VOA常速英语2014--Experts Ponder Costs Of Climate Change 专家思考气候变化带来的成本

 

Experts Ponder Costs Of Climate Change 专家思考气候变化带来的成本

Climate change is making it harder than usual for scientists to figure out what the future will bring and what impact weather changes will have on society and the economy.  An upsurge of severe weather events has already destroyed homes, businesses and lives. Some fairly simple changes may reduce the toll¹.

In a laboratory test, a house built with conventional techniques is falling apart in hurricane-force winds. 

在实验室试验中，一座用常规技术建造的房子在飓风中倒塌。

The survivor² has stronger shingles³, thicker roof boards, and metal straps⁴ holding floors together.

幸存的房子有更强大的瓦板、厚厚的屋顶板和将地板聚合在一起的金属条。

Wind tunnel tests were done by the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety.  It says stronger construction costs a little more, but holds up much better to extreme weather.   

这些风洞测试是由商业和家庭安全保险协会实施的，该协会称尽管结实的建筑物成本更高，但却能更好地应对极端天气。

The growing number of unusually strong storms, like Typhoon Haiyan, has convinced the Chairman of the U. S. Senate Homeland Security Committee, Tom Carper, that extreme weather is the “new norm.”

越来越多的强风暴，比如台风海燕，使得美国参议院国土安全委员会主席汤姆·卡帕深信极端天气已是“新的常态”。

"Extreme weather events have increased in frequency over the past 50 years and are expected to become even more common, more intense, and more costly," said Carper.

“过去50年间极端天气越发频繁，以后会更常见、强度更大、带来的损失更大。”

Hurricane Sandy hit beachfront businesses along the U.S. East Coast, including Carper's home state.   Insurance companies had to pay out huge claims.  To limit such losses, the insurance industry can raise premiums⁵ for businesses in vulnerable locations and offer discounts to clients who make their buildings more resilient with upgraded construction techniques.

飓风桑迪袭击了美国东海岸的海滨企业，包括卡帕的家乡。保险公司只得支付天价的索赔，为了限制损失，保险业可以提高易受损地区的企业保险费，向那些使用先进建筑技术建造更结实房屋的客户提供折扣。

Managing risks is the job of insurance brokers⁶ like Kevin Connelly of the Graham Company, who spoke⁷ to VOA via Skype.

风险管理是格雷厄姆公司凯文·康奈利等保险经纪人的工作，他通过Skype向美国之音说。

“We are either going to price your insurance at a huge markup⁸, or we are not going to write (sell it) it at all, which is just as bad obviously," said Connelly.

“我们或者提高保险费，或者根本不承接保险，因为承接的话会很糟糕。”

Drought is another suspected consequence of climate change, and dry ground means more wildfires in California.  Current mathematical models of climate change do a poor job of predicting the economic impact of drought and other weather events, says Massachusetts Institute of Technology Professor Robert Pindyck, who spoke via Skype.   

干旱是气候变革可能导致的另一后果，干旱的地面意味着加州会出现更多野火。现有的气候变化数学模型在预测干旱等天气的经济影响方面做得不好，麻省理工学院教授平狄克通过Skype说。

“I think all we can do, taking all of that into account, is come up with some very rough numbers, very rough estimates, "said Pindyck. "Consensus⁹ estimates that maybe experts provide, that give us a view of what would the catastrophic outcome look like if we don’t do anything?”

“我想考虑到所有情况，我们所能做的就是进行非常粗略的估计，专家可能提供的这种估计让我们明白如果我们什么都不做带来的灾难性后果。”

 

To help deal with this serious problem, Pindyck says policymakers should take actions such as imposing¹⁰ a tax on carbon dioxide emissions¹¹.  A carbon tax would encourage companies and families to use less energy and generate fewer of the gases thought to be driving changes in the climate.  But other analysts¹² say it is unlikely a new tax will get approval in the U.S. Congress any time soon.

为帮助解决这种严重问题，平狄克说政策制定者应该采取行动，比如向二氧化碳排放征税。碳税会鼓励公司和家庭减少能源使用，这样所产生的能改变气候的气体就会减少。但也有分析家称美国国会不大可能很快批准这样的新税。

1 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

2 survivor   

n.生存者，残存者，幸存者

参考例句：

• The sole survivor of the crash was an infant.这次撞车的惟一幸存者是一个婴儿。
• There was only one survivor of the plane crash.这次飞机失事中只有一名幸存者。

3 shingles   

n.带状疱疹；（布满海边的）小圆石( shingle的名词复数 )；屋顶板；木瓦（板）；墙面板

参考例句：

• Shingles are often dipped in creosote. 屋顶板常浸涂木焦油。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The roofs had shingles missing. 一些屋顶板不见了。 来自辞典例句

4 straps   

n.带子( strap的名词复数 )；挎带；肩带；背带v.用皮带捆扎( strap的第三人称单数 )；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带

参考例句：

• the shoulder straps of her dress 她连衣裙上的肩带
• The straps can be adjusted to suit the wearer. 这些背带可进行调整以适合使用者。

5 premiums   

n.费用( premium的名词复数 )；保险费；额外费用；（商品定价、贷款利息等以外的）加价

参考例句：

• He paid premiums on his life insurance last year. 他去年付了人寿保险费。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Moves are afoot to increase car insurance premiums. 现正在酝酿提高汽车的保险费。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 brokers   

n.（股票、外币等）经纪人( broker的名词复数 )；中间人；代理商；（订合同的）中人v.做掮客（或中人等）( broker的第三人称单数 )；作为权力经纪人进行谈判；以中间人等身份安排…

参考例句：

• The firm in question was Alsbery & Co., whiskey brokers. 那家公司叫阿尔斯伯里公司，经销威士忌。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• From time to time a telephone would ring in the brokers' offices. 那两排经纪人房间里不时响着叮令的电话。 来自子夜部分

7 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

8 markup   

n.加价，涨价，利润

参考例句：

• This mean that international delivery will line markup from today.这意味着国际快递将从今天起全线涨价。
• Our products are expensive,and distributors and retailers always want a large markup.我们的产品很贵，经销商和零售商总是要求高额利差。

9 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

10 imposing   

adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的

参考例句：

• The fortress is an imposing building.这座城堡是一座宏伟的建筑。
• He has lost his imposing appearance.他已失去堂堂仪表。

11 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。

12 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。