这一章超级无聊，也没有什么知识，就是一篇美国政治话题的八股文。如果考试不考的话，千万别看。

美国的环境有一段有趣的历史。 The environment of the United States has an interesting history. 在欧洲移民到来之前，这片土地被茂密的森林覆盖，雄伟的雪山没有受到干扰，湖泊和河流原始，空气干净纯净。  Before settlers arrived from Europe, the land was heavily forested, the majestic, snow-capped mountains remained undisturbed, the lakes and rivers pristine, and the air clean and pure. 虽然生活在这片土地上的部落文化存在差异，但土著人民认为自己是自然的一部分，而不是与自然分离。  While there were differences in the cultures of the tribes that lived on this land, the indigenous peoples saw themselves as a part of nature, not apart from nature. 他们尊重环境，与环境和谐相处。  They respected and lived in harmony with their environment. 私有财产是一个不为人知的概念。  Private property was an unknown concept. 他们从大自然中获取的动物、植物和水作为食物和饮料是地球母亲的礼物。  The animals, plants and water they took from nature for food and drink were gifts from Mother Earth. 像他们的祖先一样，他们通常只拿自己需要的东西，为了子孙后代，他们是地球的好管家。  Like their ancestors, they generally took only what they needed and were good stewards of the earth for the sake of future generations.欧洲移民带来了不同的自然概念。  The European settlers arrived with a different concept of nature. 他们坚持财富积累和私有财产的资本主义目标，并认为自然是为了人类所用而应被征服的。”  They adhered to the capitalist goals of wealth accumulation and private property and the idea that nature was there to be conquered for human use.' 因此，当他们从东海岸分散到整个大陆时，他们砍伐森林，清理土地，开垦大片土地，建立家园和城镇。  Thus, as they fanned out from the east coast across the continent, they cut down forests and cleared the land, cultivating large swaths of territory and establishing homesteads and towns. 随着工业革命的到来，人们开始在地下挖掘黄金、矿产、煤炭、石油和其他任何可以在地下找到的财富。  With the coming of the Industrial Revolution, they dug into the ground for gold, minerals, coal, oil and whatever other riches were to be found in the earth. 他们的搜索不断加强，他们发现了新的挖掘地点，他们越挖越深，总是在寻找新的宝藏。  Their search constantly intensifying, they found new places to dig, and they dug deeper and deeper, always on the hunt for new treasures. 大自然的财富，以前被看作是需要精心培育的礼物，现在被当作商品来对待，可以用来买卖，增加个人的财富和声望。  Nature's riches, which had previously been looked upon as gifts to be carefully nurtured, came to be treated as commodities to be bought and sold for money and to enhance individual wealth and prestige.随着时间的推移，越来越多的人对环境所遭受的破坏变得敏感起来。  As time passed, more people became sensitive to the abuses suffered by the environment. 然而，直到20世纪60年代，环境问题才变得普遍。  However, it was not until the 1960s that environmental concerns became widespread. 著名生物学家雷切尔·卡森  Noted biologist Rachel Carson 助力培养了这种新的意识，并被称为现代环保运动之母。  helped to foster this new awareness and came to be known as the mother of the modern environmental movement. 其中，她反对人类试图用化学物质控制自然。  Among other things, she objected to humans trying to control nature with chemicals. 第二次世界大战后不久，化学杀虫剂被广泛用于农作物。  Soon after World War II, chemical pesticides were widely used on crops. 在她著名的著作《寂静的春天》中，她宣称:“如果我们要和这些化学物质如此亲密地生活在一起——吃它们、喝它们，把它们带入我们的骨髓——我们最好对它们的性质和力量有所了解。”  In her famous book, Silent Spring, she declared, "If we are going to live so intimately with these chemicals —eating and drinking them, taking them into the very marrow of our bones— we had better know something about their nature and their power." 她的书，以及她在国会的证词，导致了某些农药的禁用。  Her book, as well as testimony she gave before Congress, led to the banning of certain pesticides.

此后，一些环保主义者宣称《寂静的春天》是一本“地球生命未来的手册”。

(资料图)

In later years, some environmentalists declared that Silent Spring was a "handbook for the future of life on Earth." 此后，无数人追随蕾切尔·卡森(Rachel Carson)等环保先驱的脚步，有时成功地控制了某些环境问题。  Countless others have since followed in the footsteps of environmental pioneers like Rachel Carson, at times successfully bringing environmental problems under control. 然而，在过去的几十年里，作为一个物种，我们发现自己面临着人类历史上最大规模的环境危机。  However, for the past few decades, we as a species find ourselves confronting the most massive environmental crisis in the history of humankind. 你知道这是什么吗?  Do you know what it is?  

