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还是稚童的时候，天真地认为一草一木都有精灵，一花一树都是我们的朋友。
背起书包的时候，年岁和知识在增长，和自然的距离却似乎越来越远。
过年的时候，看着一叠没有派上用场的毛衣，突然发现“全球变暖”和其它环境问题，就这样切切实实地，一步步逼近我们的生活。
时值六月，让我们一起，庆祝儿童节和世界环境保护日，在岁月的流逝中永远保有一颗爱护环境的童真之心！
The Reasons
Global warming isn’t just melting the ice. It is triggering large-scale climate changes of every kind. The seasons have become unsettled. Atmospheric highs and lows are 1)migrating to new regions, basically changing the way our daily weather works. But what are the causes and why is all this happening now?
Every day solar 2)radiation streams down on Earth’s surface. As the land and the oceans warm, they radiate some of their heat back out into the atmosphere. Some of that heat is then trapped by naturally occurring gases like water 3)vapour, 4)methane and 5)carbon dioxide. It’s called the “greenhouse effect,?and for millions of years it’s kept Earth’s climate livable. But why is the greenhouse starting to get too warm? The answer is that the sun, which warms the greenhouse also fuels a process that cycles carbon from the atmosphere and stores it underground.
Scientist A: More or less, largely, about 1000 years ago, in some parts of the world, we started using sunlight that had been trapped in the earth hundreds of thousands to millions of years ago, 6)primarily coal, and that was the beginning of the use of ancient sunlight, sunlight that had been trapped by plants a long time ago and buried in the earth. Now we’re 7)liberating that carbon into the air as we burn this ancient sunlight, as we burn these 8)fossils.
The sources of carbon vary by region, but most researchers cite transportation for about 33%. Electric power generation in the U.S. produces about another third, while heating our homes, manufacturing, making 9)cement, agriculture, and clearing forests account for the rest. The result is that the 10)concentrations of CO2 have increased from 280 parts per million (ppm) during the Industrial Revolution to 370 today, and it may climb to 500 within our lifetimes.
Nia Robinson is hoping to help these students understand the challenge.
Student: I feel like, especially when it comes to depending on our generation to come along and really help and support the environmental movement, it’s so hard. I don’t think that, as a whole, we really want to 11)give-and-take and say, “Well, I’ll give up that house or that car for the environment.?They don’t care about that.
Nia Robinson (Environmental organization official): The reason I think that [more]注 humans aren’t environmentalists is because they don’t feel like they’re part of the environment, and they are. They are an intricate part of the environment. And so I think that what’s important is to get people to understand that you’re a part of this cycle. You don’t control it, you’re a part of it, and what you do to harm it harms you.
The Effects
Violent storms have been part of life long before human record keeping began. But there’s convincing new evidence that warming sea temperatures are 12)intensifying these deadly events. For the last two decades scientists have been probing the most powerful of these climate systems. It’s called the El Ni Southern 13)Oscillation, and it sets the pattern for much of the world’s climate.
Scientist B: Well, El Ni is a heat transfer. It’s Mother Nature moving heat, transporting heat from one place to the other. So, if there’s more heat in the global system ?in other words, global warming ?then it’s likely that there’ll be more 14)tweaking of the 15)dial, Mother Nature trying to balance the heat around the planet. So it e may see stronger events, we may see more frequent storm events, and we don’t know that yet, but certainly the whole fabric of this earth and this system is 16)interconnected.
Scientist C: So we’re doing a dangerous thing. Stop putting CO2 in the air as rapidly as possible.
It was hoped that the Kyoto Climate 17)Protocol in 1997 would start doing just that, by establishing targets for developed nations that would reduce their carbon emissions to 1990 levels. After that, developing nations like China and India would adopt similar limits. But with the U.S. refusal to sign, the effect of the Kyoto Agreement will be limited. What’s of more concern to many of the world’s scientists and environmentalists is that Kyoto was only a first and very modest step.
Scientist D: The likelihood is we would need probably 10 or even 20 times Kyoto level reductions to reduce CO2 forcing in the atmosphere to a point where climate change is no longer a problem.
The Next Steps
So what can we do?
If we agree global climate change is taking place, there are two approaches that will work just as well for us as they do for companies and governments. First, on an individual level, we can start adapting to the new realities of a new climate ?prepare ourselves. Second, and just as important, we can slow down the rate of global warming by reducing our impact on the atmosphere ?basically cleaning up the way we live. That’s where a lot of Americans are putting their efforts.
