VOA标准英语2012--Climate Change Panel Says Expect More Extreme Weather

Climate Change Panel Says Expect More Extreme Weather

Extreme weather cut a swath across the world in 2011. For Bill Wing, it began a year ago on New Year’s Day as he surveyed the damage from a tornado¹ that touched down in Cincinnati, Arkansas.

“It sounded like a freight train coming," said Wing. "You could feel the wind was moving and the shaking, more like an earthquake for us.”

That tornado was among 1600 that crisscrossed the United States last year. That same pattern of extreme weather was experienced across the globe. In Thailand, rainfall was 80 percent more than the seasonal² average and the capital city was deluged³. The year before, Russia experienced its hottest summer in 500 years.

“It’s very clear that heat waves are on the increase both in terms of numbers and duration," said Rajendra Pachauri. "Another important finding is the fact that extreme precipitation events are on the increase.”

IPCC Chairman Rajendra Pachauri says the panel’s report strongly suggests that this trend will continue as temperatures rise. 

“And, in fact, if you make projections⁴ for the future, you’ll find that in the case of heat waves, those heat waves which are currently taking place once in 20 years will by the end of the century take place once in two years," he said.

While no evidence connects global warming with specific local weather events, Chairman Pachauri says warmer temperatures, boosted by CO2 and other gas emissions⁵ from the burning of fossil fuels, will trigger more intense droughts, heavier rainfall and stronger storms. 

“Basically we have to stabilize⁶ the concentration of these greenhouse gases, which includes carbon dioxide as the most dominant⁷ gas in the atmosphere, such that, we can stabilize the climate of this planet and thereby⁸ minimize or delay or avoid some of the worst impacts that are going to take place in the future," said Pachauri.

Extreme weather disasters are costly⁹, on average $80 billion a year. While the IPCC study makes clear that no country is immune, Pachauri notes that poorer nations will pay a higher price - in dollars and deaths - because they are least able to respond. He adds, the options are clear:

“We need to adapt to the impacts of climate change, in particular, extreme events and disasters related to climate change," he said. "And, we will have to mitigate¹⁰, because it is also very clear that there are certain thresholds and points both in social as well as in natural systems where the resilience of societies will be exceeded in such a way that there will be a severe challenge in terms of adaptation. So, we have to mitigate.”

The 594-page IPCC report is the work of 220 authors from 62 countries. It cites thousands of scientific studies. Enough is known, the editors say, to make good decisions about how to manage risks of climate-related disasters.

1 tornado   

n.飓风，龙卷风

参考例句：

• A tornado whirled into the town last week.龙卷风上周袭击了这座城市。
• The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。

2 seasonal   

adj.季节的，季节性的

参考例句：

• The town relies on the seasonal tourist industry for jobs.这个城镇依靠季节性旅游业提供就业机会。
• The hors d'oeuvre is seasonal vegetables.餐前小吃是应时蔬菜。

3 deluged   

v.使淹没( deluge的过去式和过去分词 )；淹没；被洪水般涌来的事物所淹没；穷于应付

参考例句：

• The minister was deluged with questions. 部长穷于应付像洪水般涌来的问题。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They deluged me with questions. 他们向我连珠发问。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 projections   

预测( projection的名词复数 )； 投影； 投掷； 突起物

参考例句：

• Their sales projections are a total thumbsuck. 他们的销售量预测纯属估计。
• The council has revised its projections of funding requirements upwards. 地方议会调高了对资金需求的预测。

5 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。

6 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。

7 dominant   

adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因

参考例句：

• The British were formerly dominant in India.英国人从前统治印度。
• She was a dominant figure in the French film industry.她在法国电影界是个举足轻重的人物。

8 thereby   

adv.因此，从而

参考例句：

• I have never been to that city,,ereby I don't know much about it.我从未去过那座城市，因此对它不怎么熟悉。
• He became a British citizen,thereby gaining the right to vote.他成了英国公民，因而得到了投票权。

9 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

10 mitigate   

vt.（使）减轻，（使）缓和

参考例句：

• The government is trying to mitigate the effects of inflation.政府正试图缓和通货膨胀的影响。
• Governments should endeavour to mitigate distress.政府应努力缓解贫困问题。