美国国家公共电台 NPR--Extreme weather, fueled by climate change, cost the U.S. $165 billion in 2022

Extreme weather, fueled by climate change, cost the U.S. $165 billion in 2022

Transcript¹

The U.S. suffered 18 separate billion-dollar disasters in 2022, highlighting the growing cost of climate change. (Story aired on All Things Considered on Jan. 10, 2023.)

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

A report out this week shows the U.S. had 18 different weather disasters last year that cost a billion dollars or more. NPR's Nathan Rott has more.

NATHAN ROTT, BYLINE²: One hundred sixty-five billion dollars - that's how much damage weather-related disasters did in the U.S. in 2022, not to mention the loss of life - at least 474 people, according to the new report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric³ Administration. Rick Spinrad is NOAA's administrator⁴.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

RICK SPINRAD: Climate change is creating more and more intense extreme events that cause significant damage and often sets off cascading⁵ hazards, like intense drought, followed by devastating⁶ wildfires, followed by dangerous flooding and mudslides as we're seeing, for example, as a consequence of the atmospheric rivers in California right now.

ROTT: Climate change is a major driver of the recent uptick in so-called billion-dollar disasters, which often cost far more. Hurricane Ian, for example, which walloped South Florida and the Caribbean, caused nearly $113 billion in damage in the U.S. alone. But the other major issue contributing to that cost is how we build and where. People are still moving to flood-prone areas, to fire-prone areas, to the drought-stricken West. Rachel Cleetus is a policy director at the Union of Concerned Scientists.

RACHEL CLEETUS: At this point, we're still far too often reacting to these as one-off disasters. And the reality is climate change is worsening the trend here. And we have to do much better at getting out ahead and protecting and preparing communities in advance of disasters.

ROTT: Particularly, she says, low-income communities and communities of color, which are disproportionately impacted by natural disasters. European climate researchers confirmed that the last eight years had been the warmest in modern world history. And perhaps most concerning, the cause of climate change, greenhouse gases from human activities, are still rising. The nonpartisan research firm Rhodium Group put out a report showing that despite the Biden administration's pledges and the massive climate bill passed by Congress last year, U.S. emissions⁷ rose again in 2022, risking even worse climate change in the future.

Nathan Rott, NPR News.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 atmospheric   

adj.大气的，空气的；大气层的；大气所引起的

参考例句：

• Sea surface temperatures and atmospheric circulation are strongly coupled.海洋表面温度与大气环流是密切相关的。
• Clouds return radiant energy to the surface primarily via the atmospheric window.云主要通过大气窗区向地表辐射能量。

4 administrator   

n.经营管理者，行政官员

参考例句：

• The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
• He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。

5 cascading   

流注( cascade的现在分词 )； 大量落下； 大量垂悬； 梯流

参考例句：

• First of all, cascading menus are to be avoided at all costs. 首先，无论如何都要避免使用级联菜单。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• Her sounds began cascading gently. 他的声音开始缓缓地低落下来。

6 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

7 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。