The kids at Harper’s Choice Middle School belong to a generation likely to be most affected by global warming. Happily, they seem to understand that and enjoy getting involved with environmental programs like The Energy Alliance.
Kid: Before I started Energy Alliance, I would never turn the lights off. Always leave them on. Now I’m getting a lot better and I’m putting the computer to sleep, which, I learned, saves a lot.
Here, in Maryland, these kids are auditing their school to check for energy 18)wastage. Teachers who leave lights and computers on are given a ticket and told to be more careful. The kids love that.
Principal: The program allowed us to develop, in kids, a real passion, an interest and a passion for what they do, particularly, in this case, in the environment. I mean, these are the kids, who, as they get older, will get actively involved in the environment in our planet.
All over the world, it seems, this is a message, which kids understand and care about. Climate change is 19)deceptive because its signs occur almost 20)imperceptibly. So the question becomes, “What happens next??Can we wait for new technologies to save the planet or for governments and big business to take the first steps? The fact is, many solutions to slowing down climate change are already here or very close. We just have to start using them.
细说“发烧”因由
全球变暖指的不仅是积雪消融，它还会带来各种大范围的气候变化。季节变得不稳定，高气压圈和低气压圈移动到新的地区，从根本上改变了我们的日常天气。但这一切问题的起因是什么，它们为什么会在现在发生呢？
每一天，阳光的辐射源源不断地照射到地球表面。随着陆地和海洋升温，它们会将一部分热量反射回大气层。其中的一部分热量被水蒸气、甲烷、二氧化碳等自然产生的气体吸收，这种现象被称为“温室效应”。千万年来，这种效应使地球的气候适宜生物居住。但是，为什么这个“温室”现在变得越来越热？原因就在于太阳在引起温室效应的同时，还推动了碳循环，将大气中的碳储存到地底了。
科学家甲：差不多……在约1000年以前，在地球的某些地区，我们开始使用上亿年来被大地吸收的阳光。最开始使用的是煤，那便是人类利用古代阳光的开端，这些阳光很久以前被植物吸收，埋藏在土壤中。现在，当我们燃烧这些远古阳光—这些化石的时候，就会将碳释放到大气中。
这些碳的来源因地区而各不相同，但大多数研究者认为交通运输占了其中的33%，美国的发电系统占了1/3，剩余的碳则来源于我们的房屋供暖、生产制造业、水泥制造业、农业、森林采伐等。其结果就是空气中的二氧化碳浓度从工业革命时的百万分之280体积（228ppm）增加到现在的370ppm，并可能在我们有生之年增加到500ppm。
尼娅·罗宾逊希望帮助这些学生了解他们将要面临的挑战。
学生：我认为……特别是说要靠我们这一代来努力，去切实地帮助和支持环保运动，这很困难。从总体上来说，我不认为人们真的愿意让步，说：“好吧，我会为了保护环境而放弃我的房子或汽车。”他们才不在乎呢。
尼娅·罗宾逊（环保组织官员）：在我看来，大多数人之所以不是环保主义者，是因为他们并不认为自己是环境的一部分，而事实恰恰相反。他们是环境中一个复杂的组成部分。所以我认为现在最重要的是让人们了解他们是这个循环的一部分。你不能控制这一切，你也是它的一部分。如果你做了危害它的事情，自己也必将身受其害。
关注切身影响
在人类有文字记录之前，猛烈的风暴早已是人类生活的一部分。但现在有说服力的新证据表明，海洋温度的升高加剧了这些风暴的危害性。过去二十年里，科学家们对最强大的气候体系进行了探测研究，它被称为“厄尔尼诺－南方涛动现象”，对全球气候模式都有影响。
科学家乙：厄尔尼诺现象是一种热量迁移—大自然母亲会将热量从一个地方转移到另一个地方。所以，如果这个地球系统中的热量增加—换句话说就是全球变暖—这样的变化和调整就会更多，因为大自然母亲正在努力平衡全球的热量。因此我们会看到更剧烈的天气变化，会见到更多风暴。我们现在还不是太清楚，但整个地球和整个系统肯定都是相互关联的。
科学家丙：所以我们正在做一件危险的事情。我们要尽快停止向空气中排放二氧化碳。
人们希望1997年的《京都议定书》能迈出第一步，它为发达国家制定目标，让其将二氧化碳排放量减少到1990年的水平。随后，中国、印度等发展中国家也将采用类似的标准。但由于美国拒绝签字，《京都议定书》的作用十分有限。而对于全世界的科学家和环保主义者来说，最令人担心的是这份议定书只不过是非常温和的第一步。
科学家丁：我们很可能需要相当于《京都议定书》10倍甚至20倍的标准，将二氧化碳的空气排放量降低到某个水平，使气候变化不再是个问题。
下一步怎么办？
那么我们可以做什么呢？
如果我们都同意全球气候正在变化，有两个对策既适用于个人，也适用于公司和政府。首先，对于个人来说，我们要开始适应新气候这个新现实—让自己做好准备。其次，也同样重要的一点，我们可以通过降低自己对大气的影响来减缓全球变暖的步伐—主要是净化我们的生活方式。现在，许多美国人都在为此努力。