A Puzzle 

以下是近年来美国一些最重要的环境现象。Here are some of the most important environmental phenomena in the United States in recent years. 他们彼此之间都有共同之处。  They all have something in common with each other. 这是什么?  What is it? 看看你能不能解开这个谜题。  See if you can solve this puzzle.

2013年6月，美国西南部出现了一股酷热的热浪，气温高达54摄氏度，接近地球上有记录以来的最高温度。  In June of 2013, a blistering heat wave in the southwestern part of the country saw temperatures as high as 54°C, close to the hottest ever recorded anywhere on the planet. 数百人住院治疗，至少30人死亡。  Hundreds of people were hospitalized and at least 30 died.随着高温加剧，干旱状况也随之出现，持续了数年，在加州尤为严重。  As the heat intensified, drought conditions developed, lasting several years, and becoming particularly severe in California. 农业受到严重影响，这是一个严重的问题，因为加州是全国水果和蔬菜的主要供应地。  Agriculture was heavily impacted, a serious problem since California is a major supplier of fruits and vegetables for the entire country. 由于食品短缺，一些价格急剧上涨。  With food shortages, some prices increased dramatically.在森林茂密的地区，极端的高温和干旱会导致森林火灾。  In heavily forested areas, extreme heat and drought can lead to forest fires. 因此，尽管有成千上万的消防员在工作，但在2015年秋天，肆虐的大火烧毁了加州28万英亩的土地。  Thus, in spite of thousands of firefighters on the job, raging fires burned over 280 000 acres in California during the fall of 2015. 森林被毁，数千人被迫撤离，数百座房屋被夷为平地。  Forests were destroyed, thousands of people were forced to evacuate, and hundreds of homes were flattened.西部各州经常遭受缺水之苦，但在该国其他地区，情况可能大不相同。  The Western states often suffer from not enough water, but matters can be very different in other parts of the country. 2012年，飓风桑迪袭击了整个东海岸和几个内陆州，共有24个州受到影响。  In 2012, a total of 24 states were affected when Hurricane Sandy struck the entire eastern seaboard and several inland states. 纽约和新泽西受到猛烈风暴潮的打击尤其严重。  New York and New Jersey were especially hard hit by fierce storm surges. 这场灾难最终造成约159人死亡，在美国历史上仅次于七年前的卡特里娜飓风，造成的死亡人数是卡特里娜飓风的10倍多。  This disaster ended with an estimated 159 lives lost and was outstripped in American history only by Hurricane Katrina seven years earlier that resulted in more than 10 times the death toll.洪水，虽然并不局限于飓风，但也经常伴随着飓风，就像桑迪和卡特里娜飓风一样。  Floods, though not restricted to hurricanes, often accompany them as they did with Sandy and Katrina. 由于卡特里娜飓风带来的洪水，新奥尔良80%的地区被淹没。  Eighty percent of New Orleans was under water as a result of the flooding from Hurricane Katrina. 损失810亿美元，  At $81 billion, it was the most expensive

