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Added on the 17/06/2021 17:30:00 - Copyright : France 24 EN
A park in Beijing's Fangshan district, where residents used to gather, dance and exercise, is now flooded with plastic waste after China's capital was hit with its heaviest rains in recent days since records began 140 years ago. IMAGES
This creepy crawly insect is called a wax worm and, believe it or not, this little guy may just be the answer to global pollution. Footage provided courtesy of the Spanish National Research Council shows a brilliant new discovery made by researcher Federica Bertocchini. She discovered that wax worms are capable of eating through polyethylene plastic. The researcher demonstrated her discovery at a laboratory in Madrid on Wednesday. Although polyethylene is one of the world's most resistant forms of plastic, the worms can destroy the material by munching their way through it. According to the researcher, 100 worms can biodegrade up to 92 milligrams of polyethylene in just one night. That might not seem like much, but what if we multiply that by a thousand? Or even a million? The discovery is touted as the first all-natural solution to the disposal of the dangerous and wasteful material worldwide. Wax worms are now seen as the best way to biodegrade plastic without causing more harmful effects to nature. Polyethylene plastic, the material used to make plastic bags, is very durable. That's why we use it so often. The problem is that polyethylene is not biodegradable, which means that it stays in the environment for hundreds of years after being thrown away. It can cause all sorts of problems for wild animals and the natural environment in general. That's why this new discovery has the potential to help us clean up our act and restore areas like landfills and other areas polluted with plastic.
This giant metallic structure is actually a massive dust screen. This gigantic dust filter was built in the Chinese port city of Qinhuangdo to tackle the ever-present problem of pollution, which affects many Chinese cities. The dust shield is 75 feet tall, stretches for over 9,500 feet, and serves as a blockade against dust from the port's coal and mineral heaps. The Hebei Port Group plans to extend the dust screen to 11 miles, which should make it the largest in the world. The first ever red alert for severe fog issued in China last year proves that pollution continues to be a major problem. Thick smog even rolled through Beijing during New Year's Eve celebrations. China's Ministry of Environmental Protection has cracked down on some 500 Chinese companies for violations of laws on limiting smog levels in a bid to tackle ongoing severe weather issues
Scientists report that mealworms can biodegrade Styrofoam and other types of plastic in their gut. The findings could potentially lead to new methods to tackle the growing problem of plastic pollution, according to researchers. Ben Gruber reports.
China's annual National People's Congress (NPC) starts at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. The key parliamentary meeting, attended by President Xi Jinping and thousands of delegates from around the country, kicked off to a rendition of the national anthem. IMAGES
A thick haze smothers Beijing as swathes of northern China fight some of their worst air pollution of the year. Tens of millions of people in Beijing and its surrounding areas will continue confronting serious pollution throughout the first half of November, according to official forecast. IMAGES
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