哈珀优等中学的孩子们都属于可能受全球变暖影响最大的一代。但让人高兴的是，他们都明白到这一点，并乐意参加像“能源联盟”之类的环保项目。
孩子：加入能源联盟之前，我从来不关灯，经常就这样让它开着。现在我进步多了，在不用电脑的时候还会让它睡觉，我知道这会节约很多能源。
在马里兰州，这些孩子正在检查学校的能源浪费情况。凡是不关灯或不关电脑的老师都会收到一张告票，提醒他们注意。孩子们可喜欢这个主意了。
校长：这个项目激起了孩子们的热情，让他们有兴趣和热情关注自己所做的事情，特别是在这个现状下，关注自己在环境中的行为。我的意思是，这些孩子，他们长大以后将与这个星球的环境状况息息相关。
在全世界，环保这个讯息日益被各地的孩子所了解和关注。气候变化非常隐蔽，因为它的迹象几乎让人无法察觉。所以，我们的问题就变成—“以后会怎样？”我们能够等到新科技的出现以拯救这个星球吗，或者期待政府和大公司迈出第一步？事实上，许多减缓气候变化的解决方法就在我们身边，距离我们不远。我们需要的是马上行动起来。
背起书包的时候，年岁和知识在增长，和自然的距离却似乎越来越远。
过年的时候，看着一叠没有派上用场的毛衣，突然发现“全球变暖”和其它环境问题，就这样切切实实地，一步步逼近我们的生活。
时值六月，让我们一起，庆祝儿童节和世界环境保护日，在岁月的流逝中永远保有一颗爱护环境的童真之心！
The Reasons
Global warming isn’t just melting the ice. It is triggering large-scale climate changes of every kind. The seasons have become unsettled. Atmospheric highs and lows are 1)migrating to new regions, basically changing the way our daily weather works. But what are the causes and why is all this happening now?
Every day solar 2)radiation streams down on Earth’s surface. As the land and the oceans warm, they radiate some of their heat back out into the atmosphere. Some of that heat is then trapped by naturally occurring gases like water 3)vapour, 4)methane and 5)carbon dioxide. It’s called the “greenhouse effect,?and for millions of years it’s kept Earth’s climate livable. But why is the greenhouse starting to get too warm? The answer is that the sun, which warms the greenhouse also fuels a process that cycles carbon from the atmosphere and stores it underground.
Scientist A: More or less, largely, about 1000 years ago, in some parts of the world, we started using sunlight that had been trapped in the earth hundreds of thousands to millions of years ago, 6)primarily coal, and that was the beginning of the use of ancient sunlight, sunlight that had been trapped by plants a long time ago and buried in the earth. Now we’re 7)liberating that carbon into the air as we burn this ancient sunlight, as we burn these 8)fossils.
The sources of carbon vary by region, but most researchers cite transportation for about 33%. Electric power generation in the U.S. produces about another third, while heating our homes, manufacturing, making 9)cement, agriculture, and clearing forests account for the rest. The result is that the 10)concentrations of CO2 have increased from 280 parts per million (ppm) during the Industrial Revolution to 370 today, and it may climb to 500 within our lifetimes.
Nia Robinson is hoping to help these students understand the challenge.
Student: I feel like, especially when it comes to depending on our generation to come along and really help and support the environmental movement, it’s so hard. I don’t think that, as a whole, we really want to 11)give-and-take and say, “Well, I’ll give up that house or that car for the environment.?They don’t care about that.