这是美国历史上损失最惨重的环境灾难 environmental disaster in American history. 据说1500万人受到了影响，这座著名的城市永远地改变了。  It is said that 15 million people were affected and that this famous city has been forever changed. 近年来，其他类型的风暴正变得越来越严重。  Other kinds of storms are becoming more severe in recent years. 例如，中西部的大部分地区都是龙卷风的多发地，2007年，人口约1400人的堪萨斯州格林斯堡镇被一场近2英里宽的龙卷风直接袭击。  For example, much of the Midwest is tornado territory, and in 2007 the town of Greensburg, Kansas, with a population of about 1 400, was directly hit by a tornado nearly 2 miles wide. 95%的建筑变成了废墟，这个小镇几乎被夷为平地。  With 95% of the buildings reduced to rubble, this small town was virtually wiped out.根据美国肺脏协会2016年的一份报告，不健康的空气污染水平困扰着1.66亿美国人，约占美国人口的一半，可能导致哮喘、心脏病、肺癌和其他疾病等呼吸系统疾病。  According to a 2016 report by the American Lung Association, unhealthy levels of air pollution plague 166 million Americans, about half the population of the US respiratory diseases such as asthma can result, as can heart disease, lung cancer and other illnesses. 面积相当于德克萨斯州、加利福尼亚州和蒙大拿州的面积总和的巨大的阿拉斯加州，以其美丽的冰川而闻名，但它们正在迅速消失。  The huge state of Alaska, which is the size of Texas, California and Montana combined, is known for its beautiful glaciers, but they are rapidly disappearing. 2015年进行的一项科学研究显示，每年大约有750亿吨冰川融化。  A scientific study conducted in 2015 revealed that approximately 75 billion tons of glacial ice melt occur every year. 冰川融化会引发洪水，造成饮用水短缺，影响依赖冰川生存的动物，引发地震、火山爆发，甚至海啸。  This melting can cause flooding, create shortages of potable water, affect animals that depend on glaciers for their survival, and trigger earthquakes, volcanoes, and even tsunamis. 冰川融化最具破坏性的后果之一是海平面上升。  One of the most devastating results of melting glaciers is sea level rise. 这对沿海地区构成了重大威胁——洪水、海岸线侵蚀和后退、海水污染供水、对生态系统的危害以及对建筑物、道路和桥梁的破坏。  This presents major threats to coastal areas-flooding, erosion and receding shorelines, contamination of water supplies by salt water, harm to ecosystems, and damage to buildings, roads and bridges. 洛杉矶、旧金山、纽约和佛罗里达的大部分沿海地区，以及世界各地的沿海地区和城市，都开始感受到海平面上升带来的海水侵蚀。  Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, and much of the coast of Florida, as well as coastal regions and cities all over the world, are beginning to feel the encroachment of water from sea level rise. 随着时间的推移，这些地区可能会被水淹没。  Over time, these areas could become inundated with water.美国有数百种濒危物种。  There are hundreds of endangered species in the United States. 在某些情况下，他们的正常环境不再适合居住，他们被迫寻找新的地方居住。  In somed cases, their normal environment is no longer habitable, and they are being forced to find new places to live. 这种物种迁移会导致新的问题。  This species migration can lead to new problems. 例如，如果它们的新栖息地没有捕食者，它们可能会繁殖过多，导致新栖息地的生态失衡，或者如果捕食者太多，这可能会导致它们灭绝。  For example, if there are no predators in their new location, they might overpopulate, causing other imbalances in their new habitat, or if there are too many, this could lead to their extinction. 许多种类的植物也濒临灭绝。  Many species of plants are also endangered.如果你还没有解决这个谜题，这里有一个提示可以帮助你。  If you have not already solved the puzzle, here's a hint to help you. 1993年至2001年担任美国副总统的阿尔·戈尔(Al Gore)向全世界数百万人宣传了这些问题和其他环境问题。（呵呵，都什么年头了还吹捧戈尔，他奢侈浪费不环保的各种事迹可以查查）  Al Gore, whc served as Vice President of the United States from 1993 to 2001, educated millions of people around the world about these and other environmental problems. 通过他  Through his

2006年的电影和书，都叫《难以忽视的真相》，他清楚地表明了它们的共同点。 2006 film and book, both titled An Inconvenient Truth, he made it clear what they have in common.一年后，他获得了诺贝尔和平奖的电影和书籍，以及他对这个主题的其他工作。  A year later, he received the Nobel Peace Prize for the film and book as well as his other work on this topic. 在他的获奖感言中，他说:“我们人类物种正面临着一个全球性的紧急情况——一个对我们文明生存的威胁，即使在我们聚集在这里的时候，这种威胁正在积聚不祥和破坏性的潜力。  In his acceptance speech he said, "We, the human species, are confronting a planetary emergency—a threat to the survival of our civilization that is gathering ominous and destructive potential even as we gather here. 但也有一个充满希望的消息:如果我们采取行动，我们有能力解决这场危机，并避免最坏的——尽管不是全部——后果……  But there is hopeful news as well: we have the ability to solve this crisis and avoid the worst — though not all — of its consequences, if we act ... 很快。”  quickly." 他强调，“结果将受到两个国家的决定性影响……  He emphasized that "the outcome will be decisively influenced by two nations... 这就需要采取最大胆的行动，否则就要为他们的失败承担历史责任。”  that will need to make the boldest moves, or stand accountable before history for their failure to act." 这两个国家是美国和XX。  These two nations are the United States and China.你解开这个谜了吗?  Did you solve the puzzle yet? 什么样可怕的力量能产生这样的暴力和破坏——在成千上万的人中造成疾病和死亡，在田地里肆虐庄稼，摧毁成片成片的健康森林，摧毁建筑物，消灭动物物种?  What kind of dreadful force could possibly generate such violence and devastation-causing illness and death among thousands of people, wreaking havoc on crops in fields, wiping out acres and acres of healthy forests, destroying buildings, and eliminating whole species of animals? 

