2019年经济学人 气候问题(2)

 

In fact, to conclude that climate change should mean shackling¹ capitalism² would be wrong-headed and damaging. There is an immense value in the vigour³, innovation and adaptability⁴ that free markets bring to the economies that took shape over that striped century. Market economies are the wells that produce the response climate change requires. Competitive markets properly incentivised, and politicians serving a genuine popular thirst for action, can do more than any other system to limit the warming that can be forestalled⁵ and cope with that which cannot.

事实上，得出气候变化应该意味着束缚资本主义的结论是错误的和破坏性的。自由市场给在那个斑驳的世纪中形成的经济带来的活力、创新和适应性具有巨大的价值。市场经济是应对气候变化的源泉。竞争激烈的市场得到了适当的激励，政客们真正满足了民众对行动的渴望，在限制气候变暖方面，他们比任何其他体系都能做得更多。

This special issue of The Economist⁶ is not all about the carbonclimate crisis. But articles on the crisis and what can be done about it are to be found across all this week’s sections. In this, our reporting mirrors the world. Whether it is in ensuring a future for the Panama Canal or weaning petrol-head presidents off their refinery⁷ habit, climate is never the whole story. Other things matter to Manhattan stockholders and Malawian smallholders. But climate change is an increasingly dangerous context for all their worlds.

本期《经济学人》特刊并不完全是关于碳气候危机的。但有关此次危机以及可以采取何种措施的文章，可以在本周的所有章节中找到。在这方面，我们的报道反映了世界。无论是为了确保巴拿马运河的未来，还是为了让石油大亨们戒掉炼油的习惯，气候从来都不是问题的全部。其他事情对曼哈顿的股东和马拉维的小佃农也很重要。但是气候变化对他们的世界来说是一个越来越危险的背景。

To understand that context, it is important to understand all the things that climate change is not. It is not the end of the world. Humankind is not poised⁸ teetering on the edge of extinction⁹. The planet itself is not in peril¹⁰. Earth is a tough old thing and will survive. And though much may be lost, most of the wondrous¹¹ life that makes Earth unique, as far as astronomers¹² can yet tell, will persist.

要理解这一背景，重要的是要理解气候变化不是一切。这不是世界末日。人类并没有在灭绝的边缘摇摇欲坠。地球本身并不处于危险之中。地球是一个坚强的老东西，它会生存下来。尽管可能会失去很多，但据天文学家所知，大多数让地球独一无二的奇妙生命将会继续存在。

Climate change is, though, a dire¹³ threat to countless¹⁴ people— one that is planetary in scope if not in its absolute stakes. It will displace tens of millions, at the very least; it will disrupt farms on which billions rely; it will dry up wells and water mains; it will flood low-lying places—and, as time goes by, higher-standing ones, too. True, it will also provide some opportunities, at least in the near term. But the longer humanity takes to curb¹⁵ emissions¹⁶, the greater the dangers and sparser¹⁷ the benefits—and the larger the risk of some truly catastrophic surprises.

然而，气候变化对无数人来说是一个可怕的威胁——即使不是绝对利害攸关，也是全球性的威胁。它至少会使数千万人流离失所；它将破坏数十亿人赖以生存的农场；它会使水井和水管干涸；洪水会淹没地势较低的地方，随着时间的推移，地势较高的地方也会被淹没。的确会有这种可能，至少在短期内是这样的。但是，人类控制排放的时间越长，危险就越大，好处也就越少，发生一些真正灾难性意外的风险也就越大。

1 shackling   

给（某人）带上手铐或脚镣( shackle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

2 capitalism   

n.资本主义

参考例句：

• The essence of his argument is that capitalism cannot succeed.他的论点的核心是资本主义不能成功。
• Capitalism began to develop in Russia in the 19th century.十九世纪资本主义在俄国开始发展。

3 vigour   

（=vigor）n.智力，体力，精力

参考例句：

• She is full of vigour and enthusiasm.她有热情，有朝气。
• At 40,he was in his prime and full of vigour.他40岁时正年富力强。

4 adaptability   

n.适应性

参考例句：

• It has a wide range of adaptability.它的应用性广。

5 forestalled   

v.先发制人，预先阻止( forestall的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She forestalled their attempt. 她先发制人，阻止了他们的企图。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I had my objection all prepared, but Stephens forestalled me. 我已做好准备要提出反对意见，不料斯蒂芬斯却抢先了一步。 来自辞典例句

6 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

7 refinery   

n.精炼厂，提炼厂

参考例句：

• They built a sugar refinery.他们建起了一座榨糖厂。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。

8 poised   

a.摆好姿势不动的

参考例句：

• The hawk poised in mid-air ready to swoop. 老鹰在半空中盘旋，准备俯冲。
• Tina was tense, her hand poised over the telephone. 蒂娜心情紧张，手悬在电话机上。

9 extinction   

n.熄灭，消亡，消灭，灭绝，绝种

参考例句：

• The plant is now in danger of extinction.这种植物现在有绝种的危险。
• The island's way of life is doomed to extinction.这个岛上的生活方式注定要消失。

10 peril   

n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物

参考例句：

• The refugees were in peril of death from hunger.难民有饿死的危险。
• The embankment is in great peril.河堤岌岌可危。

11 wondrous   

adj.令人惊奇的，奇妙的；adv.惊人地；异乎寻常地；令人惊叹地

参考例句：

• The internal structure of the Department is wondrous to behold.看一下国务院的内部结构是很有意思的。
• We were driven across this wondrous vast land of lakes and forests.我们乘车穿越这片有着湖泊及森林的广袤而神奇的土地。

12 astronomers   

n.天文学者，天文学家( astronomer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Astronomers can accurately foretell the date,time,and length of future eclipses. 天文学家能精确地预告未来日食月食的日期、时刻和时长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Astronomers used to ask why only Saturn has rings. 天文学家们过去一直感到奇怪，为什么只有土星有光环。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 dire   

adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的

参考例句：

• There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
• We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了，但是我们渡过了困难。

14 countless   

adj.无数的，多得不计其数的

参考例句：

• In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
• I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

15 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

16 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

17 sparser   

adj.稀疏的，稀少的( sparse的比较级 )

参考例句：