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譯者: Lilian Chiu
審譯者: Zoe Walmsley
00:07
The year is 2050 and your morning
is not off to a good start.
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時間來到 2050 年,
一早起來就一堆問題。
00:14
School is closed for yet another heat day,
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學校因為氣溫過高再次停課,
00:18
meaning the kids need to stay home
and the AC needs to stay on.
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也就是說,孩子得待在家裡,
冷氣也得一直開著。
00:24
Your usual babysitter can’t come help
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你平時用的保姆無法來幫忙,
00:26
because the rails for their commuter train
were warped by the heat.
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因為通勤火車的鐵軌
在高溫下扭曲變形了。
00:31
And to make matters worse,
your dog is desperate for a walk,
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更糟的是,你的狗還非常想去散步,
00:35
but the pavement is hot enough
to give third degree burns
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但人行道熱到能造成三度灼傷,
00:39
to any paw or person that touches it.
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動物的爪或人的腳都無一倖免。
00:43
In many parts of the world,
this sweltering future is already here.
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在世界上的許多地方,
這個酷熱的未來已經開始了。
00:49
On average, heat waves are happening
more often with greater intensity
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平均而言,熱浪的頻率變得越來越高,
強度越來越強,
00:55
and for longer durations.
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持續的時間也越來越長。
00:57
But according to a 2022 projection,
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但根據一個 2022 年的預測,
01:00
by 2050, Earth’s mid-latitudes could be
experiencing extreme heat
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到 2050 年時,
地球上的中緯度地區
可能會出現極端高溫,
01:07
between 90 and 180 days a year,
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一年有 90 到 180 天
都是這樣的狀態,
01:10
with tropical regions enduring even more.
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熱帶地區甚至更嚴重。
01:14
So, how hot is too hot, and what can
people do to handle the heat?
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所以,要多熱才算過熱?
人又該如何因應高溫?
01:20
While human bodies are decent
at managing temperature,
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儘管人體調節體溫的功能還不錯,
01:23
our cooling mechanisms only work
under the right conditions.
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我們的冷卻機制
還需對的條件才能運作。
01:28
When air temperatures climb,
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當空氣溫度上升,
01:30
the hypothalamus tells blood vessels
near the skin to widen,
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下視丘會讓皮膚附近的血管擴張,
01:35
allowing more blood to flow near the
body's surface and release heat.
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讓更多血液流向體表,
達到散熱的目的。
01:41
This hormonal cascade also
turns on our sweat glands.
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這種荷爾蒙的連鎖反應
也會啟動我們的汗腺。
01:46
As sweat evaporates, it pulls
the heat from our skin.
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汗水蒸發的同時,皮膚也在散熱。
01:51
But if humidity is high, the rate of
evaporation slows and eventually stops.
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但濕度高時,
蒸發速度減慢,甚至會停下。
01:58
Scientists use this principle to track
humidity with a metric
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科學家基於這個原理,
使用一個名為濕球溫度的
測量方式來測量濕度:
02:02
called wet-bulb temperature,
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02:05
in which they wrap a wet, room temperature
cloth around a thermometer
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用一塊室溫的溼布把溫度計包起來,
02:10
to see if evaporation will
lower the reading.
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檢視蒸發會不會讓溫度降低。
02:13
If it doesn't, it's too humid
for sweat to cool us off.
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沒有降低的話就表示濕氣太高,
流汗也不能讓身體降溫。
02:18
A wet-bulb temperature of roughly 35°C
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攝氏 35 度 C 左右的濕球溫度
02:23
is generally considered
the limit of human survival,
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普遍被認為是人類生存的上限,
02:27
though current temperatures
rarely reach this threshold.
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不過目前的氣溫很少達到這個門檻。
02:32
The US National Weather Service uses
the relationship between humidity
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美國國家氣象局使用的熱指數
02:36
and air temperature as the basis
for their heat index.
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是以濕度和氣溫兩者的關係當作基礎。
02:40
As those two metrics rise,
so too does the heat index;
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隨著這兩個指數上升,
熱指數也會增加;
02:45
and heat is considered dangerous
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而當熱指數高過 39.4 度 C,
02:47
if the index climbs above 39.4°C.
