新西兰呼吁创造数千个新的“绿色”工作岗位

新西兰呼吁创造数千个新的“绿色”工作岗位

There's plenty of speculation over the origins of the pandemic that has ground much of the world to a halt. But there's little doubt about who caused it. As a panel of international scientists noted in a release issued this week, "There is a single species that is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic — us."

关于这场让世界大部分地区陷入停滞的大流行的起源有很多猜测。但毫无疑问大都是猜测病毒是怎样引起的。正如一个国际科学家小组在本周发布的一份新闻稿中指出的那样，“有一个物种要对2019冠状病毒大流行负责，那就是我们。”

The statement — authored by professors Josef Settele, Sandra Díaz, Eduardo Brondizio and zoologist Peter Daszak — goes on to point the finger squarely at our obsession with "economic growth at any cost."

这份由约瑟夫·塞特勒教授、桑德拉·迪亚兹教授、爱德华多·布隆迪齐奥教授和动物学家彼得·达扎克教授共同撰写的声明，继续将矛头直指我们对“不惜任何代价的经济增长”的痴迷。

The Wellington Cable Car may be an old idea. But a less fossil fuel-dependent New Zealand may see more tracks and fewer cars. (Photo: Milosz Maslanka/Shutterstock)

"Rampant deforestation, uncontrolled expansion of agriculture, intensive farming, mining and infrastructure development, as well as the exploitation of wild species have created a 'perfect storm' for the spillover of diseases from wildlife to people."

“猖獗的森林砍伐、不受控制的农业扩张、集约化农业、采矿和基础设施建设，以及对野生物种的开发利用，造成了一场疾病从野生动物向人类蔓延的‘完美风暴’。”

Now, the real question is how do we make things right in the world, while avoiding the mistakes that brought us here in the first place? At least one major political party thinks it has the answer.

现在，真正的问题是我们如何在世界上做正确的事情，同时避免让我们来到这里的错误?至少有一个主要政党认为自己找到了答案。

This week, New Zealand's Green Party unveiled an ambitious plan to get the country back to work and the gears of industry turning once again, in environmentally friendly fashion.

本周，新西兰绿党公布了一项雄心勃勃的计划，以环保的方式让国家恢复工作，让工业再次运转起来。

And all for the tidy sum of $1 billion.

这一切都是为了10亿美元。

It may seem like a lot, but the cost pales in comparison with what we're paying in lost economic output from this pandemic. Early estimates peg that tally at around $2.7 trillion, which is about the entire GDP of the United Kingdom.

这看起来似乎很多，但与我们在这场大流行中付出的经济产出损失相比，代价就显得微不足道了。据初步估计，这一数字约为2.7万亿美元，相当于整个英国的GDP。

The plan calls for plenty of building projects, only they would focus not just on reviving the economy, but also the environment. It includes funding, for instance, to save Raukūmara Conservation Park from the invasive deer and possums. As well, there are details on how to bring native birds back to the country. Other projects would restore the country's ailing freshwater reserves, create carbon sinks and natural buffers against rising sea levels.

该计划需要大量的建设项目，只是他们将不仅关注经济复苏，而且也关注环境。例如,它包括资金拯救Raukūmara保护公园免受鹿和负鼠入侵的危害。此外，还有一些关于如何将本土鸟类带回美国的细节。其他项目将恢复该国日益恶化的淡水储备，建立碳汇和自然缓冲，以应对海平面上升。

Milford Sound, home to seal colonies, penguins and dolphins, is one of several spectacular tourist draws in New Zealand. (Photo: Henner Damke/Shutterstock)

"This investment creates thriving native forests and wetlands, assets that last centuries and suck carbon out of the atmosphere," Sage explains. "It will avoid future pest control costs, better buffer coastal areas from sea level rise and provide corridors for birds to come back to neighbourhoods.

Sage解释说:“这项投资创造了繁荣的本土森林和湿地，这些资产可以持续几个世纪，吸收大气中的碳。这将避免未来的虫害控制成本，更好地缓冲沿海地区的海平面上升，并为鸟类返回居民区提供走廊。”

Indeed, the party's recent call for $9 billion to be spent on electric trains as a sustainable and practical alternative to cars may also face an uphill climb.

事实上，党最近呼吁花费90亿美元在电动火车上，作为一种可持续和实用的汽车替代品，这可能也面临着一个艰难的攀升。

But then again, the New Zealand model, if adopted, could be just the fresh inspiration the rest of us need to reboot a post-COVID world. One thing, at least, is certain: we can't go back to the way things were.

但话又说回来，新西兰模式如果被采纳，可能会成为我们其他人重新启动后科维德世界所需要的新灵感。至少，有一件事是肯定的:我们不能回到过去。

As scientists noted in their statement this week, the world needs "transformative change" across the board. That includes fundamental, system-wide reorganization across technological, economic and social factors, including paradigms, goals and values, promoting social and environmental responsibilities across all sectors.

正如科学家们在本周的声明中所指出的，世界需要全面的“变革性变革”。这包括跨技术、经济和社会因素的根本性的全系统重组，包括模式、目标和价值观，促进跨所有部门的社会和环境责任。

"As daunting and costly as this may sound — it pales in comparison to the price we are already paying."

“尽管这听起来令人生畏、代价高昂，但与我们已经付出的代价相比，就显得微不足道了。”