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Podcast: 李老師陪你探索英文世界 Exploring English with Ms. Lee
Episode: EP162 | 我們真的需要買這麼多鞋子嗎？被丟棄的鞋子造成的環境傷害
Description: 你知道鞋子的設計是可以維持長達1000年的嗎？然而，每年有數十億的鞋子被生產，我們卻短短只穿100天之後就丟棄，而這些人造化合物卻不會因為我們不穿就消失，反而正悄悄地在地球上留下傷及土壤、水源、與動物健康的污染物，即便許多廠商正開發以植物為基底的鞋底材質設計，但仍然抵不過舊鞋難以再回收利用的事實。
本集文稿：
Do you know that shoes are designed to last 1000 years, but most of us just wear them for 100 days? And because of the materials that they are made from, with every step we take, our shoes leave behind an invisible trail of contaminants, which can potentially harm the soil, water, and animal health. Just 2022 alone, 24 billion pairs of sneakers were manufactured, and each pair contained different types of synthetic and plastic materials. As a result, every year about tens of thousands tons of microplastics seep into our oceans. Moreover, footwear alone accounts for 1.4% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Finally the footwear industry is starting to do something about it. Several brands are starting to develop plant-based soles that won’t leave plastics behind when they break down. However, because of the complexity of the shoemaking process, it’s nearly impossible to recycle sho...