科学提供答案

这些环境灾难都或多或少地与全球变暖和气候变化有关。  

Science Provides the Answer

These environmental disasters all relate in one way or another to global warming and climate change. 当然，一个完整的科学解释有些复杂，但简单地说，全球变暖是指地球平均温度的升高。  Of course a full scientific explanation is somewhat complex, but simply put, global warming refers to the warming of the earth's average temperature. 气候变化包括这一点，也包括全球和局部气候的其他变化，如热浪和更频繁、更猛烈的风暴。  Climate change includes this and also other changes in climate globally and locally, such as heat waves and more frequent and fiercer storms. “气候变化”这个词更常用。  The term "climate change" is more commonly used.正如我们所知，太阳使地球变暖。  As we know, the sun warms the earth. 当这些太阳辐射进入地球大气层时，其中一些被某些气体捕获，从而使地球变暖。  As this solar radiation enters the earth's atmosphere, some of it is trapped by certain gases, thus warming the earth. 二氧化碳是这些气体中最常见的。  Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most common of these gases. 一些辐射被反射回太空。  Some of the radiation bounces back into space. 我们大气中适当的热辐射平衡使地球适合多种形式的生命生存。  The right balance of radiation in our atmosphere is what makes the earth habitable for its many forms of life. 然而，如果大气中有更多的二氧化碳和其他这类气体，地球就会变暖得更多，气候就会变得不稳定。  If there is more CO2 and other such gases in the atmosphere, however, the earth warms more and the climate becomes unstable. 这些气体被称为温室气体(GHG)，因为当它们在大气中增加时，它们就像温室一样吸收并保持热量，使地球进一步变暖，从而导致全球变暖。  These gases are referred to as greenhouse gases (GHG) because, as they increase in the atmosphere, they act like a greenhouse that takes in the heat and holds it, warming the earth even more, thus global warming. 变暖的空气也影响了  The warming air also affects the amount of

降水和水分蒸发，导致天气更加极端，从而导致气候变化。 precipitation and water evaporation, resulting in more extreme weather, thus climate change.然而，我们不能草率地断定每一场风暴都是由气候变化直接引起的。  However, we must not leap to the conclusion that every storm is directly caused by climate change. 不过，我们能说的是，总的来说，极端天气事件比过去更频繁、更严重、持续时间更长。  What we can say, though, is that in general, extreme weather events are more frequent, more severe, and last longer than in the past. 我们也不能总是把自然界的其他变化归因于气候变化。  Nor can we always attribute other changes in nature to climate change. 例如，虽然大部分物种迁移是气候变化的结果，但某些物种可能因为城市扩张和侵占其栖息地而被迫迁移。“为什么，”你可能会问，“大气中突然有这么多二氧化碳?”  For example, although much of species migration is the result of climate change, a certain species might be forced to migrate because a city is expanding and encroaching on its habitat"Why," you may ask, "is there suddenly so much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere?" 这是一个很好的问题，最好的答案是看看地球近代史的独特之处。  That's a good question, best answered by looking at what is unique about the earth's recent history. 工业时代始于18世纪末，严重依赖化石燃料，随之而来的是二氧化碳排放的大幅增加。  The industrial era, which began in the late 18th century and relies heavily on fossil fuels, brought with it the beginning of a great increase in CO2. 化石燃料是来自地球上腐烂的动植物的能源，它们需要数百万年的时间才能形成。  Fossil fuels are sources of energy that come from decayed plants and animals in the earth, and it takes millions of years for them to form. 最常见的化石燃料——煤、石油和天然气——都是以碳为基础的。  The most common fossil fuels coal, oil and natural gas- are carbon based. 燃烧时，它们将二氧化碳释放到大气中。  When burned, they release CO2 into the atmosphere. 随着时间的推移，越来越多的化石燃料被用于工业、家庭和交通运输。  Over time, more and more fossil fuels were used to fuel industries, homes and transportation. 工厂、发电厂、汽车和飞机是最常见的排放源，现在每年排放大约350亿吨二氧化碳。  Factories, power plants, cars and airplanes are among the most common examples of the sources now spewing out approximately 35 billion excess tons of CO2 every year.然而，值得注意的是，二氧化碳对地球上的生命是必不可少的。  It is important to note, however, that CO2 is essential to life on the planet. 例如，当人类呼吸时，我们释放出二氧化碳，二氧化碳被树木和其他植物吸收，树木和其他植物释放出我们吸入的氧气。  For example, when humans breathe, we give out CO, which is taken in by trees and other plants, which give out oxygen that we breathe in. 除了地下的化石，二氧化碳还储存在植物、海洋和土壤中，被称为碳汇。  In addition to the fossils underground, CO2 is stored in plants, the oceans and the soil, referred to as carbon sinks. 这些碳汇吸收了大量多余的二氧化碳，但它们能吸收的量是有限的。  These carbon sinks take in a great deal of the excess CO2, but there is a limit to the amount they can absorb. 例如，最终进入海洋的过量二氧化碳对鱼类和其他海洋动物、珊瑚礁以及以珊瑚礁为栖息地的数百种物种都有不利影响。  For example, the excess CO2 that ends up in our oceans has detrimental effects on fish and other marine animals, as well as coral reefs and the hundreds of species that use the coral reefs as a habitat.因此，很明显，大部分气候变化是人为的，是人类活动的结果。  It is therefore clear that much of climate change is anthropogenic, the result of human activity. 事实上，英语中最近出现了一个新词——人类世。  In fact, a new term has recently entered the English language — Anthropocene. 根据《牛津英语词典》，这个词指的是“当前的地质时代，被视为人类活动对气候和环境产生主要影响的时期。”  According to the Oxford English Dictionary, this term refers to "the current geological age, viewed as the period during which human activity has been the dominant influence on climate and the environment."大多数美国人都意识到气候变化的破坏性影响  Most Americans are aware of the devastating effects of climate change and

