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If you were born after April 1985 you have never lived through a month that was colder than average. What's behind 27 years of warmth? Rising levels of greenhouse gases. Since the 18th century our fossil fuel burning and other activities have added more than 375 billion metric tons of carbon to the atmosphere. And we add still more each year. 2011 set another record for greenhouse gas emissions, according to the World Meteorological Organization.
如果你出生在1985年4月以后，那么你還從未經(jīng)歷過真正寒冷的一個(gè)月。在這27年溫暖的背后是什么？溫室氣體的不斷增多。自18世紀(jì)以來化石燃料的燃燒以及人類的其他活動(dòng)向大氣排放了3750多億公噸碳。而且每年的排放量都在增加。據(jù)世界氣象組織報(bào)告，2011年又創(chuàng)下溫室氣體排放的記錄。
In the ongoing bid to change that trend, the world's nations are gathering in Doha, Qatar, over the next two weeks. Last year in Durban, South Africa these countries agreed to craft a globally binding treaty to limit greenhouse gas pollution by 2015.
為了改變這一趨勢(shì)，世界各個(gè)國(guó)家將在卡塔爾多哈展開為期兩周的會(huì)議。去年在南非的德班，這些國(guó)家同意起草一份全球氣候條約，以在2015年控制溫室氣體的污染。
But, obviously, there is a big gap between pledged pollution reductions and reality. And having the negotiations in a country that makes its living from selling oil and gas seems odd if the goal is to reduce emissions from burning fossil fuels. It remains to be seen if the world can overcome this fossilized inertia. But if we don't, even the great grandchildren of today's youth may blame us for a planetary thermostat set to ever hotter.
然而很明顯，比起宣誓要減少污染，實(shí)際實(shí)行起來要困難許多。在一個(gè)靠出產(chǎn)石油和天然氣為主要生活來源的國(guó)家協(xié)商如何減少溫室氣體的排放似乎顯得很奇怪。世界能否克服這一僵局，仍有待觀察。如果不能，恐怕這一代年輕人們的子孫就會(huì)因地球溫度太高而責(zé)怪我們了。
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