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全球气候峰会将至 巴黎加强戒备

Four thousand seven hundred meters above sea level lies the Tibetan Plateau, known as "the roof of the world." Its glaciers¹ are the source of many of Asia’s most important rivers.

位于青藏高原海平面以上4700米的土地号称“世界屋脊”。这里的冰川是亚洲很多最重要的河流的源头。

But the ice is melting. Scientists say if that continues at current levels, two-thirds of the plateau's glaciers will likely be gone by 2050, affecting up to 2 billion people in China, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan. Li Yan is from Greenpeace China.

但现在，青藏高原的冰川正在消融。科学家表示如果冰川按现在的程度持续融化，到了2050年这里三分之二的冰川将消失殆尽，这会影响在中国、印度、巴基斯坦、孟加拉国以及不丹的近20亿人。

“Glacial melting on the Tibetan plateau should be a climate change alarm bell for global heads of state,” said Li Yan of Greenpeace China.

绿色和平中国分部的李燕说：“青藏高原的冰川消融，在为全球首脑敲响气候变化的警钟。”

Heads of state and delegates from 196 countries are converging² on Paris for the COP21 climate summit, which begins Monday. They'll be trying to reach a binding³ agreement to limit emissions⁴ of carbon dioxide, which scientists say are driving temperatures upward.

科学家们认为二氧化碳使气温升高。参加巴黎气候峰会的各国代表将尝试达成一项新的具有约束力的协议以限制二氧化碳排放。

Their objective is to limit global warming to no more than 2 degrees Celsius⁵ above preindustrial levels by the end of this century. Smita Nakhooda of the Overseas Development Institute said that target is crucial.

他们的目标是在本世纪结束之前，使全球气温与工业化之前的时期相比，上升幅度不超过两摄氏度。

“Without that," she said, "we will begin to feel extremely severe impacts of climate change, such as extreme weather events, droughts, flooding and other disruptions to our way of life.”

海外发展研究所的斯米塔?纳库达说：“如果不实现这个目标，我们就将会感受到气候变化所带来的极其严重的影响，比如极端天气现象、干旱、洪水和其它对我们生活的破坏。”

Scientists say we are most likely already starting to feel some of the impact of climate change. 2015 has been the hottest year ever recorded.

科学家表示，人们可能已经开始感受到气候变化所带来的影响了。2015年是有记录以来最热的一年。

There is evidence that warmer temperatures are making storms more intense.

有证据表明气温的升高使风暴变得更猛烈。

At the Copenhagen summit in 2009, developed nations agreed to provide $100 billion of public and private financing to help developing countries adapt to climate change and develop greener technologies. Nakhooda said the debate has shifted since Copenhagen, and there is hope a deal can be reached.

在以前的峰会上，发达国家同意在2020年以前提供1000亿美元的公共和私人资金以帮助发展中国家适应气候变化并发展更加环保的技术。

“Several countries have offered to double their contributions of public finance, so that’s all encouraging," she said. "The costs of clean energy deployment⁶ have plummeted⁷ in recent years, and they’ve plummeted the fastest in some developing countries.”

纳库达说：“有几个国家已经提出将之前承诺的公共资金投入加倍，所以这是非常鼓舞人心的。近年来清洁能源部署的成本已经大幅下降，这些成本在一些发展中国家下降得最快”。

Several events during the summit have been canceled following the terror attacks in Paris two weeks ago. France has deployed⁸ an extra 8,000 police officers on its borders.

因两周前在巴黎发生的恐怖袭击事件，全球气候峰会原定的几项活动被取消。法国已经在边境上增加了8000名警察，以确保安全。