Is the Amazon Rainforest disappearing? - Anna Rothschild

翻译人员: Liwen Huang 校对人员: Bruce Wang

You’re traveling down the Amazon when suddenly you spot a flash of pink.

你正沿着亚马逊一路而下， 突然，你看到一抹粉色。

It's a male Amazon river dolphin.

那是一只雄性的亚马逊河豚。

It's thought that the pinker he is,

人们认为他越粉，

the more attractive he’ll be to a potential mate.

对潜在伴侣的吸引力就越大。

This unique dolphin species is native to the Amazon,

这一独特的海豚物种原产于亚马逊，

and its future is in peril.

它的未来处境危险。

As of 2022, humans have deforested 17% of the Amazon.

截至 2022 年，人类已经砍伐了 亚马逊 17％ 的森林。

And scientists warn that we may be approaching a tipping point—

科学家警告说，我们可能 正在接近临界点——

when enough of the forest is lost that large swaths of the ecosystem die.

失去足够多的森林后， 大片的生态系统就会消失。

It’s like removing bricks from a house.

这就像从房子上拆砖一样。

Take one or two and the house will keep standing.

拿一两块，房子屹立不倒。

But remove too many and the whole thing will start to cave in.

但拆太多，整个房子就会开始坍塌。

What happens in the Amazon affects the rest of the planet.

亚马逊发生的事情 会影响地球的其他地方。

To explore this relationship,

为了探讨这一关系，

let’s examine what would happen if the entire Amazon disappeared.

让我们看看如果 整个亚马逊消失会发生什么。

The Amazon is sometimes called Earth's air conditioner.

亚马逊有时被称为地球的空调。

Each day, the Sun beats down on its 390 billion trees.

每天，太阳照射在它三千九百亿棵树上。

The plants photosynthesize, opening their pores, and losing water to evaporation.

植物进行光合作用， 打开气孔，失水蒸发。

This process, known as transpiration,

这个过程被称为蒸腾，

cools both the plant and the surrounding air,

会降低植物和周围空气的温度，

and helps form clouds that move over the forest.

有助于形成在森林上空移动的云层。

Through this, the Amazon cycles around 20 trillion liters of water daily.

通过这种方式，亚马逊每天 循环约 20 万亿升水。

If the rainforest disappeared,

如果雨林消失，

there would be little transpiration to feed the rain clouds.

将几乎没有蒸腾供给雨云。

The heat from the Sun would radiate back into the atmosphere,

来自太阳的热量会辐射回大气层，

forming chimneys of hot, dry air.

形成股股干热的空气。

The local temperature would increase by several degrees

局地气温将升高好几度，

and rainfall in the region would drop.

区域降雨量将减少。

Crops and animals would die as the area—

该地区有世界 10% 的已知物种和

home to 10% of the world’s known species and 30 million people— transforms.

三千万人口，随着它的转变， 作物和动物将会死亡。

Villages would be stranded as rivers dry up.

随着河流干涸，村庄将陷入困境。

Dead fish would contaminate the drinking water.

死鱼会污染饮用水。

Air quality would plummet as wildfires spread.

随着野火的蔓延，空气质量将骤然恶化。

In fact, we’ve already started to see this during recent droughts.

其实，在最近的干旱中， 我们已经开始看到这样的情况。

And effects would stretch far beyond the Amazon.

而且影响将远远超出亚马逊。

Air circulates around the planet,

空气在地球上循环，

so any change in temperature or pressure in one region

因此一个区域气温或气压的任何变化

can influence currents and winds thousands of kilometers away.

都会影响数千公里以外的气流和风。

These effects are hard to predict.

这些影响很难预测。

Some models estimate that losing just 40% of the Amazon

一些模型估计， 亚马逊失去仅 40％ 森林，

would reduce rainfall in the agricultural center of Argentina

三千多公里外阿根廷农业中心的降雨

over 3,000 kilometers away.

就会减少。

The complete disappearance of the rainforest and its water cycle

雨林及其水循环完全消失

could cause 50% of the snowpack to melt in the Sierra Nevadas,

可能导致内华达山脉 50％ 的积雪融化，

and a 20% reduction in rainfall in the coastal northwest United States.

美国西北海岸的降雨减少 20％。

California’s Central Valley, which grows a quarter of the US’s food,

加利福尼亚的中央谷地 种植着美国四分之一的粮食，

could face dwindling water supplies.

可能面临供水减少的问题。

We’d lose one of the world’s largest natural carbon sinks.

我们将失去世界上最大的天然碳汇之一。

Some scientists estimate that temperatures worldwide would rise an additional 0.25°C

一些科学家估计， 全球气温将在目前的气候预测基础上

above current climate predictions.

再升高 0.25°C。

And while that might sound small,

这听起来可能不多，

even a slight rise in global temperature can increase severe weather events

但全球气温即使是略微地升高 也会增加恶劣天气事件

and habitat loss.

和栖息地的丧失。

It’s a tragic irony that part of what makes the Amazon so valuable

可悲的讽刺是， 使亚马逊如此宝贵的部分原因

is also the source of its destruction.

也是其毁灭之源。

By some estimates, exploiting the Brazilian Amazon

据估计，开发巴西亚马逊

for farming, cattle ranching, and more

进行农业、牧牛场经营等

generates the equivalent of up to 98 billion USD annually.

每年可产生相当于 高达 980 亿美元的收益。

Yet by stopping deforestation and practicing fire management

然而一些研究人员预测，

and sustainable agriculture,

通过停止砍伐森林，实行火管理

some researchers predict the region could generate even more wealth

和可持续农业，该地区可以创造

than it currently does.

甚至比目前更多的财富。

So how close are we to reaching a tipping point?

那么我们离临界点有多近呢？

We probably won't know until it's too late.

我们可能要到为时已晚才知道。

So far, the Amazon has remained resilient.

到目前为止，亚马逊仍然有复原力。

But its very existence relies on transpiration from trees

但是它的存在依赖于树木的蒸腾

to keep water cycling through it.

来保持水循环。

Removing living trees in one location leaves the surrounding area dehydrated—

砍掉一个地方原生的树 会让周边地区缺水，

and more vulnerable to drought and wildfires.

更容易遭受干旱和野火。

But there are steps we can take today.

但是我们现在可以采取一些措施。

First, we can choose to buy products from companies

首先，我们可以选择从

that refuse to procure from deforesters.

拒绝向毁林者采购的公司购买产品。

Studies have shown that planting new trees can help restore the forest’s water cycle—

研究表明，种植新的树 可以帮助恢复森林的水循环——

though it takes a long time for them to capture as much carbon

虽然它们需要很长时间才能捕获

as an old growth tree.

和老树一样多的碳。

And native stewardship can have a huge impact.

原住民管理可以产生巨大的影响。

There are over 1.5 million Indigenous people living in the Amazon.

有超 150 万土著生活在亚马逊。

From 2001 to 2021, portions of the rainforest that weren’t managed

从 2001 年到 2021 年，

by native people emitted 270 million metric tons of carbon to the atmosphere

由于森林砍伐和野火燃烧， 部分未由原住民管理的雨林

thanks to deforestation and burning.

向大气排放了 2.7 亿公吨的碳。

Yet during that same period,

然而，在同一段时间，

portions managed by Indigenous people removed well over 300 million metric tons.

由原住民管理的部分 移除了远超 3 亿公吨的碳。

The rewards of protecting the Amazon benefit all of us—

保护亚马逊的回报让我们所有人受益，

but the impact of destroying it is already being felt

但今天生活在那里的人

by those living there today.

已经感受到了破坏亚马逊的影响。