【英语时差8,16】适应气候变化

With all the concerns about global warming and climate change one might ask the question, "Why don't species just adapt?" Don takes the devil's advocate position and discusses this with Yael.   D: Yael, we know global warming is bad, right? I mean, the temperature of the air on the Earth's surface is projected to increase at a rate more rapid than any temperature change that has taken place in the last ten thousand years.

Y: Yep--the forecast is pretty grim.

D: So my question is: Why can't species simply adapt to these changes? I mean, they've had to adapt to climate change in the past.

Y: Well, for starters, thanks to ecosystem¹ changes due to agriculture and deforestation and pollution, many species are already weakened to begin with. Plus, in the past, climate change has happened slowly enough that many species had enough time to shift the locations where they grow and reproduce. But the current projected rate of surface temperature change would require for plants to move at a rate of 3.5 miles per year.

D: That's not that bad.

Y: It is if you consider that the fastest plant species only migrate at the rate of 1.3 miles a year.

D: Wow. But that's just plants. What about animals?

Y: It's a problem if their food source doesn't move with them. And it doesn't help that all of the different ways we use land means that the Earth is pretty much a mosaic² of different ecosystems³ rather than larger, contiguous habitats.

D: Oh, so even if a species is able to migrate quickly enough, it has nowhere to go and nothing to eat.

Y: Yep. So you see, Don, the Earth's species simply don't have enough time and resources to adapt to such rapid climate change, and that's why many aren't expected to survive if global warming continues at its currently projected rate.  

1 ecosystem   

n.生态系统

参考例句：

• This destroyed the ecosystem of the island.这样破坏了岛上的生态系统。
• We all have an interest in maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem.维持生态系统的完整是我们共同的利益。

2 mosaic   

n./adj.镶嵌细工的，镶嵌工艺品的，嵌花式的

参考例句：

• The sky this morning is a mosaic of blue and white.今天早上的天空是幅蓝白相间的画面。
• The image mosaic is a troublesome work.图象镶嵌是个麻烦的工作。

3 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