时代周刊:国际社会刚准备好直面气候问题 2020就来了(4)

A 2019 analysis in the journal Nature identified nine tipping points—

《自然》杂志2019年的一项分析得出了9个地球似乎已经濒临的引爆点——

from the collapse¹ of the West Antarctic ice sheet to the thawing² of Arctic permafrost—that the planet appears close to reaching,

从南极西部冰盖的崩塌到北极永久冻土的融化——

any one of which might very well be triggered if warming exceeds 1.5°C.

如果变暖幅度超过1.5°C，其中的任何一个引爆点都可能被触发。

"Going beyond 2°C is a very critical step," says Johan Rockstrom,

“迈过2°C这一门槛将是非常关键的一步，”

director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research,

波茨坦气候影响研究所所长约恩·罗克斯托姆说道，

"not only in terms of economic and human impact but also in terms of the stability of the earth."

“不仅从气候变化对经济和人类的影响的角度来看是这样，从整个地球的稳定性来看也是如此。”

To keep temperatures from rising past the 1.5°C goal,

联合国环境规划署的一份报告显示，

we would need to cut global greenhouse-gas emissions³ 7.6% every year for the next decade,

为防止气温上升超过1.5°C，

according to a report from the U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP).

我们需要将接下来十年的每一年的全球温室气体排放量都减少7.6%。

That’s about the level the COVID-19 pandemic will reduce emissions this year,

大致相当于今年的新冠疫情减少的排放量，

but virtually no one thinks a deadly pandemic and accompanying unemployment is a sustainable way to halt climate change—

问题是，鲜有人认为致命流行病及随之而来的失业能够可持续地阻止气候变化——

and recessions are typically followed by sharp rebounds⁴ in emissions.

不仅如此，经济衰退之后通常都会出现排放量的大幅反弹。

To achieve the 1.5°C goal without creating mass disruption has always meant thoughtfully restructuring the global economy,

既要实现将气候变暖控制在1.5°C以内的目标，又要不引起大规模的破坏，一般就意味着要对全球经济进行精心的结构调整，

moving it away from fossil fuel extraction slowly but surely.

一步一个脚印地摆脱对化石燃料开采的依赖。

Scientists and economists⁵ agree this is the last opportunity we have to do so.

科学家和经济学家一致都认为，我们已经没有更多的机会。

"If we delay further than 2020," says Rockstrom,

“如果我们推迟到2020年以后，”罗克斯托姆说，

"there’s absolutely no empirical evidence that it can be done in an orderly way."

“我们没有任何的经验表明我们还能有序地完成这项工作。”

As of late June, countries had spent some $11 trillion on measures to halt the pandemic and stem its economic impact, according to the IMF.

IMF数据显示，截至6月下旬，各国在遏制疫情及其带来的经济影响方面的投资已经高达近11万亿美元。

Economists say that’s not enough, and countries and central banks plan to keep doling⁶ out money to help the global economy stay afloat.

经济学家表示，这还不够，各国及中央银行计划继续发放资金，帮助全球经济维持运转。

There are lots of things we could be buying with that money that would make our lives better and protect us from climate disaster.

我们原本可以用这笔钱买很多东西，让我们的生活变得更好，保护我们免受气候灾难的影响。

In recent months, leading institutions across the spectrum⁷ have offered approaches

近几个月来，各行各业的龙头机构都提出了一些建议，

that are varied⁸ in their specifics but generally similar in philosophy: invest in greener infrastructure⁹.

尽管细节各有差异，理念却是大体相似的：投资更环保的基础设施。

The International Energy Agency (IEA), for example, calls for an annual $1 trillion investment in clean energy for the next three years.

比如，国际能源署(IEA)呼吁未来三年内每年在清洁能源方面投资1万亿美元。

At a cost of about 0.7% of global GDP,

这一数额约占全球GDP的0.7%，

this would represent a small portion of the funds spent to combat COVID-19 but could be transformative.

跟抗击新冠肺炎的投入比起来不过是九牛一毛，但就算是这么一笔小小的资金也能产生变革性的影响。

Expansion and modernization¹⁰ of electric grids¹¹ would allow for easier flow of renewable energy.

随着电网的扩张和现代化，未来的可再生能源会变得更容易获取、输送。

Governments could buy out gas-guzzling vehicles, pushing consumers to go electric.

政府可以买断耗油车辆，推动消费者向电动汽车消费转型。

Homes and buildings could be retrofitted to consume less energy.

住宅等建筑可通过翻新的方式减少能耗。

1 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

2 thawing   

n.熔化，融化v.（气候）解冻( thaw的现在分词 )；（态度、感情等）缓和；（冰、雪及冷冻食物）溶化；软化

参考例句：

• The ice is thawing. 冰在融化。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• It had been snowing and thawing and the streets were sloppy. 天一直在下雪，雪又一直在融化，街上泥泞不堪。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

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 rebounds   

反弹球( rebound的名词复数 )； 回弹球； 抢断篮板球； 复兴

参考例句：

• V is the velocity after the gas particle rebounds from the wall. V是粒子从壁上弹开后的速度。
• In the former case, the first body rebounds with practically its original velocity. 在前一种情况下，第一个物体实际上以原来的速度弹回。

5 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 doling   

救济物( dole的现在分词 )； 失业救济金

参考例句：

• "What are you doling?'she once demanded over the intercom. 有一次他母亲通过对讲机问他：“你在干什么？ 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史
• Many scrollbars are quite parsimonious in doling out information to users. 很多滚动条都很吝啬，给用户传递的信息太少。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

7 spectrum   

n.谱，光谱，频谱；范围，幅度，系列

参考例句：

• This is a kind of atomic spectrum.这是一种原子光谱。
• We have known much of the constitution of the solar spectrum.关于太阳光谱的构成，我们已了解不少。

8 varied   

adj.多样的，多变化的

参考例句：

• The forms of art are many and varied.艺术的形式是多种多样的。
• The hotel has a varied programme of nightly entertainment.宾馆有各种晚间娱乐活动。

9 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

10 modernization   

n.现代化，现代化的事物

参考例句：

• This will help us achieve modernization.这有助于我们实现现代化。
• The Chinese people are sure to realize the modernization of their country.中国人民必将实现国家现代化。

11 grids   

n.格子( grid的名词复数 )；地图上的坐标方格；（输电线路、天然气管道等的）系统网络；（汽车比赛）赛车起跑线

参考例句：

• Typical framed structures are beams, grids, plane and space frames or trusses. 典型构架结构为梁、格栅、平面的和空间的框架或桁架。 来自辞典例句
• The machines deliver trimmed grids for use or stock. 这种机器铸出修整过的板栅，以供使用或储存。 来自辞典例句