经济学人:各国要积极应对气候变暖(2)

 The report's message is also beyond doubt: the extra half a degree makes a big difference. 报告所传达的内容信息也不容置疑：这高出来的0.5°C也会带来很大不同。

Arctic summers could be ice-free once a decade in a two-degree world, but once a century in a one-and-a-half-degree one. 如果平均温度上升2°C，北极夏季可能十年就有一次不结冰，但是若平均温度上升1.5°C，就可能一个世纪一次。

Virtually all the ocean's coral might be irreversibly wiped out in a two-degree world, rather than 70-90% if temperatures rise by less. 平均温度上升2°C，几乎所有的海洋珊瑚都可能不可逆转地消亡，而如果温度上升的幅度小些，消亡数量可能减至70-90%。

Sea levels may rise an extra 10cm, washing away the livelihoods¹ of millions more people. 海平面可能会再上升10厘米，使数百万人失去生命。

Permitting a rise of two degrees could also see an extra 420m people exposed to record heat. 如果允许气温上升2°C，还会有4.2亿人遭受创纪录的高温。

The 2°C target has been baked into climate policy for years— 多年来，气候政策都定为允许气温上升2°C——

the number was first put forward by William Nordhaus, who shared the Nobel economics prize this week. 但2°C的目标太松了。

It is too lax. 威廉·诺德豪斯第一次提出这个数字，他在本周共享诺贝尔经济学奖。

Hitting either target would entail² transforming economies at a breakneck pace. 无论要达成哪一目标，都要求经济以极快速度转型。

To achieve 1.5°C, the world would by 2050 need to eliminate all 42bn tonnes of carbon-dioxide in annual emissions³. 要达到控制温度上升不超过1.5°C的目标，到2050年，全球每年排放的420亿吨二氧化碳需要全部消除。

Renewables, including hydropower, would have at least to treble their share of electricity generation from today’s 25%. 包括水力发电在内的可再生能源在发电量中所占的比例至少要从目前的25%提高两倍。

Internal-combustion engines, which power 499 out of 500 cars on the road today, would have to all but vanish. 内燃机驱动汽车也得消失，如今，在公路上行驶的500辆汽车中，有499辆是由内燃机驱动的。

Progress is being made. 但我们也正逐步取得进展。

The number of electric cars on the road is rising fast; 路上的电动汽车数量正在迅速增加；

green finance is gathering⁴ momentum⁵; 绿色金融蓄势待发；

zero-carbon technologies are being developed. 零碳技术正在开发中。

But the scale of the effort required is unprecedented⁶. 但所需的努力规模是前所未有的。

That is why reaction to the IPCC's report matters. 这就是为什么对IPCC报告的反应很重要。

Some European Union environment ministers want to adopt 1.5°C as a guide to policy before a UN summit in Poland in December. 12月份，在联合国波兰峰会前，某些欧盟环境部长想采用1.5°C作为政策指导。

Their Australian counterpart called it "irresponsible" to phase out coal by 2050. 其澳大利亚同行称到2050年逐步淘汰煤炭是“不负责任的”。

Donald Trump⁷, who plans to withdraw America from the Paris deal, has not read it. 计划让美国退出巴黎协议的唐纳德?特朗普没有读到这份协议。

A mix of alarm and apathy⁸ has both galvanised efforts to secure a 2°C future, and also bedevilled them. 警醒和冷漠的混杂态度鼓励了未来升温控制在2°C的目标设立，也阻碍着这个目标的实现。

A target of 1.5°C is no more likely to be met, but may nonetheless encourage the world to try harder. 尽管1.5°C的目标更难实现，但是可以鼓励世界各国朝此方向做出更多努力。

 

1 livelihoods   

生计，谋生之道( livelihood的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• First came the earliest individualistic pioneers who depended on hunting and fishing for their livelihoods. 走在最前面的是早期的个人主义先驱者，他们靠狩猎捕鱼为生。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• With little influence over policies, their traditional livelihoods are threatened. 因为马赛族人对政策的影响力太小，他们的传统生计受到了威胁。

2 entail   

vt.使承担，使成为必要，需要

参考例句：

• Such a decision would entail a huge political risk.这样的决定势必带来巨大的政治风险。
• This job would entail your learning how to use a computer.这工作将需要你学会怎样用计算机。

3 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。

4 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

5 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

6 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

7 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

8 apathy   

n.漠不关心，无动于衷；冷淡

参考例句：

• He was sunk in apathy after his failure.他失败后心恢意冷。
• She heard the story with apathy.她听了这个故事无动于衷。