Nia Robinson (Environmental organization official): The reason I think that [more]注 humans aren’t environmentalists is because they don’t feel like they’re part of the environment, and they are. They are an intricate part of the environment. And so I think that what’s important is to get people to understand that you’re a part of this cycle. You don’t control it, you’re a part of it, and what you do to harm it harms you.
The Effects
Violent storms have been part of life long before human record keeping began. But there’s convincing new evidence that warming sea temperatures are 12)intensifying these deadly events. For the last two decades scientists have been probing the most powerful of these climate systems. It’s called the El Ni Southern 13)Oscillation, and it sets the pattern for much of the world’s climate.
Scientist B: Well, El Ni is a heat transfer. It’s Mother Nature moving heat, transporting heat from one place to the other. So, if there’s more heat in the global system ?in other words, global warming ?then it’s likely that there’ll be more 14)tweaking of the 15)dial, Mother Nature trying to balance the heat around the planet. So it e may see stronger events, we may see more frequent storm events, and we don’t know that yet, but certainly the whole fabric of this earth and this system is 16)interconnected.
Scientist C: So we’re doing a dangerous thing. Stop putting CO2 in the air as rapidly as possible.
It was hoped that the Kyoto Climate 17)Protocol in 1997 would start doing just that, by establishing targets for developed nations that would reduce their carbon emissions to 1990 levels. After that, developing nations like China and India would adopt similar limits. But with the U.S. refusal to sign, the effect of the Kyoto Agreement will be limited. What’s of more concern to many of the world’s scientists and environmentalists is that Kyoto was only a first and very modest step.
Scientist D: The likelihood is we would need probably 10 or even 20 times Kyoto level reductions to reduce CO2 forcing in the atmosphere to a point where climate change is no longer a problem.
The Next Steps
So what can we do?
If we agree global climate change is taking place, there are two approaches that will work just as well for us as they do for companies and governments. First, on an individual level, we can start adapting to the new realities of a new climate ?prepare ourselves. Second, and just as important, we can slow down the rate of global warming by reducing our impact on the atmosphere ?basically cleaning up the way we live. That’s where a lot of Americans are putting their efforts.
The kids at Harper’s Choice Middle School belong to a generation likely to be most affected by global warming. Happily, they seem to understand that and enjoy getting involved with environmental programs like The Energy Alliance.
Kid: Before I started Energy Alliance, I would never turn the lights off. Always leave them on. Now I’m getting a lot better and I’m putting the computer to sleep, which, I learned, saves a lot.
Here, in Maryland, these kids are auditing their school to check for energy 18)wastage. Teachers who leave lights and computers on are given a ticket and told to be more careful. The kids love that.
Principal: The program allowed us to develop, in kids, a real passion, an interest and a passion for what they do, particularly, in this case, in the environment. I mean, these are the kids, who, as they get older, will get actively involved in the environment in our planet.
All over the world, it seems, this is a message, which kids understand and care about. Climate change is 19)deceptive because its signs occur almost 20)imperceptibly. So the question becomes, “What happens next??Can we wait for new technologies to save the planet or for governments and big business to take the first steps? The fact is, many solutions to slowing down climate change are already here or very close. We just have to start using them.
