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A crisis on our hands
“全球變熱”取代“全球變暖”
Language matters when it comes to climate change.
在氣候變化這一問題上，語言十分重要。
In December 2018, The Guardian changed its wording – using "global heating" instead of "global warming" – after scientists found that Earth's temperature is set to rise from between 2.5°C and 4.5°C. There had been a goal to keep the rise within 2°C. And on May 1, the UK parliament declared a "climate emergency", becoming the first parliament to do so.
2018年12月，《衛(wèi)報》將“全球變暖”改為“全球變熱”，在此之前，科學(xué)家們發(fā)現(xiàn)，地球的溫度將上升2.5 – 4.5攝氏度。而先前的目標(biāo)是將氣溫上升幅度控制在2攝氏度之內(nèi)。5月1日，英國議會率先宣布進入“氣候緊急狀態(tài)”。
It's true that "global heating" and "climate emergency" are – in terms of language – two simple phrases. But they send out plenty of messages.
的確，從語言角度來看，“全球變熱”和“氣候緊急狀態(tài)”只是兩個簡單的短語。但它們傳遞出了許多信息。
If with "global warming" we're still inside our comfort zone of handling the situation, entering the state of "global heating" is like heading to a point where the delicate balance of nature is disturbed so much that there is no turning back. Everything will be changing: Coral will die, polar bears will lose their habitats completely, and extreme weathers like droughts and heavy storms will happen at a higher frequency. There is no denying that we're entering a "climate emergency".
如果說“氣候變暖”意味著我們尚能在舒適區(qū)中掌握局勢，那么“全球變熱”的狀態(tài)就像是大自然微妙的平衡已經(jīng)受到嚴(yán)重干擾，無法復(fù)原了。一切都變了：珊瑚將會死亡，北極熊將完全失去他們的棲息地，干旱、風(fēng)暴等極端天氣將更加頻發(fā)。毫無疑問，我們正在進入“氣候緊急狀態(tài)”。
"Decades ago when the science on the climate issue was first increasing, the impacts could be seen as an issue for future generations," but, as Katharine Mach, a Stanford University climate scientist, told The New York Times, now it's definitely our issue, "a shift we all are living together".
“幾十年前關(guān)于氣候問題的學(xué)科首次出現(xiàn)時，這些影響被認(rèn)為是未來幾代人所要面對的問題，”而正如斯坦佛大學(xué)的氣候科學(xué)家凱瑟琳·馬赫在接受《紐約時報》采訪時所說的那樣，如今這無疑成為我們要面對的問題，“我們都生活在這場變化之中”。
However, getting these messages through is far from enough. It depends on each and every one of us to find a solution – if there are any solutions left to find.
但理解這些信息是遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)不夠的。我們每個人都要去尋找應(yīng)對之道 —— 如果還有辦法可尋的話。
"We have no time to waste," said the UK's Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, according to the BBC. Corbyn urged that "we take rapid and dramatic action now".
據(jù)英國廣播公司報道，英國工黨領(lǐng)袖杰里米·科爾賓表示：“刻不容緩，”科爾賓呼吁“我們現(xiàn)在該采取迅速有效的行動”。
Indeed, language matters. But action matters even more.
的確，語言表述很重要。但行動更重要。
