Climate change: A race we must win 气候变化：一场我们必须打赢的比赛

孙启禄

We face a new era of climate crisis. The July of 2019 is the hottest month on record， and the years from 2015 to 2019 are the hottest in human history. The level of CO2 in the atmosphere is at its highest point in human history; climate-related devastations strike more often than ever， with droughts， hurricanes， heatwaves and landslides regularly attacking our planet， causing huge economic loss to countries and to individuals， particularly affecting the most vulnerable（脆弱的） in societies.

The clock is ticking. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change（联合国政府间气候变化专门委员会）， we need to collectively ensure that global temperature rise does not go beyond 1.5 ℃. This means we must reduce emissions by 45 percent by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

Faced with this reality， it is impossible to ignore that human development can only flourish if the natural world flourishes. This is the premise（前提） of the UN Sustainable Development Goals that have become more urgent in the next decade. How can we as the global community work together as one？

As the second largest economy in the world， China has played a critical part in committing to the Paris Agreement and its leadership and commitment is crucial in achieving the goals. The country has made remarkable progress in developing its green economy， with more than 125 billion dollars'investment in renewable energy in 2017. New renewable energy jobs in China now outnumber those created in the oil and gas industries.

As the global challenge does not respect national borders， climate change is an issue that requires solutions to be coordinated at the international level， with demands for all developed countries taking up greater responsibilities， and for developing countries moving toward low-carbon economy. In the meantime， as the world's most populous country and one of the largest carbon emitters， China can play an even more vital role in tackling global climate change by maximizing its enormous potential for emission reduction.

Climate change is running faster than we are and we need to have a much more ambitious approach in what we do in order to defeat climate change—as this is a race that we can and must win.

閱读检测

1. What does the underlined word “devastations” most probably mean？

A. Changes. B. Issues.

C. Damages. D. Activities.

2. What is the fourth paragraph mainly about？

A. China's wide use of renewable energy.

B. China's fast development of economy.

C. China's investment in renewable energy.

D. China's contributions to the Paris Agreement.

语言学习

难句分析

As the global challenge does not respect national borders， climate change is an issue that requires solutions to be coordinated at the international level， with demands for all developed countries taking up greater responsibilities， and for developing countries moving toward low？鄄carbon economy. 全球性挑战向来不受国境线的限制，气候变化这一全球性议题需要在国际层面协调解决方案，要求所有发达国家承担更大的责任，发展中国家向低碳经济迈进。

本句是一个复合句。climate change is an issue是主句，as引导的是原因状语从句，that requires solutions是定语从句，修饰issue，with...是介词短语作状语。