如何拯救森林：地球之肺
The world's lungs
地球的肺
There is hope for forests, but mankind needs to move faster if they are to be saved
森林⾃有希望在，但⼈类务必加快拯救⾏动
THE summer dry-ason, now drawing to an end, is when the Amazon rainforest gets cut and burned. The smoke this caus can often be en from space. But not this year. Brazil’s deforestation rate has dropped astoundingly fast. In 2004 some 2.8m hectares (10,700 square miles) of the Amazon were razed; last year only around 750,000 hectares were.
乡村音乐英语
今夏的⼲季即将结束，这次⼲季与砍伐和焚烧亚马逊⾬林的时间正好⼀致。通常焚林产⽣的烟雾从太空中都看得到。然⽽今年却看不到了。因为巴西的森林砍伐率下降之快令⼈震惊。2004年，约有280万公顷（⼀万零七百平⽅英⾥）亚马逊⾬林遭到砍伐，⽽去年遭到砍伐的只有75万公顷左右。
This progress is not isolated. Many of the world’s biggest clearers of trees have started to hug them. O
ver the past decade, the UN records, nearly 8m hectares of forest a year were allowed to re-grow or were planted anew. This was mostly in richer places, such as North America and in Europe, where dwindling rural populations have taken the pressure off forestland. But a couple of big poorer countries, notably China, have launched huge tree-planting schemes in a bid to prevent deforestation-related environmental disasters. Even in tropical countries, where most deforestation takes place, Brazil is not alone in becoming more reluctant to chop down trees.
这⼀进展并不仅限于巴西，世界上许多毁林⼤国也已经开始保护森林了。根据联合国记录：在过去的⼗年中，每年有将近800万公顷的森林得以修养⽣息或重新补种。这⼤部分都发⽣在像北美这样经济较发达的地区以及欧洲——由于欧洲的农村⼈⼝正在逐渐减少，林地⾯临的被砍伐的压⼒也随之消失。不过也有⼏个以中国为代表的发展中⼤国启动了宏⼤的植树计划，以此来预防毁林带来的环境灾害。连⼀些毁林成风的热带国家也同巴西⼀道，对砍伐树⽊的态度⽇趋谨慎。
The progress made in recent years shows that mankind is not doomed to strip the planet of its forest cover. But the transition from tree-chopper to tree-hugger is not happening fast enough. Over the past decade, according to UN figures, around 13m hectares of forestland—an area the size of England—was converted each year to other us, mostly agriculture. If the world is to keep the protective covering that helps it breathe, waters its crops, keeps it cool and nurtures its biodiversity, it
is going to have to move fast (e our special report this week).
近年来取得的进步表明：⼈类并⾮注定要将地球的森林植被砍伐殆尽。但从毁林者到护林者的转变速度仍不够迅速。联合国的数据表明：过去⼗年间，每年有⼤约1300万公顷——相当于⼀个英格兰的⼟地⾯积——林地被改作他⽤，主要是⽤于农业耕种。森林植被保护着地球：它帮助地球呼吸、滋润着地球上的作物、调节着地球的温度，也是地球上各个物种繁衍⽣息的摇篮。如果世界各国还要保存森林植被的话，那就得加快⾏动（见本周特别报道）。
For at least 10,000 years, since the ice last retreated and forests took back the earth, people have destroyed them. In medieval Europe an exploding population and hard-working monks put paid to perhaps half its temperate oak and beech woods—mostly, as is usually the ca, to clear space for crops. Some 100m hectares of America’s forests went in the 19th century, in an arboreal slaughter similarly reinforced by a belief in the godliness of thus “improving” the land. That spirit survives. It is no coincidence that George Bush junior, one of America’s more god-fearing presidents, relaxed by clearing brush.
⾄少有⼀万年了，从上次冰川消融森林重新覆盖地球开始，⼈类就⼀直在破坏森林。中世纪的欧洲，呈爆炸式增长的⼈⼝和毁林不倦的修道⼠们砍伐了那⾥约⼀半的温带橡树和⼭⽑榉——按照惯例，绝⼤多数砍伐都是在为种庄稼腾地⽅。19世纪美国
约有⼀亿公顷森林消失，这场树⽊⼤屠杀和欧洲发⽣的⼀样，⼈们认为如此“改良”⼟地就可以表达对神的虔诚。这种精神流传⾄今——⼩布什属于⽐较信神的美国总统，他闲着没事就修剪灌⽊，难道这只是⼀种巧合？
In most rich countries the pressure on forests has ead; but in many tropical ones—home to around half the remaining forest, including the planet’s green rainforest girdle—the demand for land is increasing as populations ri. In Congo, which has more rainforest than any country except Brazil, the clearance is mostly driven by smallholders, who number is about to double. Rising global demand for food and biofuels adds even more to the heat. So will climate change. That may already be happening in Canada, where recent warm winters have unleashed a plague of bark beetles, and in Australia, who forests have been devastated by drought and forest fires.
