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

气候变化：地球的”俄罗斯方块”游戏 - Joss Fong

翻译人员: Peipei Xiang 校对人员: Qingqing Mao

To understand climate change,

要了解气候变化，

think of the game "Tetris."

可以想一下“俄罗斯方块”游戏。

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

长期以来，地球一直在玩类似的一个“碳方块”的游戏。

They enter the atmosphere as carbon dioxide gas from volcanoes,

这些方块以二氧化碳的形式进入到大气层，

通过火山喷发、

decaying plant matter,

腐烂的植物、

breathing creatures

会呼吸的生物，

and the surface of the sea.

以及海洋的表面。

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

当它们被植物的光合作用吸收，

absorbed back into the ocean,

被海洋吸收，

or stored in soil and sediment.

或储藏在土壤和沉积物里时，则离开了大气层。

This game of Tetris is called the carbon cycle,

这个俄罗斯方块的游戏被称之为碳循环，

and it's the engine of life on Earth.

而它是地球上生命的动力来源。

What's the connection to climate?

这跟气候有什么关系呢？

Well, when that carbon dioxide is in the air,

是这样的，当这些二氧化碳在空中

waiting to be reabsorbed,

等待被重新吸收的时候，

it traps a portion of the sun's heat,

它会将一部分太阳的热能锁住，

which would otherwise escape to space.

否则这些热能就会逃逸到太空。

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

这就是为什么二氧化碳被称之为“温室气体”。

It creates a blanket of warmth,

它形成了一个温暖的表层，

known as the greenhouse effect,

也就是我们熟知的“温室效应”，

that keeps our Earth from freezing like Mars.

才使得我们的地球不至于像火星一样冰冷。

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

停留在大气层等待被重新吸收的二氧化碳越多，

the warmer Earth becomes.

地球就越温暖。

Though the amount of carbon in the atmosphere

虽然大气中的碳含量

has varied through ice ages and astroid impacts,

在冰河世纪和小行星撞击的影响下有过很多变化，

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

在过去的8000年里，我们熟悉的稳定的气候开始成形，

allowing human civilization to thrive.

也使得人类文明得以繁荣。

But about 200 years ago,

但是在大约200年以前，

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

我们开始挖掘那些埋藏在地下的古老的碳。

These fossil fuels, coal, oil and natural gas

那些化石燃料、煤、石油和天然气

are made from the buried remains of plants and animals

是由那些早在人类进化以前就消亡了的

that died long before humans evolved.

埋藏在地下的动植物的遗体组成的。

The energy stored inside them was able to power

储存在它们内部的能量能够

our factories, cars and power plants.

给工厂、汽车和发电厂提供能源。

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

然而，燃烧这些燃料也给地球的俄罗斯方块游戏释放了新的碳方块。

At the same time, we cleared forests for agriculture,

与此同时，我们为农业砍伐森林，

reducing the Earth's ability to remove the blocks.

降低了地球了消除那些碳方块的能力。

And since 1750, the amount of carbon in the atmosophere

自1750年以来，大气中的碳含量

has increased by 40%,

已经增加了40%，

and shows no sign of slowing.

并没有任何减缓的迹象。

Just like in Tetris, the more blocks pile up,

就跟俄罗斯方块游戏一样，随着方块的增加，

the harder it becomes to restore stability.

恢复平衡也变得越来越难。

The extra carbon dioxide in the atmosphere

大气层中额外的二氧化碳

accelerates the greenhouse effect

给地球表面锁住了更多的热能，

by trapping more heat near the surface

加速了温室效应，

and causing polar ice caps to melt.

并导致极地冰帽融化。

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

它们融化得越多，能反射的太阳光就越少，

making the oceans warm even faster.

于是导致海洋升温的速度更快。

Sea levels rise, coastal populations are threatened with flooding,

海平面上升，沿海人口受到洪水的威胁，

natural ecosystems are disrupted,

大自然的生态系统遭到破坏，

and the weather becomes more extreme over time.

极端天气越发频繁。

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

气候变化会以不同的方式影响不同的地方、不同的人。

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

但最终，这是一个我们每个人都参与其中的游戏。

And unlike in Tetris,

与俄罗斯方块游戏不同的是，

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

我们不会有重来的机会。