The Good News You Might Have Missed | Angus Hervey | TED

譯者: 麗玲 辛 審譯者: C Leung

The world feels scary right now.

現在的世界讓人害怕。

The planet heats.

地球變暖，

The clock ticks.

時間緊迫，

The red lines climb.

危機加劇。

Death stalks the fields of Ukraine and the streets of Gaza.

死神在烏克蘭的田野 和加薩的街道上徘徊，

Famine looms in Sudan.

飢荒迫近蘇丹。

And in the Middle East, the drums of war sound louder by the day.

在中東，戰爭的鼓聲愈敲愈響。

Habitats shrink,

動物棲息地縮小，

democracy's flame sputters,

民主的火焰搖曳不定，

authoritarianism and intolerance rear their ugly heads.

威權主義、不容異己 則露出醜陋的面目。

Millions flee disaster and persecution.

數百萬人逃離災難和迫害，

The debts mount.

債務高築，

International cooperation falters.

國際合作陷入困境。

Everywhere we look, there are reports of decline.

舉目四望，到處都是衰退的報導。

Are we headed for disaster?

我們正走向災難嗎？

Well, your answer to that question

你的答案可能取決於

probably depends on where you've been getting your news,

你從哪裡獲取消息，

because here are some other stories from the last 12 months.

因為我有一些過去一年的不同報導，

Some other reports of decline

一些你可能沒聽說過的

that you may not have heard about.

數字下降的報告。

Last year,

去年，

extreme poverty declined to its lowest level in human history,

極端貧困降至人類歷史上的最低水平，

an estimated 8.4 percent.

估計為 8.4%。

Deforestation across the entire Amazon basin declined by 55 percent

整個亞馬遜盆地的森林砍伐 減少了 55%，

and violent crime in the United States declined to its lowest level

美國的暴力犯罪率降至 1960 年代以來的最低水平。

since the 1960s.

In the last 12 months,

在過去的 12 個月裡，

a record number of countries have eliminated a disease,

消除某種疾病的國家數量創下了紀錄，

including, for the first time ever,

包括埃及首次消除丙型肝炎

Hepatitis C by Egypt

and black fever by Bangladesh.

和孟加拉國消除黑熱病。

And global AIDS deaths have declined to their lowest level since the 1990s,

全球愛滋病死亡率降至 1990 年代以來的最低水平，

down by more than two thirds since their peak.

相較最高點，下降了三分之二。

When I was in high school,

當我在高中時，

that was the world's deadliest infectious disease.

那是世界上最致命的傳染病，

And now we have the power to end it.

而現在我們有能力終結它。

So maybe you've been feeling despair over climate change

也許你對氣候變化感到絕望，

or the fear of fascism rising like Dracula from the coffin,

或害怕法西斯主義 像吸血鬼德古拉從棺材中復活，

of resource overshoots and political decay.

憂慮資源過度消耗和政治腐敗。

But last year,

但去年，

carbon emissions in advanced economies declined back to the same level

經濟發達國家的碳排放量 下降到了 50 年前的水平。

as 50 years ago.

Cancer death rates in America and Europe declined again.

美國和歐洲的癌症死亡率再度下滑。

And air pollution is now falling in 21 of the world's 25 biggest cities.

世界上 25 個最大的城市中 有 21 個的空氣污染正在減少。

Alongside those declines,

除了這些下降，

other things have been on the rise.

還有其他的增長。

There are 50 million more girls in school today

今日，就學的女學生比十年前 增加了五千萬人。

than there were just under a decade ago.

(Cheers and applause)

（歡呼聲與掌聲）

And last year, 418 million of the world's children got fed at school.

去年，全球有 4.18 億兒童 在學校吃到飯，

That is almost one in five.

這幾乎是全球兒童的五分之一。

This year, it's going to be even more.

今年，這個數字還會上升。

Since we were last all gathered here,

自從我們上次聚集在這裡，

millions of people have gained access to water.

數百萬人獲得了水源，

Tens of millions of people have gained access to electricity.

數千萬人獲得了電力。

Estonia and Greece have legalized same-sex marriage.

