VOA科学技术2022 科学家获得更多有关气候变化的详细信息（在线收听）

Scientists Getting More Precise Details on Climate Change

Scientists have long been predicting that global warming will increase extreme weather events around the world.

长期以来，科学家一直预测，全球变暖将会增加世界各地的极端天气事件。

Recent examples of such events are floods in Pakistan, extreme heat in Europe and drought in China, East Africa, northern Mexico, and the U.S. West.

最近发生的极端天气事件包括巴基斯坦的洪涝灾害、欧洲的极端高温事件以及中国、东非、墨西哥北部和美国西部的干旱。

“With just over one degree of warming since pre-industrial times, we are already seeing more extreme weather patterns,” said Elizabeth Robinson.

伊丽莎白·罗宾逊说：“自前工业化时代以来，气温上升超过一摄氏度，我们已经看到了更多的极端天气模式。”

She is director of the Grantham Research Institute in London.

她是伦敦格兰瑟姆研究所的所长。

Kim Cobb is a climate scientist at Brown University in Rhode Island.

金·科布是位于美国罗德岛州的布朗大学的气候科学家。

She said researchers are now starting to get more exact details about the speed, size, and timing of climate changes.

她说，研究人员目前开始获得有关气候变化的速度、规模和时间的更确切的细节。

This includes details about how effects can be very different from region to region.

其中包括有关不同地区的影响可能会有很大差异的详细信息。

Scientists usually compare the average global temperature today to estimates for the pre-industrial period.

科学家通常会将如今的全球平均气温与前工业化时期的估值进行比较。

That is when the burning of fossil fuels first started to increase.

从那时起，化石燃料的燃烧就开始增加。

The average global temperature has increased between 0.9 and 1.2 degrees Celsius since 1850, mostly because of human activity.

自1850年以来，全球平均气温上升了0.9至1.2摄氏度，这主要是由人类活动所导致的。

Those numbers come from estimates in the most recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC.

这些数字来自政府间气候变化专门委员会最新报告中的估值。

Most of that warming has happened since 1975, at a rate of 0.15 Celsius to 0.2 Celsius per decade.

气温上升主要发生在1975年以后，速度为每十年升温0.15摄氏度到0.2摄氏度。

The average temperature in 2021 was 1.3 degrees higher than the 20th century average.

2021年的平均气温比20世纪的平均气温高1.3度。

But most people are living in places where the temperature has increased more than the global average.

但大多数人生活的地方的气温上升幅度超过了全球平均水平。

That is because more and more people are living in urban areas.

这是因为越来越多的人生活在城市地区。

These areas can trap heat because of the many roads and buildings and because they have fewer trees.

这些地区由于道路和建筑较多，树木较少，因此可能会吸收热量。

Trees help make an area cooler.

树木有助于使一片区域变得更凉爽。

Climate and global temperatures have changed throughout the Earth’s history.

在整个地球历史上，气候和全球温度一直在变化。

But it is the speed of recent changes that worries researchers.

但令研究人员担忧的是最近变化的速度。

Adapting to dangerous weather events is one big way humans can limit damage from climate change.

适应危险的天气事件是人类限制气候变化所造成的破坏的一种重要方式。

Weather-related disaster deaths are generally going down in number globally.

与天气有关的灾害所造成的死亡人数在全球范围内普遍下降。

That is because weather predictions have improved and because people are more prepared, scientists say.

科学家表示，这是因为天气预报能力提高了，而且人们准备得更充分了。

Robinson, the Grantham Research Institute scientist, said, “The extent to which people are harmed by an extreme weather event is strongly influenced by government policies.”

格兰瑟姆研究所的科学家罗宾逊说：“极端天气事件对人们的伤害程度很大程度上受到政府政策的影响。”

She added that “there are limits to adaptation.”

她还说，“适应是有限度的。”

I’m Andrew Smith.

安德鲁·史密斯为您播报。