时差N小时:植物遏制全球变暖

Don: You know, Yael, no matter how much we talkabout the need to stop global warming, sometimesit seems impossible. I mean, what are we actuallydoing about it?

唐：知道吗，雅艾尔，无论我们口头上多么需要遏制全球气候变暖，但有时似乎是不可能的。我的意思是，我们实际都做了些什么?

Yael: Well Don, I suppose there's no one solution,but things like hybrid cars can make a difference.And scientists are busy developing biofuels thatcould reduce our use of gasoline derived from oil.And then there are crops...

雅艾尔：好吧，唐，我觉得没有万能的解决办法，但混合动力汽车能让事情有所不同。而且科学家们正忙于开发生物燃料，以减少使用从石油提炼出来的汽油。还有农作物...

Don: You mean crops and plants that absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere?

唐：你是说农作物和植物能吸收大气中的二氧化碳?

Yael: That, but also crops like corn and wheat with leaves that reflect sunlight back intospace. Scientists have used computer models to show that in major croplands in the UnitedStates and in Europe, planting crops with waxier leaves reflects more sunlight. In fact,switching to these crops could lower temperatures by about a degree during the summer.

雅艾尔：是，但像玉米和小麦这种有叶农作物能够将阳光反射回大气。科学家就曾利用电脑模拟了美国和欧洲的大型农田，演示了叶子更光亮的作物会反射更多的光线。事实上，改种这种作物会使夏季气温下降一度。

Don: So are farmers switching to these plants?

唐：那么农民们会改种这类植物吗?

Yael: Not yet, because right now they exist only as experiments. But with selective breedingand maybe genetic engineering it would be pretty simple to end up with seeds that produceplants with waxier and more reflective leaves.

雅艾尔：还不会，因为目前处于试验阶段。但通过选择性繁殖和基因工程能培育叶子更光亮、反射性更强的种子，这就使事情变得很简单。

Don: Cool. But there's only so much cropland on the planet? How would more reflective cropshelp stop global warming?

唐：极妙。但地球上农田是有限的?反射性更强的作物如何帮助减缓全球气候变暖呢?

Yael: It wouldn't, at least not globally. But in places where there's lots of wheat, corn andother crops, waxier leaves could make a regional difference.

雅艾尔：不会减缓，至少从全球范围来说。但是那些大量种植小麦，玉米还有其他农作物的地带会因光亮的叶子变得有所不同。

Don: I guess that's something.

唐：我想是这样的。