细说“发烧”因由
全球变暖指的不仅是积雪消融，它还会带来各种大范围的气候变化。季节变得不稳定，高气压圈和低气压圈移动到新的地区，从根本上改变了我们的日常天气。但这一切问题的起因是什么，它们为什么会在现在发生呢？
每一天，阳光的辐射源源不断地照射到地球表面。随着陆地和海洋升温，它们会将一部分热量反射回大气层。其中的一部分热量被水蒸气、甲烷、二氧化碳等自然产生的气体吸收，这种现象被称为“温室效应”。千万年来，这种效应使地球的气候适宜生物居住。但是，为什么这个“温室”现在变得越来越热？原因就在于太阳在引起温室效应的同时，还推动了碳循环，将大气中的碳储存到地底了。
科学家甲：差不多……在约1000年以前，在地球的某些地区，我们开始使用上亿年来被大地吸收的阳光。最开始使用的是煤，那便是人类利用古代阳光的开端，这些阳光很久以前被植物吸收，埋藏在土壤中。现在，当我们燃烧这些远古阳光—这些化石的时候，就会将碳释放到大气中。
这些碳的来源因地区而各不相同，但大多数研究者认为交通运输占了其中的33%，美国的发电系统占了1/3，剩余的碳则来源于我们的房屋供暖、生产制造业、水泥制造业、农业、森林采伐等。其结果就是空气中的二氧化碳浓度从工业革命时的百万分之280体积（228ppm）增加到现在的370ppm，并可能在我们有生之年增加到500ppm。
尼娅·罗宾逊希望帮助这些学生了解他们将要面临的挑战。
学生：我认为……特别是说要靠我们这一代来努力，去切实地帮助和支持环保运动，这很困难。从总体上来说，我不认为人们真的愿意让步，说：“好吧，我会为了保护环境而放弃我的房子或汽车。”他们才不在乎呢。
尼娅·罗宾逊（环保组织官员）：在我看来，大多数人之所以不是环保主义者，是因为他们并不认为自己是环境的一部分，而事实恰恰相反。他们是环境中一个复杂的组成部分。所以我认为现在最重要的是让人们了解他们是这个循环的一部分。你不能控制这一切，你也是它的一部分。如果你做了危害它的事情，自己也必将身受其害。
关注切身影响
在人类有文字记录之前，猛烈的风暴早已是人类生活的一部分。但现在有说服力的新证据表明，海洋温度的升高加剧了这些风暴的危害性。过去二十年里，科学家们对最强大的气候体系进行了探测研究，它被称为“厄尔尼诺－南方涛动现象”，对全球气候模式都有影响。
科学家乙：厄尔尼诺现象是一种热量迁移—大自然母亲会将热量从一个地方转移到另一个地方。所以，如果这个地球系统中的热量增加—换句话说就是全球变暖—这样的变化和调整就会更多，因为大自然母亲正在努力平衡全球的热量。因此我们会看到更剧烈的天气变化，会见到更多风暴。我们现在还不是太清楚，但整个地球和整个系统肯定都是相互关联的。
科学家丙：所以我们正在做一件危险的事情。我们要尽快停止向空气中排放二氧化碳。
人们希望1997年的《京都议定书》能迈出第一步，它为发达国家制定目标，让其将二氧化碳排放量减少到1990年的水平。随后，中国、印度等发展中国家也将采用类似的标准。但由于美国拒绝签字，《京都议定书》的作用十分有限。而对于全世界的科学家和环保主义者来说，最令人担心的是这份议定书只不过是非常温和的第一步。
科学家丁：我们很可能需要相当于《京都议定书》10倍甚至20倍的标准，将二氧化碳的空气排放量降低到某个水平，使气候变化不再是个问题。
下一步怎么办？
那么我们可以做什么呢？
如果我们都同意全球气候正在变化，有两个对策既适用于个人，也适用于公司和政府。首先，对于个人来说，我们要开始适应新气候这个新现实—让自己做好准备。其次，也同样重要的一点，我们可以通过降低自己对大气的影响来减缓全球变暖的步伐—主要是净化我们的生活方式。现在，许多美国人都在为此努力。
哈珀优等中学的孩子们都属于可能受全球变暖影响最大的一代。但让人高兴的是，他们都明白到这一点，并乐意参加像“能源联盟”之类的环保项目。
孩子：加入能源联盟之前，我从来不关灯，经常就这样让它开着。现在我进步多了，在不用电脑的时候还会让它睡觉，我知道这会节约很多能源。
在马里兰州，这些孩子正在检查学校的能源浪费情况。凡是不关灯或不关电脑的老师都会收到一张告票，提醒他们注意。孩子们可喜欢这个主意了。
校长：这个项目激起了孩子们的热情，让他们有兴趣和热情关注自己所做的事情，特别是在这个现状下，关注自己在环境中的行为。我的意思是，这些孩子，他们长大以后将与这个星球的环境状况息息相关。
在全世界，环保这个讯息日益被各地的孩子所了解和关注。气候变化非常隐蔽，因为它的迹象几乎让人无法察觉。所以，我们的问题就变成—“以后会怎样？”我们能够等到新科技的出现以拯救这个星球吗，或者期待政府和大公司迈出第一步？事实上，许多减缓气候变化的解决方法就在我们身边，距离我们不远。我们需要的是马上行动起来。