大部分归因于人类活动。 attribute much of it to human activity. 然而，尽管这是世界上97%的气候科学家得出的结论，仍有许多美国人认为这不是人类造成的，有些人甚至认为气候变化是不真实的。  Yet, even though this is the conclusion reached by 97% of the world's climate scientists, there are still many Americans who think it is not caused by humans, and some who even think that climate change is not real.不幸的是，特朗普总统加入了这群不科学的气候变化否认者的行列，导致更多的美国人怀疑气候变化的真实性。  Unfortunately, President Trump added his voice to this group of unscientific climate change deniers, causing more Americans to doubt the reality of climate change. 在2016年总统竞选期间，他宣称气候变化是XX制造的“骗局”。  During the 2016 Presidential campaign, he proclaimed that climate change is a "hoax" perpetrated by China.' 显然，这种说法阻碍了解决问题的进程。  Obviously, such statements stand in the way of progress toward resolving the problem.有了对气候变化的理解，让我们回到这个难题上来。  Armed with your understanding of climate change, let's return to the puzzle. 你现在能弄清楚每一块拼图是如何与气候变化联系起来的吗?  Can you now figure out how each piece of the puzzle relates to climate change?但是正在做什么呢?  But What Is Being Done?既然我们了解了这些可怕的环境问题的共同点以及它们存在的原因，我们就可以把注意力转向正在采取的措施。  Now that we understand what these terrible environmental problems have in common and why they exist, we can turn our attention to what is being done about them. 应对气候变化有两种主要方法。  There are two major approaches for dealing with climate change. 一种旨在防止或减少温室气体的排放，称为减排。  One aims to prevent or lessen the emission of GHGs and is called mitigation. 另一个目标是适应，旨在减少气候变化带来的风险。  The aim of the other, adaptation, is to reduce the risks resulting from climate change.各级政府在减排和适应气候变化方面正在取得重要进展。  By GovernmentsGovernments at different levels are making important gains to mitigate and adapt to climate change. 以下一些主要是减排的例子，一些主要是适应的例子。  Some of the following are examples primarily of mitigation and some are examples primarily of adaptation.为了减少干旱对加州的影响，州政府颁布了一长串紧急节水规定，并对违反规定的人处以罚款。  To diminish the effects of the drought in California, the state government imposed a long list of emergency water conservation rules, and fines were set for people who broke the rules. 大量的地下水被用于农业和弥补河流中的水损失。  Large reserves of groundwater were used for agriculture and to replace water losses in rivers.一些最令人印象深刻的工作正在地方一级完成。  Some of the most impressive work is being done at local levels. 还记得摧毁堪萨斯州格林斯堡的龙卷风吗?  Remember the tornado that demolished Greensburg, Kansas? 在市长的领导下，格林斯堡的市民重建了他们的城镇。  Under the leadership of the mayor, the citizens of Greensburg rebuilt their town. 但他们决定利用可再生能源，使他们的城镇更具可持续性，而不是像过去那样依赖化石燃料。  But rather than relying on fossil fuels as in the past, they decided to take advantage of renewable energy and make their town more sustainable. 他们建造了朝南的新建筑，以最大限度地利用自然  They built new buildings facing south to make maximum use of natural

