没有影响气候却要深受其害
2017-03-24石家庄市现代城小学贾海霞
石家庄市现代城小学贾海霞
没有影响气候却要深受其害
石家庄市现代城小学贾海霞
Climate Change Most Affects Nations That Didn't Produce It
“Less than 4 percent of countries are responsible for over half of the world's greenhouse gas emissions.”Glenn Althor,of the University of Queensland.This means that the majority of countries are unfairly bearing the burden of a problem that they did not create.Clearly,this isn't fair by any definition.
It's much like a non-smoker being trapped in a room and getting cancer from second hand smoke while a heavy smoker continues to puff away in good health.”
Althor and colleagues at the University of Queensland and the Wildlife Conservation Society have just published a study analyzing the contributions to climate change by the world's nations versus the effect that climate change will have on those countries.
“We found that developed nations,such as Australia,the United States,Canada and Russia,are essentially climate free riders,driving the problem of climate change while incurring relatively few of the costs,such as devastating flood,increased extreme weather and rising sea levels.”Meanwhile,the most vulnerable countries,many of which are in Africa or are small island states,produce few greenhouse gas emissions.The study is in the Nature publication Scientific Reports.
While it's important that this issue is defined by scientists,it needs to be acted on by global leaders.The Paris Climate Agreement,finalized in December last year,was widely seen as a positive step forward in addressing climate change. However,there must be an urgent and meaningful mobilization of the policies outlined in the Paris Agreement if we're to help the most vulnerable countries adapt to climate change while achieving global emissions reductions.”
“世界上超过一半的温室气体是由全球不到4%的国家排放的。然而很不公平的是,大部分国家却都在为这个并不是自己制造出来的问题承担着压力。”昆士兰大学的格林·阿特尔说道。
这显然是不公平的。这就好像一个长期被困在房间里,不停吸二手烟的、不抽烟的人患了癌症,瘾君子却依然身体健康,吞云吐雾。
昆士兰大学的阿特尔及他的同事们进行了一项研究,他们分析了使全球气候变化的这些国家,对气候变化做出的贡献及对这些国家造成的影响。结果发现,像澳大利亚、美国、加拿大及俄罗斯等发达国家虽然是气候变化的“始作俑者”,但相对来说却很少造成毁灭性洪涝灾害、极端天气及水平面上升等严重后果。许多非洲国家或是一些岛国几乎不排放温室气体。这项研究已经在《自然》杂志上发表。
尽管这个问题非常重要,但需要全球各国的领导者采取行动。针对气候变化这一问题,2015年12月签署的《巴黎气候协议》为改善环境迈出了重要而又积极的一步。然而,如果我们想在减少全球温室气体排放量的同时帮助世界上易受气候变化影响的国家适应气候变化,就必须立即、切实遵循协议中的各项政策。
Notes:
1.greenhouse:n.温室
2.emission:n.(光、热等的)发射,散发;喷射
3.burden:n.负担;责任vt.使负担;烦扰
4.incur:vt.招致,引发;蒙受
5.devastating:adj.毁灭性的;全然的
6.extreme:adj.极端的;极度的
7.vulnerable:adj.易受攻击的;易受伤害的。