The UK government recently has made a plan to reduce waste that shifts the responsibility for disposal (处置) from the state to the companies that make it.

The legislation (法律条文) requires waste producers to pay into the system 【小题1】 or through their suppliers. That is 【小题2】 the government called a Polluter Pays Principle. Simply 【小题3】 (state), the Polluter Pays Principle implies that the costs associated with pollution are to be paid by polluters, not by government or society. Businesses will have to change their waste processing before the tax comes into effect. This is similar to the anti-waste legislation passed in France in February 2020 【小题4】 forbids the producers to destruct the unsold clothing, cosmetics, and electrical products. Companies will have to reuse or recycle the items.

The demand for legislation like the tough attitude the UK 【小题5】 (take) has been increasing according to Positive News. And it is not just environmental groups calling for the changes. This is a consumer driven movement and people are willing to pay more for sustainable brands. In the past year alone, sales of consumer goods from brands with a demonstrated commitment to sustainability have grown more than 4% globally, 【小题6】those without grew less than 1%.

What is absolutely certain is that local governments will save a lot of money as the responsibility shifts to the polluters. That could be 【小题7】 (good) invested in things like social care or parks or libraries. Other countries have already made great progress in reducing waste. So far, Sweden’s anti-waste program is so efficient that the whole country is running out of trash. The 【小题8】 (recycle) rate is almost 99 percent and they are rapidly approaching zero waste.

In many countries, kitchen and gardening waste makes up of the biggest part of waste. This type of waste, 【小题9】 collected separately, can be turned into an energy source or fertilizer.

【小题10】 the differences in policies and regulations, one thing is clear: governments are sharing a common concept that the prevention of environmental damage should be based on concrete principles and solid actions.

Every year, over 8 million tons of plastics end up in our ocean, according to the UN Environment Programme. If left alone, sea animals 【小题1】 (trap) in them and sometimes drowned. Even 【小题2】（bad）, they will die if the plastics are eaten. To prevent this depressing 【小题3】(real), Boyan Slat, a 25-year-old engineer from the Netherlands, created The Ocean Cleanup, 【小题4】 environmental non-government organization, in 2013 and 【小题5】(build) the world’s first ocean plastic cleanup system.

The device, called System 001/B, uses a 600-metre-long “C” shaped tube to gather all the 【小题6】(float) rubbish. A sea anchor is attached to either end, 【小题7】 slows down the system and allows the faster-moving rubbish, carried by the waves, 【小题8】(flow) into its mouth. The device can also collect waste below the surface using a 3-meter deep skirt (挡板) attached to the end. After being gathered, the trash will be dragged back to shore 【小题9】 boat and recycled.

The Ocean Cleanup expects to clear 50 percent of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in five years. It remains to be seen if this dream will become true, but 【小题10】(sure) humanity must work together to reduce our plastic use and repair the damage our waste has caused.

We Must Act Now to Protect Our Threatened Oceans

Last week, climate strikers young and old came out in force to call upon the government to act with greater urgency in tackling the global climate emergency.

They 【小题1】 very well feel a need to step up their demands upon hearing the awful findings of the special report on the ocean and cryosphere（低温层）in a changing climate, released on Wednesday by the International Panel on Climate Change. The report highlighted the intimate connections which exist between our climate, our oceans and our very existence. It presented irrefutable scientific evidence 【小题2】 our warming climate is placing marine and frozen areas of our planet in grave danger, with some changes happening at a much larger scale and faster rate than previously 【小题3】（predict）.

Urgent action is needed 【小题4】 we are to keep our planet-and our oceans-safe and habitable. This requires 【小题5】（ambition） targets to reduce our carbon emissions and to shift our energy system away from polluting fossil fuels towards 100% renewable energies Change is also needed in international cooperation around 【小题6】 our oceans are protected.

It is hoped that early next year UN member states 【小题7】（sign）a strong global ocean treaty that could pave the way for the creation of marine sanctuaries（禁猎区）. 【小题8】（place）at least 30%of oceans off limits to human activities such as commercial fishing and oil and gas exploration. This is a crucial step towards building the resilience of marine ecosystems and securing a sustainable future for those 【小题9】 livelihoods depend on our oceans.

The government has been a vocal champion for ocean conservation. Now is the time for Britain 【小题10】（turn）political will into decisive action by leading the way with the forging of a new global ocean treaty. The prime minster's direct involvement could make the difference between a watered-down agreement or a powerful one