日光和安装太阳能电池板和天窗，以受益于太阳的热量。 daylight and installed solar panels and skylights to benefit from the heat of the sun. 他们建造了风力发电场，提供该镇所需的全部电力。  They constructed a wind farm that provided all the electricity needed by the town. 结束后，市长发表了一句著名的宣言:“龙卷风摧毁了这个小镇，现在我们正在用风来为小镇提供电力。”  Whend finished, the mayor famously declared, "The very wind that destroyed this town in the tornado is now the wind we're using to power the town." 他们的努力被称为“绿色格林斯堡”。  Their efforts are referred to asd "the greening of Greensburg."2014年，美国环境保护署发布了对抗空气污染的标准，从而改善了公众健康。  In 2014, the US Environmental Protection Agency issued standards to combat air pollution and therefore improve public health. 这些标准包括为汽车和卡车使用更清洁的燃料，以及改进新车的技术，以减少污染排放。  The standards included using cleaner fuel for cars and trucks and improving technologies for new vehicles so that they would emit less pollution.一些最容易受到海平面上升影响的地区的州政府和市政府认识到解决这个问题的必要性。  Some state and city governments in areas most vulnerable to sea level rise recognize the need to address this problem. 他们确定风险最大的地区，确定安全的疏散路线，在远离海岸线的地方建造新的建筑物和运输系统，建造海堤和沙丘，并将脆弱的物种转移到更安全的地方。  They identify areas most at risk, determine safe evacuation routes, construct new buildings and transportation systems further from the coastline, build seawalls and dunes, and relocate vulnerable species to safer places.也许更重要的是非政府组织(ngo)和个人的贡献。  By Civil SocietyPerhaps even more important is the contribution of non-government organizations (NGOs) and individuals. 来自世界各地的数百名科学家多年来一直致力于研究全球变暖和气候变化。  Hundreds of scientists from around the world have devoted many years to investigating global warming and climate change. 他们在科学期刊上发表他们的发现。  They write about their findings in scientific journals. 联合国政府间气候变化专门委员会(IPCC)还与民间社会的科学家合作，审查科学数据，并定期发布气候变化状况报告。  In cooperation with scientists in civil society, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) of the United Nations also reviews scientific data and issues periodic reports on the status of climate change. 科学期刊的报告和IPCC的报告经常被作者和记者通过书籍和文章，以及无数其他个人和非政府组织通过社交媒体的闪电速度推广。  The scientific journal accounts and IPCC reports are often popularized by authors and journalists in books and articles, and by countless other individuals and NGOs through the lightning speed of social media.这些是英雄——科学家、作家、非政府组织和普通人，他们努力实现自己的梦想，为自己的孩子和全人类创造一个安全的未来。  These are the heroes — the scientists, writers, NGOs, and ordinary people who struggle to realize their dream of a safe future for their children and for all of humanity. 它们提供了持续的、大规模的知识流动，导致了美国和其他地方广泛的民众运动的形成。  They provide a continuous, massive flow of knowledge that has led to the formation of widespread popular moverments in the US and elsewhere. 美国的气候变化运动由数百个地方和国家层面的大大小小的非政府组织以及数百万致力于对抗气候变化和健康地球的个人组成。  The climate change movement in the US is composed of hundreds of NGOs, both large and small, at local and national levels, as well as millions of individuals committed to fighting against climate change and for a healthy planet.

