VOA新闻杂志2023--Study: Earth Is in Danger

Study: Earth Is in Danger

Earth is now considered to be in a "danger zone," a new study says.

An international group of scientists called Earth Commission¹ did the study. It appeared in the publication² Nature.

The researchers report that conditions on Earth have pushed past seven of eight safety limits established by science. The experts say the planet³ is very sick and all life, humans included, face extreme risks as a result.

The study examines climate, air pollution, fertilizer⁴ pollution in water, groundwater supplies, fresh surface water, the unbuilt natural environment and the larger human-built environment. The research shows each of those areas have passed into dangerous conditions worldwide. Only air pollution is within the identified safety zone, the scientists report.

However, the report notes that air pollution is dangerous at local levels.

The study found problem "hot spot" areas throughout the world, much of it from climate change. About two-thirds of Earth does not meet safe levels for freshwater supply, scientists said.

Joyeeta Gupta is the Earth Commission co-chair and professor of environment at the University of Amsterdam. She told reporters that if planet Earth went to a medical exam, "our doctor would say that the Earth is really quite sick right now and it ... is also affecting the people living on Earth."

But the planet can recover if people make changes, the researchers report. Such reforms would include reducing the use of coal, oil and natural gas and improving treatment of land and water, the scientists said.

But "we are moving in the wrong direction on basically⁵ all of these," said study lead author Johan Rockstrom, from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact⁶ Research in Germany.

The team of about 40 scientists created measurable boundaries for each environmental category. They decided⁷ the level where it is safe for the planet. The point at which it becomes harmful for groups of people, the researchers called a justice issue.

Rockstrom said he thinks of those points as setting⁸ up "a safety fence'' outside of which the risks become higher, but not necessarily⁹ disastrous¹⁰.

Rockstrom and other scientists have attempted in the past this type of measuring of Earth's connected ecosystems¹¹. The big difference in this attempt is that scientists also looked at local and area levels and added the idea of justice.

The justice part includes fairness between young and old generations, different nations and even different species¹². Frequently, it applies to conditions that harm people more than the planet.

An example of that is climate change.

The report uses the same boundary of 1.5 degrees Celsius¹³ of warming that international leaders agreed upon in the 2015 Paris climate agreement. The world has so far warmed about 1.1 degrees Celsius so it has not crossed that safety fence, Rockstrom and Gupta said. But that does not mean people are not being hurt.

"What we are trying to show through our paper is that even at 1 degree Centigrade there is a huge amount of damage taking place," Gupta said.

The planetary safety boundary of 1.5 degrees has not been reached. But the "just" boundary of 1 degree where people are hurt has been.

Stanford environmental studies head Chris Field was not part of the research. He said he would want even more strict boundaries.

"Sustainability and justice are inseparable," he said.

Words in This Story

zone — n. an area that is different from other areas in a particular way

hot spot — n. a place where there is much danger or fighting

category — n. a group of people or things that are similar in some way

sustainability — n. able to be used without being completely used up or destroyed

1 commission   

n.委托，授权，委员会，拥金，回扣，委任状

参考例句：

• The salesman can get commission on everything he sells.这个售货员能得到所售每件货物的佣金。
• The commission is made up of five people,including two women.委员会由五人组成，其中包括两名妇女。

2 publication   

n.出版，发行；出版；公布，发表

参考例句：

• They don't think this article is suitable for publication.他们认为这篇文章不宜发表。
• The government has delayed publication of the trade figures.政府已将贸易统计数字延后公布。

3 planet   

n.行星

参考例句：

• Neptune is the furthest planet from the sun. 海王星是离太阳最远的行星。
• Rubbish, however, is only part of the problem of polluting our planet. 然而, 垃圾只是我们这个星球的污染问题的一个方面。

4 fertilizer   

n.肥料，化肥

参考例句：

• Fertilizer enriches the soil.肥料使土壤肥沃。
• Get some more fertilizer for the garden.给花园再多施些肥料。

5 basically   

adv.基本上，从根本上说

参考例句：

• His heart is basically sound.他的心脏基本上健康。
• Basically I agree with your plan.我基本上同意你的计划。

6 impact   

n.冲击，碰撞；影响；vt.装紧，压紧

参考例句：

• The computer had made a great impact on modern life.计算机对现代生活产生了巨大的影响.
• How will the war impact on such a poet?战争对这样一个诗人会产生什么影响？

7 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

8 setting   

n.背景

参考例句：

• The play has its setting in Vienna.该剧以维也纳为背景。
• Where and when a story takes place is called the setting.故事发生的地点和时间称为故事背景。

9 necessarily   

adv.必要地，必需地；必定地，必然地

参考例句：

• More work does not necessarily call for more men.增加工作量不一定就要增添人员。
• A voter must necessarily be no younger than eighteen.选民必须在18岁以上。

10 disastrous   

adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的

参考例句：

• The heavy rainstorm caused a disastrous flood.暴雨成灾。
• Her investment had disastrous consequences.She lost everything she owned.她的投资结果很惨，血本无归。

11 ecosystems   

n.生态系统( ecosystem的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There are highly sensitive and delicately balanced ecosystems in the forest. 森林里有高度敏感、灵敏平衡的各种生态系统。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Madagascar's ecosystems range from rainforest to semi-desert. 马达加斯加生态系统类型多样，从雨林到半荒漠等不一而足。 来自辞典例句

12 species   

n.物种，种群

参考例句：

• Are we the only thinking species in the whole of creation?我们是万物中惟一有思想的物种吗？
• This species of bird now exists only in Africa.这种鸟现在只存在于非洲。

13 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。