The good news is that more people bought electric vehicles (EVs) in 2020. The bad news is that sport utility (多用途的) vehicles (SUVs) continued to grow in popularity, too. “The fall in oil consumption due to the first trend was completely canceled out by the second,” said Laura Cozzi, an officer at the International Energy Agency (JEA).

Between 2010 and 2020, global carbon dioxide emissions (排放) from conventional cars fell by nearly 35 billion tons, due to reasons such as fuel efficiency improvements as well as the   switch to electric cars. Emissions from SUVs rose by more than 50 billion tons. “While the growth in EVs is encouraging, the boom in SUVs is heart-breaking,” says Peters at the Cicero Climate Research Centre in Norway.

There are many reasons for the growing popularity of SUVs. For example, rising economic boom in many countries means more people are able to afford them. Some people see them as status symbols. Also, SUVs are heavily advertised by car-makers, whose profit is higher on these vehicles. Some countries, including France, have introduced plans under which more taxes are paid on heavier cars. But Peters thinks that people who are rich enough to afford SUVs won’t be deterred by slightly higher taxes. “There are now some electric SUVs available, but I hope one day you will see more electric vehicles brought to the SUV market,” says Peters.

Even if it happens, switching to electric SUVs isn’t a good solution. Due to their size and bigger batteries, it takes more resources to build electric SUVs, and they consume around 15 percent more electricity. That means higher emissions unless the electricity comes entirely from renewable sources, and higher electricity demand makes it harder to green the electricity supply.

Thanks to more than two decades of environmental recovery efforts, various species of wild birds have begun to gather at the mouth of the Yellow River. The Yellow River Delta National Nature Reserve in Shandong province covers about 153, 000 hectares, with wetland making up over 70% of the total area.

Wang Andong, a researcher in the reserve, said 315 oriental storks, an endangered species, were born there this year. The species is under first-class national protection in China. Wang said that, decades ago, the oriental storks only made a brief stop at the reserve before they traveled to China's warm south, but an increasing number of the birds are choosing to live in the area throughout the year.

The reserve has seen the birth of 2, 000 oriental storks since 2003 when the birds first nested there. The increase in the number of wild birds in the reserve, especially endangered species, reflects the area's improved ecology.

Wang owed the improvement to a number of wetland recovery projects, such as water replenishment and turning farmland back into wetland. A total of 155 million cubic meters of water was supplied to the reserve in July to replenish groundwater. Water replenishment, started in 2008, helps bring back the wetland and creates a better environment for fish. It ensures enough food supplies for the birds.

The rising number of wild birds in the reserve has become a feast for the eyes for bird-watchers, who are able to spot oriental storks and other wild birds even outside the reserve.

There was a time when a trip to the supermarket in the United States often ended with a simple question from the cashier：“Paper or plastic?”Well， which type of bag would you choose?

Although all types of bags have some influences on the environment， it has long been thought that paper bags are kinder. They are made from a renewable source， break down esily， bum without giving off thick smoke and can be recycled. However， the producing process behind paper bags uses more energy than that of plastic ones.

How can this be true?

Studies show that paper bag production requires four times as much energy as plastic bag production. And the amount of water used to make them is twenty times higher. Besides， the influence on forests is very serious. It takes about fourteen million trees to produce ten billion paper bags， which happens to be the number of bags used in the United States yearly. In terms of recycling， the idea that paper bags are more environment- friendly than plastic ones can be quickly given up. Research shows it requires about 98% less energy to recycle plastic than it does paper.

Even though paper bags might be more harmful than plastic ones， plastic still seems to be considered by governments as the more harmful of the two. In Ireland， for example， a tax has been introduced to discourage the use of plastic bags. People have to pay 22 cents for every plastic bag， and as a result， their use has dropped quickly.

There’s no doubt that it makes more sense to reuse these bags. However， we don’t seem to be doing that at present. That may be because they fall apart quickly. If so，cloth bags are a better choice， but still， their production also has a bad influence on the environment. So what to do? How should we answer the question of“Paper or plastic?” It seems that we first need to ask ourselves one more general question：“What can I do to help the environment?”