通过联合起来，环保主义者已经能够制定出大量且数量不断增加的创造性和有效的策略，这些策略专门用于减缓和适应气候变化。 By joining forces, environmentalists have been able to develop a vast and growing number of creative and effective strategies designed especially to mitigate, but also to adapt to climate change. 这些战略旨在遏制不可持续的做法，鼓励对可再生能源和能源效率等可持续做法的依赖。  These strategies aim to curb unsustainable practices and instead encourage reliance on practices that are sustainable, such as renewable energy and energy efficiency. 从这些战略中产生的行动主要针对企业，特别是大型化石燃料公司，以及在财政或法律上支持这些公司的州和国家政府。  The actions that flow from these strategies are largely directed at businesses, especially the big fossil fuel corporations, and at the state and national governments that support the corporations financially or legally.仅举几个正在采取的行动，数百万人签署请愿书并写信给政府领导人和公司。  To name just a few of the kinds of actions being taken, millions of people sign petitions and write letters to government leaders and corporations. 环保人士组织团队植树。  Environmental activists organize teams to plant trees. 他们教育自己和他人如何在家中、工作场所和交通中减少能源浪费。  They educate themselves and others about ways to reduce wasteful use of energy in their homes, places of work and transportation. 他们发起撤资运动，说服大学、教堂和市政当局取消对化石燃料公司的金融投资。  They run divestment campaigns to convince universities, churches and municipalities to remove their financial investments from fossil fuel companies. 他们举行大规模抗议示威活动，如2014年9月在纽约举行的“人民气候游行”。  They hold mass protest demonstrations such as the September 2014 People's Climate March in New York City. 这次游行得到了1500个非政府组织的支持，吸引了来自各行各业的40万人——从工人及其工会、学生、家庭、艺术家和宗教团体，到政治家和联合国秘书长——同时在美国和其他166个国家的许多城市举行了大约2700次“伙伴游行”和其他活动。  The march was endorsed by 1 500 NGOs and attracted 400 000 people from all walks of life-from workers and their unions, students, families, artists and faith groups, to politicians and the UN Secretary General—while approximately 2 700 "companion marches" and other events were held in numerous cities in the US and 166 other countries.追随圣雄甘地和马丁·路德·金的脚步，一些活动家甚至组织非暴力的公民不服从抗议活动。（一群.....）  Following in the footsteps of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr., some activists even organize nonviolent civil disobedienceprotests. 例如，记者比尔·麦基本(Bill McKibben)就是这样一位主要的活动家，他为普通读者撰写了许多关于气候变化的书籍。  For example, Bill McKibben, journalist and author of many books on climate change for a general audience, is one such leading activist. 他也是一个名为350的非政府组织的联合创始人。  He is also a co-founder of an NGO called 350. 该组织成立于美国，现在帮助188个国家组织气候行动。  org" that started in the US and now helps to organize climate actions in 188 countries. 这个名字来源于这样一个事实:气候科学家普遍认为，大气中二氧化碳相对于大气中所有其他分子的百万分之350 (ppm)是被认为是安全的上限。  The name comes from the fact that climate scientists generally agree that 350 parts per million (ppm) of CO2 in the atmosphere relative to all the other molecules in the atmosphere is the upper limit of what is considered safe. 不幸的是，目前的含量已经超过了400ppm。  Unfortunately, the present amount is currently beyond 400 ppm. 由于他的不懈努力，麦吉本获得了许多荣誉，包括被称为“另类诺贝尔奖”的“正确生活方式奖”。  McKibben has been awarded many honors for his ongoing efforts, including the Right Livelihood Award, often referred to as "the alternative Nobel Prize."2011年，麦吉本是华盛顿特区和平公民不服从行动的组织者之一，数千人包围了白宫，拒绝离开，抗议拟议中的输油管道Keystone XL  In 2011, McKibben was among the organizers of a peaceful civil disobedience action in Washington, D.C., where several thousand people surrounded the White House and refused to leave in protest against the Keystone XL, a proposed pipeline

管道将运送原油穿过几个州。 that was to carry crude oil through several states. 由于输油管道破裂或泄漏造成的石油泄漏和其他事故很常见，抗议活动很受欢迎，随后在全国范围内出现了长时间的基层活动。  Since oil spills from ruptured or leaking pipelines and other accidents are common, the protest was popular and was followed by an extended period of grassroots actions across the country. 然后，在2013年，活动人士把自己绑在白宫的围栏上。  Then, ind 2013, activists tied themselves to the White House fence. 这两次非暴力的公民不服从行动导致数百人被捕，其中包括麦基本、学生、一位著名的气候科学家和知名演员。  These two nonviolent civil disobedience actions resulted in the arrests of several hundred people, including McKibben, students, a prominent climate scientist, and well-known actors. 然而，这些行动也导致奥巴马总统决定拒绝建设这条管道。  However, the actions also resulted in President Obama's decision to reject the construction of the pipeline.近年来，气候正义的概念进入了气候变化运动。  

