BEIJING, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) — The following is a summary of published science and technology news of China.

GREEN SPACE & VISUAL ACUITY

Researchers have found that increased green space around home and school is associated with a slower decline in visual acuity among schoolchildren, according to a research article recently published in the journal Environment International.

A total of 286,801 schoolchildren in Guangzhou, south China’s Guangdong Province, were screened starting from 2016 and they were followed up over three academic years.

The analysis indicated that urban green space was positively associated with the vision level of schoolchildren while negatively associated with the risk of vision impairment.

DARK SKY COMMUNITY

Southern Chinese metropolis Shenzhen has rolled out the first local standard on light environment for dark sky community.

The standard, according to local authorities, is set to take effect from March, as it gives specifications in terms of the quality of the night sky in dark communities, management of the light environment and community management requirements.

The implementation of the standard will improve the light environment of dark night community, create high-quality starry sky and Milky Way landscape, and help boost tourism and night economy, local authorities said.

EFFICIENT MEMBRANE

A team of Chinese and New Zealand researchers has developed a type of membrane that can work for more than 5,000 hours to efficiently convert carbon dioxide into formic acid, a useful liquid chemical.

This durable carbon dioxide conversion is made possible by a catalyst derived from waste lead-acid batteries, according to the study published on Wednesday in the journal Nature.

The system’s conversion efficiency exceeds 90 percent, and its feasibility for industrial application has been validated on a preliminary basis.