Climate change: Earth's giant game of Tetris - Joss Fong

O cambio climático: o Tetris xigante da Terra - Joss Fong

Translator: Xusto Rodriguez Reviewer: Alicia Ferreiro

To understand climate change,

Para entender o cambio climático

think of the game "Tetris."

pensa no Tetris.

For eons, Earth has played a version of this game with blocks of carbon.

Durante eóns, a Terra xogou unha versión dese xogo con bloques de carbono.

They enter the atmosphere as carbon dioxide gas from volcanoes,

Entran na atmosfera como dióxido de carbono dos volcáns,

decaying plant matter,

materia vexetal en descomposición,

breathing creatures

animais que respiran

and the surface of the sea.

e a superficie do mar.

And they leave the atmosphere when they're used by plants during photosynthesis,

E deixan a atmosfera cando son empregados pola plantas na fotosíntese,

absorbed back into the ocean,

absorbidos outra vez polo océano,

or stored in soil and sediment.

ou almacenados no solo e nos sedimentos.

This game of Tetris is called the carbon cycle,

A este xogo do Tetris chámaselle "ciclo do carbono"

and it's the engine of life on Earth.

e é o motor da vida na Terra.

What's the connection to climate?

¿Cal é a conexión co clima?

Well, when that carbon dioxide is in the air,

Ben, cando ese dióxido de carbono está no aire,

waiting to be reabsorbed,

esperando a ser reabsorbido,

it traps a portion of the sun's heat,

bloquea unha parte da calor do Sol

which would otherwise escape to space.

que, doutra forma, escaparía para o espazo.

That's why carbon dioxide is called a greenhouse gas.

Por iso, ao dióxido de carbono chámaselle "gas de efecto invernadoiro".

It creates a blanket of warmth,

Crea unha capa de calor

known as the greenhouse effect,

coñecida como "efecto invernadoiro"

that keeps our Earth from freezing like Mars.

que impide que a Terra se conxele coma Marte.

The more carbon dioxide blocks hang out in the atmosphere waiting to be cleared,

Cantos máis bloques de dióxido de carbono haxa na atmosfera agardando ser absorbidos

the warmer Earth becomes.

máis cálida se volve a Terra.

Though the amount of carbon in the atmosphere

Aínda que a cantidade de carbono na atmosfera

has varied through ice ages and astroid impacts,

variou a causa das eras glaciais e dos impactos de asteroides,

over the past 8,000 years the stable climate we know took shape,

durante os últimos 8000 anos conformouse o clima estable que coñecemos

allowing human civilization to thrive.

permitindo o desenvolvemento da civilización humana.

But about 200 years ago,

Pero hai uns 200 anos

we began digging up that old carbon that had been stored in the soil.

comezamos a desenterrar ese vello carbono que fora almacenado no solo.

These fossil fuels, coal, oil and natural gas

Estes combustibles fósiles, carbón, petróleo e gas natural

are made from the buried remains of plants and animals

formáronse a partir dos restos enterrados de plantas e animais

that died long before humans evolved.

que morreron moito antes de que os seres humanos evolucionaran.

The energy stored inside them was able to power

A enerxía almacenada dentro deles alimentou

our factories, cars and power plants.

as nosas fábricas, coches e plantas eléctricas.

But burning these fuels also injected new carbon blocks into Earth's Tetris game.

Pero queimar eses combustibles inxectou máis bloques de carbono no Tetris da Terra

At the same time, we cleared forests for agriculture,

Ao tempo, cortamos bosques para a agricultura,

reducing the Earth's ability to remove the blocks.

reducindo a capacidade da Terra para eliminar os bloques.

And since 1750, the amount of carbon in the atmosophere

E desde 1750 a cantidade de carbono na atmosfera

has increased by 40%,

medrou un 40%,

and shows no sign of slowing.

e non amosa sinais de desacelerarse.

Just like in Tetris, the more blocks pile up,

Igual ca no Tetris, cantos máis bloques se amorean

the harder it becomes to restore stability.

máis difícil é recuperar a estabilidade.

The extra carbon dioxide in the atmosphere

O dióxido de carbono extra na atmosfera

accelerates the greenhouse effect

acelera o efecto invernadoiro

by trapping more heat near the surface

atrapando máis calor preto da superficie

and causing polar ice caps to melt.

e causando o derretemento dos casquetes polares.

And the more they melt, the less sunlight they're able to reflect,

E canto máis se derreten menos luz solar poden reflectir,

making the oceans warm even faster.

facendo que os océanos quezan cada vez máis rápido.

Sea levels rise, coastal populations are threatened with flooding,

O nivel do mar sobe, a poboación costeira sofre a ameaza de inundacións,

natural ecosystems are disrupted,

os ecosistemas naturais vense alterados,

and the weather becomes more extreme over time.

e o clima vólvese máis extremo co transcurso do tempo.

Climate change may effect different people and places in different ways.

O cambio climático pode afectar persoas e lugares distintos de maneiras diferentes.

But, ultimately, it's a game that we're all stuck playing.

Pero, ao final, é un xogo que todos estamos xogando.

And unlike in Tetris,

E, ao revés ca no Tetris,

we won't get a chance to start over and try again.

non imos ter a oportunidade de reiniciar a partida e probar outra vez.