地球大氣中的二氧化碳又創(chuàng)造了一個不祥的記錄

地球大氣中的二氧化碳又創(chuàng)造了一個不祥的記錄

Change is in the air, or at least the air itself is changing. Earth's atmosphere is shifting to a state unseen in human history, and according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), it just reached another record high.

空氣中有一些改變，或者至少空氣本身在變化。根據(jù)世界氣象組織(WMO)的一份新報告，地球的大氣正在進入人類歷史上從未有過的狀態(tài)，而且剛剛達到了另一個創(chuàng)紀錄的高度。

Photo: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Our atmosphere held a global average of 407.8 parts per million (ppm) of carbon dioxide (CO2) in 2018, compared with 405.5 ppm in 2017, the WMO announced today in its annual Greenhouse Gas Bulletin. That increase is slightly above the average yearly uptick over the last decade, according to the WMO, which notes CO2 remains in the sky for centuries, and in the ocean for even longer.

世界氣象組織(WMO)今天在其年度溫室氣體公報中宣布，2018年全球大氣中的二氧化碳含量平均為407.8 ppm，而2017年為405.5 ppm。根據(jù)世界氣象組織的數(shù)據(jù)，這一增幅略高于過去10年的年平均增幅。該組織指出，二氧化碳在空中停留了幾個世紀，在海洋中停留的時間更長。

Levels of methane and nitrous oxide also surged by higher amounts in 2018 than the yearly average over the past decade, the WMO adds, and since 1990, there has been a 43% overall increase in radiative forcing (the climate's warming effect) caused by long-lived greenhouse gases. About 80% of that increase is due to CO2, the WMO notes, and there are "multiple indications that the increase in the atmospheric levels of CO2 are related to fossil fuel combustion."

世界氣象組織補充說，2018年甲烷和一氧化二氮的含量也比過去10年的年平均水平激增，而且自1990年以來，由長期存在的溫室氣體造成的輻射強迫(氣候變暖效應)總量增加了43%。世界氣象組織指出，其中約80%的增長是二氧化碳造成的，而且有“多種跡象表明，大氣中二氧化碳含量的增加與化石燃料燃燒有關。”

Earth's air always has some CO2, which plants need for photosynthesis, but too much creates the heat-trapping effect responsible for climate change. Global CO2 levels naturally fluctuate by season due to plant growth, falling in the Northern Hemisphere's summer and rising in winter. That cycle continues, but with more and more CO2 due to the rampant burning of fossil fuels.

地球上的空氣中總是含有一些二氧化碳，植物需要這些二氧化碳進行光合作用，但過多的二氧化碳會產(chǎn)生導致氣候變化的吸熱效應。由于植物生長，全球二氧化碳水平自然隨季節(jié)波動，北半球夏季下降，冬季上升。這種循環(huán)還在繼續(xù)，但由于化石燃料的瘋狂燃燒，二氧化碳的排放量越來越大。

Clouds undulate around Hawaii's Mauna Loa Observatory, where scientists keep track of CO2 levels in Earth's atmosphere. (Photo: LCDR Eric Johnson [CC BY 2.0]/NOAA)

"It is worth recalling that the last time the Earth experienced a comparable concentration of CO2 was 3-5 million years ago," said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas in a statement, referring to the Pliocene. "Back then, the temperature was 2-3°C (3.6 to 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer, sea level was 10-20 meters (33 to 66 feet) higher than now."

世界氣象組織秘書長Petteri Taalas在一份聲明中提到上新世時說:“值得回顧的是，地球上一次經(jīng)歷類似濃度的二氧化碳是在300萬到500萬年前。”“那時，氣溫比現(xiàn)在高2-3攝氏度(3.6 - 5.4華氏度)，海平面比現(xiàn)在高10-20米(33 - 66英尺)。”

It's already too late to stop some effects of human-induced climate change, and the situation continues to worsen every day. Still, however, it's also way too early to give up, both for our own sake and for that of future generations.

現(xiàn)在想要阻止人為造成的氣候變化的影響已經(jīng)太晚了，而且情況每天都在惡化。然而，為了我們自己，也為了子孫后代，現(xiàn)在放棄還為時過早。

"There is no sign of a slowdown, let alone a decline, in greenhouse gases' concentration in the atmosphere despite all the commitments under the Paris Agreement on Climate Change," Taalas added. "We need to translate the commitments into action and increase the level of ambition for the sake of the future welfare of mankind."

Taalas補充道:“盡管在巴黎氣候變化協(xié)議中做出了所有承諾，但沒有跡象表明溫室氣體在大氣中的濃度下降，更不用說下降了。”“為了人類未來的福祉，我們需要將承諾轉化為行動，并提高抱負水平。”

While the Paris Agreement marked an important step forward in the global effort to rein in greenhouse gas emissions, this WMO report is the latest warning that bigger steps are still needed. That will be the challenge next month in Madrid, where negotiators and world leaders will convene for U.N. climate talks from Dec. 2-15.

盡管《巴黎協(xié)定》標志著全球控制溫室氣體排放的努力向前邁出了重要一步，但世界氣象組織的這份報告是最新的警告，表明仍需要采取更大的步驟。這將是下個月在馬德里面臨的挑戰(zhàn)，談判者和世界領導人將于12月2日至15日在馬德里舉行聯(lián)合國氣候談判。