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The trauma of these fires has kept Californians in a heightened state of vigilance,
火災留下的創傷讓加州人民陷入了高度緊張的狀態，
sniffing the air for smoke, scanning hilltops for any signs of ignition.
大家無時無刻不在警惕著空氣中的煙味，留意著任何預示山頂著火的跡象。
Amid widespread anxiety there are some reasons to be hopeful so far this year.
空氣中到處都彌漫著不安的氣息，但就目前來看，大家仍有理由保持樂觀。
Although the state’s fire agency has recorded about 5,000 fires this year in the area it oversees —
因為，盡管該州消防部門的紀錄顯示，今年以來，該州轄區內就已經發生了近5000起火災——
about the same as during the same period last year — far fewer acres have burned:
與去年同期的數據大致相當——燒毀的土地面積卻已經大幅減少：
less than 100,000 compared with about 600,000 at this point last year.
去年同期有近60萬英畝的土地被燒毀，今年僅不到10萬英畝。
But the number of people affected this year swelled into the millions
不過，今年受火災影響的人數增加到了數百萬，
because of the large-scale power outages that Pacific Gas and Electric, the state’s largest utility,
因該州最大的公用事業巨頭太平洋煤氣電力公司實行了大規模的停電政策，
carried out to prevent downed lines and other equipment from sparking fires.
以防止倒塌的線路或其他設備引發火災。
“In the back of your mind there’s that constant fear that the power could go out again,”
“你的腦海深處會一直崩著一根弦，擔心還會停電，”
said Amanda Baston, who lives in a camping trailer because her home was damaged in the Camp fire and is still being rebuilt.
家被坎普山火被毀，目前尚在重建之中，因而正暫住在一輛露營拖車上的阿曼達·巴斯頓評論說。
Her power has been shut off four times so far this year.
今年以來，她家已經四次被斷電。
“It’s devastating the emotions that are wrapped up around this whole situation,” she said.
她說：“斷電問題給大家圍繞火災頻發這一切的一切的情緒造成了毀滅性的打擊。”
Particularly frustrating is a realization for many California residents that both fires and the blackouts will return.
尤其令人沮喪的是，許多加州居民都已經意識到，火災和停電都會卷土重來。
The chief executive of Pacific Gas & Electric, William D. Johnson,
太平洋燃氣電力公司總裁威廉·D.約翰遜最近表示，
said recently that the deliberate blackouts would be necessary for the next decade.
未來10年之內，人為停電都是必要舉措。
But some experts believe they could become a fixture of life in California for much longer.
然而，一些專家認為，人為停電或將成為加州生活的一個常量，其持續時間也會比約翰遜說的長得多。
Michael Wara, director of the climate and energy policy program at Stanford University,
斯坦福大學氣候與能源政策項目主任邁克爾·瓦拉表示，
says the extreme winds that are knocking down power lines and starting fires are only one factor.
正在摧毀輸電線路，引發火災的狂風還只是因素之一。
“The conditions that we are observing right now are a function of climate change and climate change will get worse,” he said.
“目前我們看到的這些狀況跟氣候變化也有一定關系，氣候變化問題還會越變越糟，”他說。
California has contended for over a century with an annual wildfire season.
一個多世紀以來，加州一直在與一年一度的山火季節做斗爭。
But scientists have found that climate change —
但科學家們已經發現，氣候變化——
including longer, hotter and drier fire seasons, diminishing snowpack and lengthening droughts —
包括山火季節變長，變熱，變干燥，積雪變少，干旱時間變長等——
have already measurably worsened the size and scale of fires in the western United States.
已經顯著惡化了美國西部的火災規模。
Hotter temperatures means drier vegetation, making it more likely to burn.
氣溫升高意味著植被含水量減少，變得更易著火。
譯文由可可原創，僅供學習交流使用，未經許可請勿轉載。
