more trees. forests will disappear and nothing will grow on the land.

We realize that if rivers are polluted with waste products from factories, we will die. However, in most countries, waste products are still put into rivers or into the sea, and there are few laws to stop this.

We know, too, that if the population of the world continues to rise at the present rate, in a few years, there will not be enough food.

【小题4】我们能做些什么来解决这些问题?

If we eat more vegetables and less meat, we will easily get more food. Land that is used to grow crops can feed five times more people than land where animals are kept.

The world population will not rise so quickly if people use modern methods of birth control. 【小题5】Finally, if we educate people to think about the problems, our living place will be better and cleaner in the future.