Unit Eleven Text A.docx

1、Unit Eleven Text AGlobal Warming &Climate Change 全球变暖与气候变化Global warming has perhaps the most complicated issuse facing world leaders.全球变暖可能是世界各国领导人面临的最复杂的问题。 Warnings from the scientific community are becoming louder,as an increasing body of science points to rising dangers from the ongoing buildup

2、 of human-related greenhouse gases-produced mainly by the burning of fossil fuels and forests.来自科学界的警告越来越响亮，因为越来越多的科学指出，人类相关温室气体的持续积累(主要是燃烧化石燃料和森林产生的温室气体)所带来的危险在不断增加。Global emissions of carbon dioxide jumped by the largest amount on record in 2010, upending the notion that the brief during the reces

3、sion might persist through the recovery.2010年，全球二氧化碳排放量跃升至有记录以来的最高水平，推翻了经济衰退期间的简报可能在经济复苏过程中持续存在的观点。 Emissions rose 5.9percent in 2010, according to the Global Carbon Progeect, an international collaboration of scientist.根据国际科学家合作组织“全球碳计划”(GlobalCarbon Progeect)的数据，2010年的排放量增长了5.9%。 The increase soli

4、dified a trend of ever-rising emissions that scientists fear will make it difficult ,if not impossible,to forestall severe climate change in coming decades.这一增长巩固了一个不断上升的排放趋势，科学家担心这将使未来几十年的严重气候变化难以(如果不是不可能的话)阻止。However ,the technological ,economic amd political issues that have to be resolved before

5、 a concerted worldwide effort to reduce emissions can begin have gotten no simpler, particularly in the face of a global economic slowdown.然而，在全球范围内共同努力减少排放之前，必须解决的技术、经济和政治问题并不简单，尤其是在全球经济放缓的情况下。For almost two decades,the United Nations has sponsored annual global talks, the United Nations Framework

6、Convention on Climate Change ,an international treaty signed by 194 countries to cooperatively discuss global climate change and its impact.近20年来，联合国主办了年度全球会谈，即“联合国气候变化框架公约”，这是一项由194个国家签署的国际条约，目的是合作讨论全球气候变化及其影响。 The conferences operate on the principle of consensus, meaning that any of the participa

7、ting nations can hold up an agreement.这些会议是按照协商一致的原则运作的，这意味着任何参加国都可以搁置一项协议。The conflicts and controversies discussed are monotonously familiar: the differing obligations of industrialized and developing nations , the queation of who will pay to help poor nations adapt, the urgency of protecting trop

8、ical forests and the need to rapidly develop and deploy clean energy technology.所讨论的冲突和争议是单调熟悉的：工业化国家和发展中国家的义务不同，谁来帮助穷国适应，保护热带森林的紧迫性，以及迅速开发和使用清洁能源技术的必要性。But the meeting have often ended in disillusionment ,with incremental political progress but little real impact on the climate .但会议往往以幻灭告终，在政治上取得了渐

9、进的进展，但对气候的实际影响却微乎其微。The negotiating process itself has come under fire from some quarters ,including the poorest nations who believe their needs are being neglected in the fight among the major economiac powers, Criticism has also come from a small but vocal band of climate-change skeptics ,many of

10、them members of United States Congress, who doubt the existence of human influence on the climate and ridicule international efforts to deal with it.谈判进程本身受到了一些方面的抨击，其中包括那些认为自己的需求在主要经济大国之间的斗争中被忽视的最贫穷国家。批评也来自一小群但声势浩大的气候变化怀疑论者，其中许多人是美国国会议员，他们怀疑人类对气候的影响，并嘲笑国际社会应对气候变化的努力。A New International Initiative L

11、ed By the US美国领导的新国际倡议 In mid-February 2012, Secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton was expect to announce a new internation effort focused on reducing emissings of common pollutants that contribute to rapid climate change and widespread health problems.2012年2月中旬，美国国务卿希拉里罗德姆克林顿(HillaryRodham Clin

