地球大气中的二氧化碳又创造了一个不祥的记录
地球大气中的二氧化碳又创造了一个不祥的记录
Change is in the air, or at least the air itself is changing. Earth's atmosphere is shifting to a state unseen in human history, and according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), it just reached another record high.
空气中有一些改变，或者至少空气本身在变化。根据世界气象组织(WMO)的一份新报告，地球的大气正在进入人类历史上从未有过的状态，而且刚刚达到了另一个创纪录的高度。
Photo: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Our atmosphere held a global average of 407.8 parts per million (ppm) of carbon dioxide (CO2) in 2018, compared with 405.5 ppm in 2017, the WMO announced today in its annual Greenhouse Gas Bulletin. That increase is slightly above the average yearly uptick over the last decade, according to the WMO, which notes CO2 remains in the sky for centuries, and in the ocean for even longer.
世界气象组织(WMO)今天在其年度温室气体公报中宣布，2018年全球大气中的二氧化碳含量平均为407.8 ppm，而2017年为405.5 ppm。根据世界气象组织的数据，这一增幅略高于过去10年的年平均增幅。该组织指出，二氧化碳在空中停留了几个世纪，在海洋中停留的时间更长。
Levels of methane and nitrous oxide also surged by higher amounts in 2018 than the yearly average over the past decade, the WMO adds, and since 1990, there has been a 43% overall increase in radiative forcing (the climate's warming effect) caused by long-lived greenhouse gases. About 80% of that increase is due to CO2, the WMO notes, and there are "multiple indications that the increase in the atmospheric levels of CO2 are related to fossil fuel combustion."
世界气象组织补充说，2018年甲烷和一氧化二氮的含量也比过去10年的年平均水平激增，而且自1990年以来，由长期存在的温室气体造成的辐射强迫(气候变暖效应)总量增加了43%。世界气象组织指出，其中约80%的增长是二氧化碳造成的，而且有“多种迹象表明，大气中二氧化碳含量的增加与化石燃料燃烧有关。”
Earth's air always has some CO2, which plants need for photosynthesis, but too much creates the heat-trapping effect responsible for climate change. Global CO2 levels naturally fluctuate by season due to plant growth, falling in the Northern Hemisphere's summer and rising in winter. That cycle continues, but with more and more CO2 due to the rampant burning of fossil fuels.
地球上的空气中总是含有一些二氧化碳，植物需要这些二氧化碳进行光合作用，但过多的二氧化碳会产生导致气候变化的吸热效应。由于植物生长，全球二氧化碳水平自然随季节波动，北半球夏季下降，冬季上升。这种循环还在继续，但由于化石燃料的疯狂燃烧，二氧化碳的排放量越来越大。
Clouds undulate around Hawaii's Mauna Loa Observatory, where scientists keep track of CO2 levels in Earth's atmosphere. (Photo: LCDR Eric Johnson [CC BY 2.0]/NOAA)
"It is worth recalling that the last time the Earth experienced a comparable concentration of CO2 was 3-5 million years ago," said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas in a statement, referring to the Pliocene. "Back then, the temperature was 2-3°C (3.6 to 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer, sea level was 10-20 meters (33 to 66 feet) higher than now."
世界气象组织秘书长Petteri Taalas在一份声明中提到上新世时说:“值得回顾的是，地球上一次经历类似浓度的二氧化碳是在300万到500万年前。”“那时，气温比现在高2-3摄氏度(3.6 - 5.4华氏度)，海平面比现在高10-20米(33 - 66英尺)。”
It's already too late to stop some effects of human-induced climate change, and the situation continues to worsen every day. Still, however, it's also way too early to give up, both for our own sake and for that of future generations.
现在想要阻止人为造成的气候变化的影响已经太晚了，而且情况每天都在恶化。然而，为了我们自己，也为了子孙后代，现在放弃还为时过早。
"There is no sign of a slowdown, let alone a decline, in greenhouse gases' concentration in the atmosphere despite all the commitments under the Paris Agreement on Climate Change," Taalas added. "We need to translate the commitments into action and increase the level of ambition for the sake of the future welfare of mankind."
Taalas补充道:“尽管在巴黎气候变化协议中做出了所有承诺，但没有迹象表明温室气体在大气中的浓度下降，更不用说下降了。”“为了人类未来的福祉，我们需要将承诺转化为行动，并提高抱负水平。”
While the Paris Agreement marked an important step forward in the global effort to rein in greenhouse gas emissions, this WMO report is the latest warning that bigger steps are still needed. That will be the challenge next month in Madrid, where negotiators and world leaders will convene for U.N. climate talks from Dec. 2-15.
尽管《巴黎协定》标志着全球控制温室气体排放的努力向前迈出了重要一步，但世界气象组织的这份报告是最新的警告，表明仍需要采取更大的步骤。这将是下个月在马德里面临的挑战，谈判者和世界领导人将于12月2日至15日在马德里举行联合国气候谈判。