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就被認為是危險的酷熱了。
02:53
That’s 103°F.
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換算成華氏是 103 度。
02:56
But even a lower heat index can
be hazardous over multiple days.
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但較低的熱指數若持續數日,
也會造成危險。
03:01
A heat wave is a streak of two or more
days of unusually hot weather
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熱浪是指在某一個地方的某一季
出現連續兩天以上的異常炎熱天氣。
03:07
for a place and season.
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03:09
For example, a string of 32°C days
in Houston, Texas,
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比如,在德州的休士頓,
連續數日攝氏 32C 的氣溫,
03:14
is standard in the summer,
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在夏天算是標準,
03:16
but would constitute a heat wave in March.
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但如果在三月,就算是熱浪。
03:19
And the impact of these events touches
nearly every aspect of daily life.
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而這會影響日常生活的每個面向。
03:25
Imagine a June heat wave
strikes a tropical city.
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想像一下,在六月,
熱浪襲擊了一個熱帶城市。
03:29
The first to experience effects
are outdoor workers.
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最先受到影響的是戶外工作者。
03:33
Their excessive sweating leads
to dehydration and muscle pain
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過量出汗導致脫水和肌肉疼痛,
03:38
known as heat cramps.
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就是一般所知的熱痙攣。
03:40
If they push on,
their conditions could worsen
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如果置之不管,狀況會再惡化,
03:43
to heat exhaustion and even heat stroke—
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導致熱衰竭,甚至熱中暑──
03:47
a life-threatening ailment that occurs
when a body’s temperature exceeds 40°C.
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當體溫超過 40 度C
對生命構成威脅的一種熱傷害。
03:53
Medical emergency calls
spike across the city,
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城市各地的緊急醫療電話被打爆,
03:57
often for children and people
who are pregnant or elderly.
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救援對象通常是兒童、
孕婦,或老年人。
04:02
The heat also increases hospital
visits for heart, kidney,
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高溫也讓更多人因為心臟、
腎臟,以及肺部的
症狀前往醫院求診,
04:07
and lung-related conditions,
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04:09
creating an influx of patients that
threatens to overwhelm medical providers.
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病患的大量湧入,
讓醫療機構難以承受。
04:15
Over the following week,
the city slows to a crawl.
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接下來的一週,城市的運作近乎停滯。
04:19
Schools and construction sites close.
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學校和建築工地都關閉了。
04:23
Airplanes need to reduce
their weight limits to take off,
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飛機需要降低重量限制才能起飛,
04:28
bumping countless travelers
from their flights.
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無數旅客無法搭上他們的航班。
04:31
Restaurants shut down as overheated
kitchens become unbearable.
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餐廳停止營業,
因為廚房熱到沒人能夠忍受。
04:38
Residents who remain inside
with air conditioners stay safe.
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待在室內使用冷氣還能保持安全。
04:43
But blasting AC isn’t cheap,
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但狂開冷氣一點也不便宜,
04:46
and many families have to choose
between keeping cool and staying fed.
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吹冷氣還是吃飯對許多家庭變成抉擇。
04:51
Either way, if the heat continues,
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無論如何,如果高溫持續下去,
04:54
the stress of these air conditioners
could overwhelm the power grid,
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開冷氣造成的負擔也遲早會拖垮電網。
04:59
potentially leading to city-wide outages.
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甚至可能導致全市大停電。
05:03
These consequences are all very real.
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這些後果都是非常實在的。
05:06
Each year, close to 500,000 people
die due to excessive heat,
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每年,將近 50 萬人死於高溫,
05:12
and these extreme conditions
are only growing more common.
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而這些極端氣候只會變得越來越普遍。
05:17
We can limit medical impacts by seeking
help for heat-related illnesses,
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為了限制對醫療體系的衝擊,
我們應該提供與熱相關的病症的支援,
05:23
staying hydrated,
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攝取充足的水分,
05:24
and keeping people cool
through public access to water and AC.
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提供民眾公共的水源和冷氣空間。
05:30
But don’t let anyone tell you
1 to 2 degrees doesn’t matter.
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但別讓任何人告訴你
1、2 度沒什麼大不了。
05:36
It will change our very way of life.
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它將完全改變我們的生活方式。
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