2019年经济学人 IPCC土地使用报告(2)

 

This, in turn, increases the amount of greenhouse gases being released by landmasses, which further accelerates global warming.

这反过来增加了陆块的温室气体释放量，进一步加速了全球变暖。

A swelling¹ human population also needs more land to feed itself. Balancing these needs—for space to grow food on the one hand,

增加的人口也需要更多土地供养。平衡这些需求—一方面有地可种，

and natural carbon sinks to keep temperatures low on the other—is a huge challenge. There are, however, solutions.

另一方面天然碳汇可保持低温—是一个巨大的挑战。但有解决办法。

Recently, a report by the World Resources Institute, a multinational² think-tank,

近期跨国智囊团—世界资源研究所的一份报告

listed 22 actions that could be taken to feed, sustainably, close to 10bn people by 2050.

列出了22项可采取的行动，以持续供养至2050年接近100亿的人口。

Number one on that list is stopping deforestation, along with efforts to regenerate³ degraded ecosystems⁴.

名单上的第一条就是停止砍伐森林，以及努力恢复退化的生态系统。

Reducing food waste is also important. More than a quarter of what the world grows to eat is never actually consumed.

减少食物浪费也很重要。世界上超过四分之一的粮食实际上从未被消费掉。

That creates a huge carbon footprint to no benefit. And diets themselves need to change.

这造成了巨大的碳足迹，却毫无益处。饮食本身也需要改变。

In particular, raising livestock⁵ contributes disproportionately to the problem.

尤其是养牲畜不成比例地加剧了这一问题。

That means eating less meat, an admonition directed mainly at rich countries,

这意味着少吃肉，这一警告主要针对富裕国家

whose people, often overweight, might in any case benefit from going on a diet.

这些国家的人通常都超重，或许不管怎样他们都能从节食中获益。

This last point presented one bone of contention⁶ between the 195 government delegations⁷ charged with approving the panel's report.

最后一点是195个负责批准报告的政府之间的争论焦点之一。

The role of bioenergy (growing crops for fuel) and BECCS (bioenergy with carbon capture and storage) was another.

生物能（种植燃料作物）以及碳捕获和储存（BECCS）的作用是另一个争议点。

A previous IPCC report, published in 2018, on the feasibility of limiting global warming to 1.5°C,

IPCC之前在2018年发布的一份关于将全球变暖控制在1.5°C以内的可行性报告

made it abundantly clear that this would require large amounts of greenhouse gases be removed from the atmosphere and somehow stored away.

充分阐明了这样将需要从大气中去除大量的温室气体，并以某种方式储存起来。

BECCS, in which power stations capture and store the CO2 from burning biofuel, has been touted⁸ as a way to do that on a large scale,

BECCS（发电站捕捉并储存燃烧生物燃料中的二氧化碳）已被吹捧为大规模实现这一目标的一种方式，

but the area of land required to grow the biofuel needed to absorb billions of tonnes of CO2 would be enormous—several times the size of India.

但种植能够吸收数十亿公吨二氧化碳所需的生物燃料，其所需的土地面积将是巨大的—是印度面积的几倍。

Optimistically, the report's authors conclude that there should be enough room to provide a growing population with sufficient food,

该报告的作者们乐观地总结到，应该有足够的空间为不断增长的人口提供足够的食物，

without rushing towards a dangerously warm climate. There is, though, a caveat⁹.

而不必冲向危险的温暖气候。不过有一点要注意。

That outcome would require what one commentator¹⁰ called a "global intelligent response".

这一结果将需要一位评论员所说的“全球智能反应”。

But the world, like the delegates, seems to be asleep.

但这个世界，就像代表们一样，似乎都睡着了。

1 swelling   

n.肿胀

参考例句：

• Use ice to reduce the swelling. 用冰敷消肿。
• There is a marked swelling of the lymph nodes. 淋巴结处有明显的肿块。

2 multinational   

adj.多国的，多种国籍的；n.多国籍公司，跨国公司

参考例句：

• The firm was taken over by a multinational consulting firm.这家公司被一个跨国咨询公司收购。
• He analyzed the relationship between multinational corporations and under-developed countries.他分析了跨国公司和不发达国家之间的关系。

3 regenerate   

vt.使恢复，使新生；vi.恢复，再生；adj.恢复的

参考例句：

• Their aim is to regenerate British industry.他们的目的是复兴英国的工业。
• Although it is not easy,you have the power to regenerate your life.尽管这不容易，但你有使生活重获新生的能力。

4 ecosystems   

n.生态系统( ecosystem的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There are highly sensitive and delicately balanced ecosystems in the forest. 森林里有高度敏感、灵敏平衡的各种生态系统。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Madagascar's ecosystems range from rainforest to semi-desert. 马达加斯加生态系统类型多样，从雨林到半荒漠等不一而足。 来自辞典例句

5 livestock   

n.家畜，牲畜

参考例句：

• Both men and livestock are flourishing.人畜两旺。
• The heavy rains and flooding killed scores of livestock.暴雨和大水淹死了许多牲口。

6 contention   

n.争论，争辩，论战；论点，主张

参考例句：

• The pay increase is the key point of contention. 加薪是争论的焦点。
• The real bone of contention,as you know,is money.你知道，争论的真正焦点是钱的问题。

7 delegations   

n.代表团( delegation的名词复数 )；委托，委派

参考例句：

• In the past 15 years, China has sent 280 women delegations abroad. 十五年来，中国共派280批妇女代表团出访。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• The Sun Ray decision follows the federal pattern of tolerating broad delegations but insisting on safeguards. “阳光”案的判决仿效联邦容许广泛授权的做法，但又坚持保护措施。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法

8 touted   

v.兜售( tout的过去式和过去分词 )；招揽；侦查；探听赛马情报

参考例句：

• She's being touted as the next leader of the party. 她被吹捧为该党的下一任领导人。
• People said that he touted for his mother and sister. 据说，他给母亲和姐姐拉生意。 来自辞典例句

9 caveat   

n.警告； 防止误解的说明

参考例句：

• I would offer a caveat for those who want to join me in the dual calling.为防止发生误解，我想对那些想要步我后尘的人提出警告。
• As I have written before,that's quite a caveat.正如我以前所写，那确实是个警告。

10 commentator   

n.注释者，解说者；实况广播评论员

参考例句：

• He is a good commentator because he can get across the game.他能简单地解说这场比赛，是个好的解说者。
• The commentator made a big mistake during the live broadcast.在直播节目中评论员犯了个大错误。