时代周刊:多国极端天气频发,敲响气候变化警钟(3)

In terms of cutting emissions¹, Europe's leaders have done more than most to respond to climate change.

在应对气候变化的减排方面，欧洲领导人做得比大多数国家都要多。

In the same week the floods hit, the European Commission presented its plan to overhaul² E.U. economies by 2030 to cut greenhouse-gas emissions 55%, compared with 1990 levels.

就在洪水袭击的同一周，欧盟委员会提出了到2030年对欧盟经济体进行全面改革的计划，将温室气体排放量在1990年的水平上削减55%。

Germans are more likely than other European citizens to consider climate action a top priority, according to regional polls.

地区民调显示，与其他欧洲公民相比，德国人更有可能将气候行动视为头等大事。

The country's Green Party was already projected to make significant gains in September elections, and the floods have thrust the climate to the center of the campaign.

据预测，该国的绿党将在9月的选举中取得重大胜利，而洪灾将气候问题推到了竞选的中心位置。

Analysts³ say that could help the Greens' candidate for Chancellor⁴, Annalena Baerbock, recover some ground lost in polls in recent weeks.

分析人士表示，这有助于绿党总理候选人安娜莱娜·贝尔伯克收复近几周在民调中失去的部分失地。

Her main rival, Armin Laschet of Merkel's center-right party, is the governor of North Rhine–Westphalia.

她的主要竞争对手是北莱茵-威斯特伐利亚州州长阿明·拉谢，他来自默克尔的中右翼政党。

He may suffer if voters blame him for the state's lack of flood preparedness.

如果选民指责他没有做好防洪准备，那么他可能会吃亏。

Even the greenest governments and the most rapid emissions cuts will not be able to reverse the nascent⁵ destabilization of our climate.

即使是最环保的政府和最迅速的减排，也无法扭转我们的气候初生的不稳定。

A certain amount of further warming is already baked into our future, since carbon dioxide lingers in the atmosphere for at least 300 years and will keep trapping more heat.

因为二氧化碳会在大气中存在至少300年，而且还将吸收更多的热量，所以未来一定程度的变暖注定要发生。

Recent extremes are not a "new normal," scientists say, but likely evidence of the end of any kind of normal or stable climate altogether.

科学家们说，最近的极端天气并不是“新常态”，而是所有的正常或稳定的气候都可能终结的证据。

For that reason, experts say that in the coming months, governments urgently need to widen their priorities to include adapting to climate instability.

因此，专家们说，在未来几个月里，各国政府迫切需要扩大他们的工作重点，包括适应不稳定的气候。

It's something developing countries in the global south have long known.

这是南半球的发展中国家早就知道的事情。

But so far, wealthier countries have dedicated⁶ just 5% of international climate finance to adaptation initiatives, despite a long-held pledge to split aid 50-50 between emissions cuts and adaptation.

但到目前为止，尽管长期以来发达国家一直承诺在减排和适应气候变化之间平分援助资金，但它们仅将国际气候资金的5%用于适应气候变化。

As world leaders gear up for COP26, a major U.N. climate summit in November, this summer's events may finally force wealthy countries to take adaptation seriously.

随着世界各国领导人着手为将于11月召开的联合国气候峰会COP26做准备，今年夏天发生的事情可能最终会迫使发达国家认真对待适应气候变化的问题。

This will mean preparing to deal with an inevitable⁷ increase in natural disasters.

这将意味着准备应对不可避免的自然灾害的增加。

"We need to reshape disaster management," Baerbock, the Green candidate for Chancellor, told local media in July. "And the federal government needs to take more responsibility for it."

“我们需要重塑灾害管理，”绿党总理候选人贝尔伯克在7月告诉当地媒体。“联邦政府需要为此承担更多责任。”

It will mean costly⁸ efforts to make homes, transport and infrastructure⁹ much more resilient to heat, rain and droughts.

这将意味着要付出巨大的努力，使家庭、交通和基础设施更能抵御高温、雨水和干旱。

It may also mean expanding and formalizing our systems for cleaning up after disasters.

这也可能意味着扩大和正式化我们的灾后清理系统。

At the very least, it means better warning systems and more public awareness¹⁰ that extreme weather is a real threat—whatever country you live in.

至少，这意味着更好的预警系统和更多的公众意识，无论你生活在哪个国家，极端天气都是一个真正的威胁。

1 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

2 overhaul   

v./n.大修，仔细检查

参考例句：

• Master Worker Wang is responsible for the overhaul of this grinder.王师傅主修这台磨床。
• It is generally appreciated that the rail network needs a complete overhaul.众所周知，铁路系统需要大检修。

3 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

4 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

5 nascent   

adj.初生的，发生中的

参考例句：

• That slim book showed the Chinese intelligentsia and the nascent working class.那本小册子讲述了中国的知识界和新兴的工人阶级。
• Despite a nascent democracy movement,there's little traction for direct suffrage.尽管有过一次新生的民主运动，但几乎不会带来直接选举。

6 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

7 inevitable   

adj.不可避免的，必然发生的

参考例句：

• Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
• The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。

8 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

9 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

10 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。