A New Idea

The concept of climate justice has entered the climate change movement in recent years. 它基于这样一种认识，即那些最不享有特权的人往往是气候变化的最大受害者。  It is based on the recognition that those who are the least privileged ared most often the greatest victims of climate change. 2016年，北达科他州立岩苏族部落(Standing Rock Sioux Tribe)抵制修建另一条每日运输近50万桶原油的管道，这是气候正义在行动中的一个显著例子。  A striking example of climate justice in action can be seen in the long-lasting struggle of 2016 in North Dakota, where the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe resisted the construction of another pipeline slated to carry nearly half a million barrels of crude oil daily. 这条管道将穿过苏族人的墓地和其他圣地，以及包括密苏里河在内的许多水体。  The pipeline would cross Sioux burial grounds and other sacred sites, as well as many bodies of water, including the Missouri River. 由于担心这条管道会污染他们的水和下游数百万人的供水，产生大量温室气体，破坏他们的文化和生活方式，他们提出抗议。  Concerned that the pipeline would lead to the contamination of their water and the water supply of millions of people downstream, the creation of large quantities of GHGs, and the destruction of their culture and way of life, they protested. 他们被称为“水保护者”。  They became known as "water protectors."在一场伟大的团结示威中，美国和其他许多国家都举行了集会。  In a great show of solidarity, there were rallies around the US and many other countries. 尽管在立石镇的和平示威活动一再遭到警察的镇压，而且往往是残酷的，但数千名支持者前往立石镇参加抗议活动，抗议活动日复一日地持续了数月。  Even though the peaceful demonstrations at Standing Rock were repeatedly met with police force, often brutal, thousands of supporters travelled to Standing Rock to join the protests, which continued day after day for months. 支持者包括来自北美各地的300多个土著民族，远至新西兰，数千名非土著居民和近3000名美国退伍军人。  The supporters included over 300 indigenous nations from across North America and as far away as New Zealand, thousands of non-indigenous people and nearly 3 000 US military veterans. 联合国土著问题常设论坛也宣布支持。  The Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues of the United Nations also proclaimed its support. 在经历了数百年的虐待之后，处于气候变化前沿的土著人民已经成为气候正义运动的主导力量。  After hundreds of years of maltreatment, indigenous people, who are among those in the frontlines of climate change, have become a leading force in the climate justice movement.

接下来干什么? What Next?

与美国一样，世界各地各级人民和政府正在采取行动，减缓和适应气候变化。  As in the United States, people and governments at all levels around the world are taking action to mitigate and adapt to climate change. 2015年12月，联合国在法国巴黎举行了一次历史性的会议，来自世界各地的政府和民间团体参加了气候变化会议。  In December of 2015, theUnited Nations held an historic gathering of governments and civil society from around the world for a Climate Change Conference in Paris, France. 会议产生了所谓的《巴黎协定》，这是世界上第一个全面的气候协议。  The Conference produced what is called the Paris Agreement, the world's first comprehensive climate agreement. 该协议于2016年11月生效，截至2017年6月，已有195个国家签署了该协议。  It went into effect in November 2016, and as of June 2017, 195 nations signed the agreement. 《巴黎协定》的主要目标是避免灾难性的气候变化，将本世纪全球气温上升幅度控制在高于工业化前水平 2°C(最好是1.5°C)的范围之内。  The main goal of the Agreement is to avoid catastrophic climate changeby limiting the global temperature rise this century to well below 2°C, preferably 1.5°C,above pre-industrial levels. 整个会议都强调了与气候变化作斗争的紧迫性。  The urgency of the battle against climate change was emphasized throughoutthe Conference. 随着全球平均气温的持续上升，世界人民逐渐认识到气候变化正在向我们逼近，如果我们要避免灾难，我们都有责任解决这一危机，而且要尽快解决。  As the average global temperature continues to rise, the people ofthe world are coming to know that climate change is now upon us and that we are all responsible for resolving this crisis and resolving it soon if we are to avert catastrophe. 美国的工业化比许多其他国家都要早，长期以来一直在排放温室气体，并且仍然是世界上人均温室气体排放量最大的国家之一。  The US, which industrialized earlier than many other countries, has been emitting GHGs for a very long time, and continues to emit among the greatest amount of GHGs per capita in the world. 但是二氧化碳是无国界的。  But CO2 knows no borders. 温室气体不一定会留在它们排放的地方:一个地方排放的温室气体会影响到其他地方，因为温室气体会在我们星球周围的大气中积累。  GHGs don't necessarily remainwhere they were emitted: those discharged in one place affect other places as thedGHGs accumulate in the atmosphere all around our planet.因此，如果我们要拯救农田，植物和参天大树，海洋，河流和湖泊，动物，我们自己，我们必须共同努力，我们必须努力工作。  Thus, if we are to save the farmlands, the plants and towering trees, the oceans,rivers and lakes, the animals, ourselves, we must work together, and we must workhard. 世界各地的环保人士正带头传播这样一个信息:无论生活在哪里，人类都是一个大家庭。  Environmentalists around the globe are taking the lead in spreading the word thathuman beings, regardless of where they live, are really one big family. 这是人类未来的希望。  This is the hopefor the future of humankind.