Michael Chugani 褚簡寧 - staring us in the face|又中又英

Climate change is no longer just creeping on us.It is staring us in the face.The recent COP27 conference in Egypt attended by world leaders warned time is running out to slow climate change.Many governments understand climate change is staring us in the face but most ordinary people,including Hong Kong people,don't seem to take it seriously. There are even people,including politicians,who insist climate change is a hoax,which means a trick to make people believe something that is not true.If something is creeping on you it means it is moving very slowly.If something is staring you in the face it means it is very obvious or certain to happen.

Climate change is real,not a hoax.COP27 stands for the 27th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to discuss climate change.The plan is to achieve net zero CO2 by the year 2050. Net zero CO2 means the balance between the amount of polluting gasses produced by humans and the amount removed from atmosphere through forests and oceans.If the world can reduce the polluting use of coal and other fuels to the point that the gasses can be naturally removed by nature, then it has achieved net zero CO2. I am sure countries can do this if they all put politics aside.

Time is running out. A new report by an expert group called the Global Carbon Budget warns we only have 11 years to reduce polluting gasses if we want to avoid the worst damage from climate change.It is a scary report because failure means rising oceans,drought,floodings,and super typhoons.
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氣候變化不再是悄悄步近(creeping),它是明擺在我們面前(staring us in the face)。最近各國領袖出席在埃及的COP27氣候大會,會上發出警告:要延緩氣候變化,時間已經不多了。許多政府明白到,氣候變化肯定會發生(staring us in the face),但普羅大眾,包括香港人,大多看似並未認真看待。甚至還有人,包括政客,堅持氣候變化只是一個hoax,意思是它只是一個騙局,不是真的。若某事在creeping on you,意即它緩慢悄悄地走近;若某事是staring you in the face,意即它是顯而易見的,或肯定會發生。

氣候變化是真的,並不是騙局(hoax)。 COP27代表Conference of the Parties,國際公約締約國第二十七屆討論氣候變化的會議。會議計劃在二○五○年達至net zero CO2。Net zero CO2即淨零排放——人類所製造的溫室氣體排放量,與環境中被森林和海洋所吸收、移除的量,可以達到平衡。若全世界可以將煤及其他燃料的使用量,減少至所有氣體被大自然天然吸收,那就可達至淨零排放(net zero CO2)。如果能拋開政治,我相信各國都能做得到。

沒有時間了。一個名為「全球碳預算」的專業組織的新聞報告警戒我們,如果想避免氣候變化帶來最差的損害,我們只餘十一年時間去減少溫室氣體。這是一個非常可怕的報告,因為一旦失敗,意味着我們將要面對海平面上升、旱災、洪澇和超級颱風。中譯:七刻
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧
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