⼤多数发达国家对森林的砍伐⼒度已经减轻；然⽽，约有⼀半现存的森林，包括地球的⾬林绿腰带，位于许多热带国家。随着⼈⼝的增长，这些国家对⼟地的需求也正在加⼤。刚果的⾬林⾯积仅次于巴西，刚果⼩农场主是毁林的主⼒，⽽他们的数量马上就要翻番。全球对⾷品和⽣物燃料的需求持续增加则更是⽕上浇油。⽓候变化也将对森林造成进⼀步破坏。在加拿⼤和澳⼤利亚全球变暖的危害或许已经显现：⼀连⼏个暖冬造成了加拿⼤树⽪甲⾍成灾，旱灾和⼤⽕也使澳⼤利亚的森林屡遭破坏。
Clearing forests may enrich tho who are doing it, but over the long run it impoverishes the planet as a whole. Rainforests are an important prop to continental water-cycles. Losing the Amazon rainforest could reduce rainfall across the Americas, with potentially dire conquences for farmers as far away as Texas. By regulating run-off, trees help guarantee water-supplies and prevent natural disasters, like landslides and floods. Losing the rainforest would mean losing millions of species; forests contain 80% of terrestrial biodiversity. And for tho concerned about the probable effects of climate change, forests contain twice as much carbon as the atmosphere, in plant-matter and the soils they cover, and when they are razed and their soils disturbed most is emitted. If the Amazon went up in smoke—a scenario which a bit more clearance and a bit more warming makes conceivable—it would spew out more than a decade’s worth of fossil-fuel emissions.
夫妻之间那些事毁林者也许能通过砍伐获得财富，但从长远来看，整个地球都会因此⾛向贫瘠。⾬林维系着陆地的⽔循环，因⽽⼗分重要。没有亚马逊⾬林，整个南北美洲地区的降⽔量将减少，且其潜在的恶果甚⾄将波及远在德克萨斯州的农民。通过调节径流，森林可以含蓄⽔源，防⽌滑坡和洪⽔等⾃然灾害。失去⾬林⽆异于数百万物种的灭绝；森林容纳了地球上80%的物种。⾄于有些⼈担忧⽓候变化可能造成什么后果，要知道森林的含碳量是整个⼤⽓层的两倍，在树⽊和它们所覆盖的⼟壤中都含有碳。⼀旦森林遭到破坏、森林⼟壤被开垦，⼤部分碳都会被排放出来。假如整个亚马逊⾬林被付之⼀炬——只要
森林再略加毁坏，⽓候再稍微变暖，这⼀幕也不是不可能的——产⽣的废⽓将超过燃烧⼗年化⽯燃料排放的总值。
REDDy, steady, grow
REDD计划，稳定，增长
Economic development both caus deforestation and slows it. In the early stages of development people destroy forests for a meagre living. Globalisation is speeding up the process by boosting the demand for agricultural goods produced in tropical countries. At the same time, as people in emerging countries become more prosperous, they start thinking about issues beyond their family’s welfare; their governments begin to pass and slowly enforce laws to conrve the environment. Trade can also allow the greener concerns of rich-world consumers to influence developing-world producers.
经济的发展既可以引起森林砍伐，也可以减缓森林砍伐的速度。在经济发展的初期，⼈们砍伐森林仅能获得微薄的收益。全球化时期，对热带国家出产的农产品需求量增加，毁林的速度也随之加快。然⽽，随着新兴国家的⼈民⽣活越来越富裕，他们会开始思考除了发家致富之外的事；它们的政府会开始颁布并逐步实施保护环境的法律。通过贸易，发达国家消费者的环保意识也能够影响到发展中国家
的⽣产商。
The transition from clearing to protecting, however, is occurring too slowly. The main international effort to speed it up is an idea known as REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation), which pays people in developing countries to leave trees standing. This is not an outlandish concept. It is increasingly common for governments and companies to pay for forest and other ecosystem rvices. To protect its watershed, New York pays farmers in the Catskills not to develop their land. REDD schemes aspire to do this on a much larger scale. The only notable success of the Copenhagen climate-change conference last year was a commitment to pursue them. Half a dozen rich countries, including Norway, America and Britain, have promid $4.5 billion for starters.