12、ton)预计将宣布一项新的国际努力，重点是减少造成快速气候变化和广泛的健康问题的常见污染物的排放。Impatient with the slow pace of international negotiation ,the United States and a small group of countries - Bangladesh ,Canada , Ghana, Mexico and Sweden as well as the United Nations Environment Program -are starting a program that will address sho

13、rt -lived pollutants like soot (also referred to as black carbon ) ,methane and hydrofluorocarbons that have an outsize influence on global warming ,accounting for 30 to 40 percent of global warming .由于国际谈判进展缓慢，美国和一些国家-孟加拉国、加拿大、加纳、墨西哥和瑞典-以及联合国环境规划署(United Nations Environment Program)正在启动一项计划，以解决碳烟(也

14、称黑碳)、甲烷和氢氟碳化合物等对全球变暖有着巨大影响的短命污染物。占全球变暖的30%到40%。Soot from diesel exhausts and the burning of wood ,agricultural waste and dung for heating and cooking cause an estimated totwo million premature death a year ,particularly in the poorest countries.柴油废气产生的烟尘以及燃烧木材、农业废物和用于取暖和烹饪的粪便，估计每年导致200万人过早死亡，特别是在最贫穷

15、的国家。Scientist say that concerted action on these substance can reduce global temperature by 0.5 degress Celsius by 2050 and prevent millions of causes of lung and heart disease by 2030.科学家说，对这些物质采取协调一致的行动可以在2050年前将全球气温降低0.5摄氏度，并在2030年前防止数百万人引起肺病和心脏病。The United States intends to contribute $12 millio

16、n and Canada $3 million over two years to get the program off the ground and to help recruit other countries to participate .美国打算在两年内捐助1200万美元，加拿大300万美元，以启动该方案，并帮助招募其他国家参加。 The United Nations Environment Program will run the project.联合国环境规划署将负责这个项目。Offcials hope that by tackling these fast-acting ,c

17、limat -cleaning agents they can get results quicker than through the laborious and highly political negotaitions conducted under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.官员们希望，通过处理这些快速行动的气候清洁剂，他们能比在“联合国气候变化框架公约”下进行的艰苦和高度政治性的安排更快地取得结果。2011 Global Talks in Durban2011年德班全球会谈At the 2011

18、 conference delegates from about 200 nations gathered together in Durban ,South Africa .在2011年的会议上，来自大约200个国家的代表聚集在南非德班。One of the issues left unresolved was the future of the Kyoto Protocol ,the 1997 agreement that require major industrialized nations to meet targets on emissions reduction but impo

19、ses no mandates on developing countries, including emerging economic poewrs and sources of global greenhouse gas emissions like China,India ,Brazil and South Africa.悬而未决的问题之一是“京都议定书”的未来，该协议要求主要工业化国家实现减排目标，但不对发展中国家规定任何任务，包括中国、印度、巴西和南非等新兴的经济支柱和全球温室气体排放来源。The United Stated is not a party to the protoco

20、l, having refused to even consider ratifying it because of those asymmetrical obligations.美国不是该议定书的缔约国，甚至因为这些不对称的义务而拒绝考虑批准该议定书。 Some major countries, including Canads ,Japan ,and Russia,have said they will not agree to an extension of the protocol next year unless the unbalanced requirements of deve

21、loping and developed countries are changed .包括加拿大、日本和俄罗斯在内的一些主要国家表示，除非改变发展中国家和发达国家的不平衡要求，否则它们不会同意明年延长该议定书。That is similiar to the United Statesposition ,which is that any successot treaty must apply equally to all major economies.这与美国的立场相似，即任何成功的条约都必须平等地适用于所有主要经济体。Expectations for the meeting were l

