The carbon cycle - Nathaniel Manning

Transcriber: tom carter Reviewer: Bedirhan Cinar

翻译人员: Minji Seo 校对人员: Yolanda Zhang

Carbon dioxide, or CO2, is the main greenhouse gas in climate change.

二氧化碳是导致气候变化的 主要温室气体，

So how does CO2 get into our atmosphere?

那么二氧化碳是如何 进入我们的大气层的呢？

Well, carbon is part of a cycle. It starts with the sun,

碳是循环的一部分。它始于太阳，

which heats the Earth's surface with more energy

太阳使地球表面的温度升高， 其一小时所产生的能量

in one hour than the whole world uses in a year.

比整个世界一年下来所使用的还要高。

Plants, which are kind of like biological chefs,

植物，扮演着类似生物厨师的角色，

take that sunlight, and then suck in some CO2 from the air,

吸收阳光，然后从空气中吸入二氧化碳，

mix them together, and BAM!

将它们混合在一起，接着“砰”！

They create a stored form of energy, in the form of carbohydrates

它们以碳水化合物的形式 贮存了能量，

such as glucose and sucrose.

比如葡萄糖、 蔗糖，

The process is called photosynthesis.

这个过程叫作光合作用。

When animals like us eat those plants

当像我们这种动物吃那些植物时，

our stomachs convert that food back into energy for our own growth.

我们的胃将食物转换为成长所需的能量。

Greenhouse gases are a byproduct of this process,

温室气体是这个过程中的一个副产品，

and are released through waste.

并且借由废弃物被释放出来。

If those plants die, they decompose, and tiny microorganisms break down those carbohydrates

如果这些植物死了，他们会腐烂， 小小的微生物会分解这些碳水化合物，

and again, release greenhouse gases as a byproduct.

然后再次释放其副产品——温室气体。

As you see, energy originates from the sun. It is then transferred as it moves through the food chain.

如我们刚才看到的，能量来自太阳， 接着它透过食物链转换形式。

But sometimes, carbon based organisms like plants or animals get stuck in the earth.

但有时，根植于碳的有机体 会困在地球上，比如植物或动物。

When this happens, they're compressed under tons of pressure,

当发生这种情况时，它们在 数吨的压力之下被压缩，

and turned into carbon-based fossil fuels

转变为基于碳的化石燃料，

like oil, coal or natural gas.

比如石油、 煤、或天然气。

Since the Industrial Revolution, humans have been pulling those fossil fuels out of the ground

自工业革命以来，人类把这些 化石燃料从地底掘出，

and burning them, activating the stored energy

燃烧它们，激活储存的能量

to make electricity and power engines.

来发电和推动引擎工作。

But the thing is it also releases millions of years worth of stored CO2 back into the air.

然而这导致储存了数百万年的 二氧化碳被释放回空气中。

In addition, humans breathe in oxygen and breathe out CO2.

此外，人类吸入氧气，呼出二氧化碳。

But plants do the opposite.

但植物却相反。

Trees suck up huge amounts of CO2, which balances the cycle.

树木吸收大量的二氧化碳， 可以平衡循环。

Thus, deforestation reduces the plants that store CO2.

因此，砍伐森林会减少 贮存二氧化碳的植物。

We're attacking the cycle from both sides.

我们正从这两个方向攻击碳循环。

Think of it like a computer. A computer can operate a few programs at a time, right?

这就像一台计算机。计算机可以 同时运行几个程序，对吧？

Normally, when you've finished with a document, you save, and you close it,

通常当你完成一份档案， 会存盘然后关闭它，

so as not to overwork the computer.

免得使计算机超负荷。

Then, imagine you stopped closing your documents.

现在想象一下你不再关闭档案。

So they were all open at once.

它们就会同时运行。

Your computer wouldn't be able to process it all.

你的计算机无法同时处理这一切。

It would start to slow down, and then to freeze, and eventually it would crash.

它会开始慢下来，然后死机，最终崩溃。

Which might be where our environment is heading if we keep overloading the carbon cycle.

倘若我们持续过度负载碳循环， 我们的环境最终就可能面临这样的结局。

So is there any way to rebalance the ecosystem?

那么，有什么办法可以平衡生态系统呢？

What about technology? Technology is defined as a technique to solve a problem.

科技？科技的定义是 一种解决问题的技术。

And so, sustainable technologies are those whose output is equal to their input.

因此，可持续的科技是那些 输出等同于投入的技术。

它们不创造负面的外部成本，

They do not create negative externalities,

such as CO2, in the present or the future.

比如目前的、或将来的二氧化碳。

They sort of cancel themselves out to solve the problem.

它们在自身并不介入的情况下解决问题。

To achieve this, we need to invent sustainable technologies.

为了实现这一目标， 我们需要创造可持续的科技。

If we put all the ideas and technologies ever created into one circle,

如果我们把所有得出的想法 和科技汇入一个圈，

then invention is the pushing of the boundaries of that circle.

发明创造便是推动圈子边界的驱动力。

And the area outside of the circle is infinite,

圆圈之外的区域是无穷的,

meaning the potential for invention is limitless.

这意味着发明的潜力是无限的。

Think about some of the incredible clean technologies we have today. [Wind; Electric & Solar Cars; Biogas]

想想我们今天拥有的不可思议的清洁能源。 [风 ；电动与太阳能车；沼气]

[Biofuels; Photosynthetic Algae; Compost] All those ideas have one thing in common.

[生物燃料；光合藻类 ；堆肥] 所有这些概念都有一个共同点：

They all came from people. People innovate.

它们都来自人。人拥有创新思维。

People create. It's the limitless potential of creative people

人们创造了它们。恰恰就是 有创意的人以其无限的潜质

to build unimagined technologies that is going to stop climate change

创造了难以想象的科技， 能够阻止气候变迁、

and rebalance the ecosystem. And that is something to be hopeful about.

和恢复生态系统的平衡, 这就是我们可以寄予希望的事。