在愛沙尼亞和希臘， 同性婚姻已經合法。

It looks like Thailand and Japan are going to be the next two on that list.

看來泰國和日本 將是下一個上榜的國家。

And at least ten countries in the last 12 months

在過去的 12 個月裡，

have passed laws expanding the rights of women,

至少有 10 個國家通過了 擴大婦女權利的法律，

including France,

包括法國，

which recently became the first country

最近成為首個將生育權 寫入憲法的國家。

to enshrine reproductive rights into its constitution.

(Applause)

（掌聲）

In 2023, we installed so much wind and solar

2023 年，我們安裝了 大量的風能和太陽能，

that it changed the trajectory of our climate future,

改變了我們的氣候未來軌跡，

with China’s carbon emissions now predicted to start falling

中國的碳排放預計 最早今年就會開始下降。

as early as this year.

In 2024,

2024 年，

we are going to install enough global solar manufacturing capacity

全球將安裝足夠多的太陽能生產設備，

to reach our net-zero targets by the end of this decade.

以便在未來十年達到淨零排放目標。

A car powered by electrons

去年，電力驅動的汽車

was the world's best-selling vehicle last year,

成為全球最暢銷的車型，

and batteries are now the fastest-growing technology

電池成為自二戰人類製造飛機以來

since human beings made aircraft in World War II.

進步最快的技術。

We have crossed the threshold.

我們已經跨越了門檻，

There is too much momentum now

現在轉向清潔能源的勢頭 強大到無法阻擋。

to stop the transition to clean energy from happening.

I have two little girls, Lola and Cleo.

我有兩個女兒，蘿拉和克莉奥。

Lola is four years old,

蘿拉四歲，

Cleo turned three the other day.

克莉奥剛過三歲生日。

And the International Energy Agency says that based on current trends,

根據國際能源署的說法， 按照目前的趨勢，

by the time my girls are my age,

當我的女兒們到我這個年紀時，

the world's electricity and transportation systems

全球的電力和交通系統

are on track to be almost entirely fossil-fuel-free.

將幾乎完全不需要化石燃料。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

We are not doomed.

我們並非劫數難逃。

Did you know that 2023 was arguably the greatest year ever

你知道嗎，2023 年可能是 有史以來保育方面最有收穫的一年。

for conservation?

We protected huge tracts of land in Alaska, the Amazon,

我們保護了阿拉斯加、亞馬遜、

southern Africa, and the entire Tibetan Plateau,

南非以及整個青藏高原的廣大土地，

which is an area larger than all of Western Europe.

總面積超過了整個西歐。

我們在墨西哥、智利、巴拿馬、

We created new marine protected areas off the coasts of Mexico, Chile, Panama,

Dominica, South Georgia, Spain, Ireland, the Congo,

多米尼克、南喬治亞、西班牙、 愛爾蘭、剛果、澳大利亞、

Australia, Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia.

巴布亞紐幾內亞、新喀里多尼亞的 海岸創建了新的海洋保護區。

In the last 12 months,

在過去的 12 個月裡，

there have been hundreds of stories of cities being regreened,

有數百個報導，如城市重新綠化，

of farmland being rewilded,

農田恢復自然地貌，

of rivers being cleaned up, islands being restored.

河流得到清理，島嶼得以復育，

And the populations of every single one of these species

這些地區的物種數量

is now either recovering or on the rise.

都正在恢復或增加。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

Look, I know that a lot of stuff is going wrong.

我知道有很多事情出了問題。

You know that a lot of stuff is going wrong.

你也知道很多事情出了問題。

This is not some weird attempt to cancel or balance out the bad news.

我不是企圖要抵消或平衡這些壞消息。

But here's an idea.

但我有個想法。

If we want more people to devote themselves

如果我們想讓更多的人 投入創造進步的事業，

to the task of making progress,

then maybe we should be telling more people

也許我們應該讓更多的人知道，

that it's possible to make progress.

進步是可能的。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

當你爬山到半路上，

If you're halfway up the mountain,

you don't just stare at the top and say, "Oh my gosh, it looks so steep."