22、ow ,and it ended with modest accomplishments: the promise to work toward a new global treaty in coming years and the establishment of anew climate fund.会议的期望值很低，最后取得了一些成绩：承诺在未来几年内达成一项新的全球条约，并建立一个新的气候基金。The deal on a future treat renewed the Kyoto Protocol for several mor years .关于未来待遇的协议将“京都议定书”延长了几

23、年。 But it also began a process for replacing the protocol with someing that treats all countries- including the economic powerhouses China,India,and Brazil -equally .但它也开始了一个进程，以某种方式取代议定书，对所有国家-包括经济强国中国、印度和巴西-一视同仁。 The future treaty deal was the most highly contested element of a package of agreemen

24、t that emerged from the extened talks among the nations here.未来的条约协议是各国之间扩大谈判后达成的一揽子协议中最有争议的内容。The expiration date of the protocol-2017 or 2022- and terms of any agreement that replaces it will be negotiated at futur sessions.议定书的有效期-2017年或2022年-以及取代议定书的任何协议的条款将在今后的会议上谈判。The delegates also agreed on

25、 the cereation of a fund to help poor countries adapt to climate change - though the precise sources of the money have yet to be determined -and to measures involving the preservation of tropical forests and the development of clean-energy technology.与会代表还同意设立一项基金，帮助穷国适应气候变化-尽管资金的确切来源尚未确定-并商定了保护热带森林

26、和发展清洁能源技术的措施。 The reserve,called the Green Climate Foung,would help mobilize a promised$100 billion a year in public and private financing by 2020 to assist developing countries in adapting to climate change converting to clean energy sources.这一名为“绿色气候基金”的储备将有助于到2020年每年筹集1000亿美元的公共和私人资金，以帮助发展中国家适应气候

27、变化，将其转化为清洁能源。Backgroungbackground（画等的）背景Scientist learned long ago that the earths climate has powerfully shaped the history of fthe human species- biologically, culturally and geographically .科学家很久以前就知道，地球的气候在生物、文化和地理上都有力地塑造了人类的历史。But only in the last few decades has research revealed that humans c

28、an be a powerful infuence on the climate,as well.但是只有在过去的几十年里，研究才发现人类对气候也有很大的影响。A growing body of scientific evidence indicate that since 1950 ,the worlds climate has been warming ,primarily as a result of emissions from unfettered burning of fossil fuels and the rezing of tropical forests.越来越多的科学证据

29、表明，自1950年以来，世界气候一直在变暖，主要是由于不受限制地燃烧化石燃料和重新开发热带森林所产生的排放。 Such activity adds to the atmospheres invisible blanket of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping greenhousegases.这种活动增加了大气中不可见的二氧化碳和其他热捕获“温室”气体的毯子。 Recent reserch has shown that methane ,which flows from landfills, livestock and oil and gas fac

30、ilities, is a close second to carbon dioxide as an impact on the atmosphere.最近的研究表明，甲烷是从垃圾填埋场、牲畜以及石油和天然气设施流出的，它对大气的影响仅次于二氧化碳。That conclusion has emerged through a broad body of analysis in fields as disparate as glaciology ,the study of glacial formation ,and palynology ,the study of the distributio

31、n of pollen gradins in lake mud .这一结论是通过对冰川学、冰川形成学、孢粉学、湖泥花粉梯度分布等领域的广泛分析得出的。It is based on a host of assessments by climae and earth scientists.它是以高潮和地球科学家的一系列评估为基础的。In the several years, the scientific case that the rising human influence on climate could become disruptive has become particularly ro

32、bust.在这几年里，人类对气候的影响可能会变得破坏性的科学案例变得特别有力。Some fluctuations in the earths temperature are inevitable regardless of human activity - because of decades-long ocean cycles, for emaple.地球温度的某些波动是不可避免的，不管人类活动-因为几十年的海洋循环-对于海洋环境来说。But centuries of rising temperatures and seas lie ahead if the release of emissions from the buring of fossil fuels and deforestation continues unabated ,according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change,a group that shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize With former Vice President Al Gore.但根