然⽽，变砍伐为保护来得太慢了。国际上为了加速这种转变，主要提出了REDD理念（减少森林砍伐和退化产⽣的排放）：给发展中国家的居民⼀笔钱，让他们别砍树。这并不是天⽅夜谭。政府和企业为森林等⽣态系统提供的服务买单的做法现在越来越普遍了。纽约为了保护其分⽔岭卡次启尔⼭脉，给当地的农民发放补贴叫他们不要在那⾥开垦⼟地。REDD计划旨在将这⼀机制发扬光⼤。去年哥本哈根⽓候变化⼤会取得的唯⼀显著成果就是各国承诺将尽量实现这⼀计划。包括挪威、美国、英国在内的六个发达国家已经承诺提供45亿启动资⾦。
The difficulties are immen. REDD projects will be effective only in places where the government sort-of works, and the tropical countries with the most important forests include some of the world’s worst-run places. Even in countries with
functioning states, some of the money is bound to be stolen. Yet with sufficient attention to monitoring, verification and, crucially, making sure the cash goes to the people who can actually protect the forest, REDD could work. That will cost much more than has so far been pledged. The most obvious source of extra cash is the carbon market, or preferably a carbon tax. Since saving forests is often the cheapest way to tackle carbon emissions, funding it this way makes n.
实施REDD计划困难重重，因为只有在政府多少能起点作⽤的地区REDD 计划才能⽣效，⽽拥有世界上最重要森林的这些热带国家之中同时也有着世界上⾏政管理最差的地⽅。即便在政府能起作⽤的⼀些国家，仍有⼀部分钱⼀定会被盗⽤。但只要监督得⼒、审核谨慎，并保证资⾦发放到真正能保护森林的⼈⼿⾥，REDD计划仍然有实现的可能。到时开销将远远超出⽬前六国承诺提供的数额。额外的资⾦要从碳市场筹集，这是再明显不过的，征收碳税则更好。既然保护森林通常是解决碳排放最为节约的⽅法，通过征税等途径为REDD计划提供资⾦是合情合理的。
With global climate-change negotiations foundering, the prospects of raising cash for REDD that way
look poor. But the money must be found from somewhere. Without a rious effort to solve this problem, the risk from climate change will be vastly incread and the planet will lo one of its most valuable, and most beautiful, asts. That would be a tragedy.
由于就全球⽓候变化的谈判破裂，通过这种⽅式来为REDD集资前景堪忧。但⽆论如何得寻找到资⾦来源。如果不尽⼒解决资⾦问题，⽓候变化带来的风险将急剧增加，⽽地球也将失去它最为珍贵、最为美好的财富。那样的话将酿成悲剧
科技名词定义体育与健康课程
中⽂名称：
⼲季
厄运的意思英⽂名称：
dry ason
定义：
穿内衣的女人热带和某些副热带地区⼀年中⼏乎不下⾬的少⾬季节。女人离婚
所属学科：
月亮的恋人⼤⽓科学（⼀级学科）；⽓候学（⼆级学科）
本内容由全国科学技术名词审定委员会审定公布
⼀地区⼀年中降⽔较少的时期。具有常年持续⼀⽉⾄数⽉、每年重复出现的特点。在低纬度地区，因全年温度的季节变化不明显⽽降⽔较显著，故常⽤⼲季和⾬季划分季节。热带地区，⼲季主要出现于冬季；在副热带的地中海⽓候区，⼲季出现于夏季，在季风⽓候区则主要出现于冬季；近⾚道地区，全年有两个⼲季。
temperate rain forest
noun
Definition of TEMPERATE RAIN FOREST
: woodland of a usually rather mild climatic area within the temperate zone that receives heavy rainfall, usually includes numerous kinds of trees, and is distinguished from a tropical rain forest especially by the prence of a dominant tree
世界的地形、⽓候和⾃然景观
地形 Topography
⼭系 Mountain system
⼭地 MOUNTAINS
⾼原 Plateau
丘陵 Hill
平原 Plain
盆地 Basin
海岭 Oceanic Ridge
海盆 Oceanic Basin
海沟 Oceanic Rrench
⼤陆架 Continental Shelf
⼤陆坡 Continental Slope
褶皱 Fold
断层 Fault
20年后的世界⽕⼭ Volcano
地震 Earthquake
⽓候 Climate
热带 Tropical Zone
亚热带 Subtropical Zone
温带 Temperate Zone
寒带 Cold Zone
热带⾬林⽓候 Tropical Rainforest Climate 热带草原⽓候 Savanna Climate
季风⽓候 Monsoon Climate
地中海⽓候 Mediterranean Climate
海洋性⽓候 Maritime Climate
⼤陆性⽓候 Continental Climate
⾼原⽓候 Plateau Climate
苔原⽓候 Tundra Climate
⾃然景观 Natural Landscape
⾬林 Rainforest
草原 Steppe
荒漠 Dert
阔叶林 Broad-leaved Forest
针叶林 Coniferous Forest
苔原 Tundra
冰原 Ice Field