不要只盯著山頂說： 「天啊，看起來好陡。」

你應該回頭看看，提醒自己 我們已經走了多遠。

You look back and you remind yourselves how far we've already come.

In the last 12 months, despite all of the challenges,

在過去的 12 個月裡， 儘管面臨種種挑戰，

we have climbed a little further.

我們又向上攀登了一點。

So don't bet against humanity.

所以不要對人類失去信心。

In Nevada, they're using geothermal techniques

在內華達州，人們正在使用地熱技術，

to tap into the clean energy of our planet.

挖掘地球的清潔能源。

On the border of Belgium and France,

在比利時和法國邊境， 人們正利用細菌分解塑膠。

they're using bacteria to break down plastic.

In Shenzhen, they're delivering blood via drones.

在深圳，人們正在用無人機運送血液。

And in space, new satellites mean polluters no longer have anywhere to hide.

在太空中，隨著新衛星的發射和使用， 污染者將無處可藏。

We are launching 5,000-ton starships.

我們正在發射五千噸的星艦，

We are making seven-billion- kilometer round trips

也在進行 70 億公里的往返航程

to collect stardust from asteroids.

來收集小行星上的星塵。

We can perform miracles,

我們能創造奇蹟，

enabling paralyzed people to walk by reading their brainwaves

通過讀取大腦電波， 並將信號傳送到脊椎，

and sending the signals to their spine.

讓癱瘓的人能夠行走。

We've mapped a quarter of the entire ocean floor,

我們已繪製全球四分之一海床了，

and NVIDIA’s new Blackwell chip has as many transistors in it

輝達 (NVIDIA) 的 新 Blackwell 晶片擁有

和整個銀河系星星一樣多的電晶體。

as there are stars in the entire Milky Way.

In the last year, we started using CRISPR, genetic editing,

在過去的一年裡，我們開始使用 CRISPR，基因編輯技術，

to treat diseases like beta thalassemia

治療像乙型地中海貧血

and sickle cell disease.

和鐮形細胞貧血症等疾病。

And we created the largest-ever atlas of human brain cells.

我們創建了有史以來 最大的人類腦細胞圖譜。

We are using artificial intelligence

我們開始使用人工智慧 來識別新藥物，

to identify new drugs to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria,

以對抗每年殺死超過百萬人的 具抗生素抗藥性的細菌。

something that kills over a million people every year.

Two years ago,

兩年前，

I almost lost my life to a bacterial infection.

我差點因細菌感染失去生命。

I got lucky.

我很幸運。

In the future, many more people will be able to say the same.

未來，更多人也能說同樣的話。

I mean, we just used artificial intelligence

我的意思是，我們才使用人工智慧

to decipher the contents, the charred remains

解讀了赫庫蘭尼姆古城兩千年前 被燒焦的捲軸的內容。

of the 2,000-year-old Herculaneum scrolls.

And, I don't know, maybe this is all boring to some of you,

我不知道，也許這對在座 某些人來說很無聊，

but to me, it really is indistinguishable from magic.

但對我來說，這真的和魔法無異。

Our scientific instruments are sensitive enough now

我們的科學儀器現在敏感到

to see plants speaking to each other.

可以聽到植物互相「交談」，

And to detect the gravitational waves

可以探測到超大質量黑洞 碰撞產生的引力波。

from the collisions of supermassive black holes.

All of a sudden,

我們突然發現， 我們與整個宇宙同步共鳴，

we know that we are humming in tune with the entire universe,

that each of us contains the signature of everything that has ever been.

每個人都包含了 曾經存在過的一切印記。

Progress is possible.

進步是可能的。

Not all declines spell destruction.

不是所有的衰退都意味著毀滅，

Not all rising levels result in loss.

不是所有的上升都意味著損失，

And sometimes there really are new things under the sun.

有時，日光之下確有新事物。

These are the stories of the brave and the brilliant,

以上都是人們勇敢而傑出的事蹟，

and they also deserve our attention.

也值得我們的關注。

(Applause)

（掌聲）