Should we dim the sun?
by Brian Kahn
When it comes to geoengineering the planet to cool the climate, there's rightfully a lot of hesitation. Blocking incoming sunlight might seem like a quick fix to rising temperatures, but doing so could quickly tie up humanity in a decades-long project with alarming side effects like shifting precipitation(降水) patterns and changes in hurricane season.
geoengineer /ˌdʒiːəʊˌendʒɪˈnɪə(r)/ v. 利用科技手段改變整個地球的氣候
cool /kuːl/ v. 冷卻、使變涼
rightfully /ˈraɪtf(ə)li/ adv. 正當地、應當地(由right加後綴-ful變成形容詞rightful,再加後綴-ly變成副詞)
hesitation /ˌhezɪˈteɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 猶豫、遲疑
block /blɒk/ v. 阻擋
incoming /ˈɪnˌkʌmɪŋ/ adj. 到達某地的(這裡指達到地球的)
sunlight /ˈsʌnlaɪt/ n. 太陽光(由sun和light組成)
fix /fɪks/ n. 解決辦法
tie up 困住、使無法逃脫
humanity /hjuːˈmænəti/ n. 人類
decade /ˈdekeɪd/ n. 十年
project /ˈprɒdʒekt/ n. 項目
alarming /əˈlɑːmɪŋ/ adj. 令人擔憂的、令人驚慌的
side effect 副作用
shifting /ˈʃɪftɪŋ/ adj. 易變的
pattern /ˈpæt(ə)n/ n. 模式、方式
hurricane /ˈhʌrɪkən/ n. 颶風
That is what makes a new paper released on Monday in Nature Climate Change so alluring. It shows that undertaking half measures to block the sun could end up providing the benefit of a cooler planet without many of the adverse impacts on other parts of the climate system.
paper /ˈpeɪpə(r)/ n. 論文
release /rɪˈliːs/ v. 發布、發表
alluring /əˈljʊərɪŋ/ adj. 有吸引力的、讓人興奮的
undertake /ˌʌndəˈteɪk/ v. 從事、著手做
measure /ˈmeʒə(r)/ n. 措施
end up 以…而告終
adverse /ˈædvɜːs/ adj. 不利的、有害的
impact /ˈɪmpækt/ n. 重大影響
The results suggest there could be a role for geoengineering to play in saving us from a climate catastrophe, though it's hardly the last word on what that role could be, or even if it's worth the risk.
suggest /səˈdʒest/ v. 表明
role /rəʊl/ n. 角色、作用
catastrophe /kəˈtæstrəfi/ n. 災難
risk /rɪsk/ n. 風險
Most research on geoengineering has focused on how humans could offset all the global warming associated with greenhouse gas pollution. The new study takes a different path, though. Using high resolution climate models, researchers first doubled the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. They then used the models to reduce incoming sunlight enough to offset half of the warming associated with the rise in carbon pollution. Basically it's like two steps forward, one step back.
focus /ˈfəʊkəs/ on 專注於
offset /ɒfˈset/ v. 抵消
global /ˈɡləʊb(ə)l/ adj. 全球的、世界的
associate /əˈsəʊʃieɪt/ v. 聯繫、關聯
greenhouse /ˈɡriːnhaʊs/ n. 溫室(由green和house組成)
gas /ɡæs/ n. 氣體
resolution /ˌrezəˈluːʃ(ə)n/ n. 解析度
model /ˈmɒd(ə)l/ n. 科學模型、數學模型
researcher /rɪˈsɜːtʃə(r)/ n. 研究者(由research加上表示人的後綴-er)
double /ˈdʌb(ə)l/ v. 翻倍、變成兩倍
concentration /ˌkɒns(ə)nˈtreɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 濃度
carbon /ˈkɑːb(ə)n/ dioxide /daɪˈɒksaɪd/ 二氧化碳
atmosphere /ˈætməsfɪə(r)/ n. 大氣、大氣層
carbon /ˈkɑːb(ə)n/ n. 碳(這裡指二氧化碳)
basically /ˈbeɪsɪk(ə)li/ adv. 基本上(由basic加後綴-ally變成副詞)
They then looked at geoengineering's impact not just on temperature but precipitation, evaporation(蒸發), and tropical cyclones. Precipitation and evaporation are crucial components of the hydrological cycle that humanity relies on for drinking water, agriculture and more, while cyclones can cause massive amounts of damage and suffering.
tropical /ˈtrɒpɪk(ə)l/ adj. 熱帶的
cyclone /ˈsaɪkləʊn/ n. 旋風、氣旋(颱風、颶風等都屬於氣旋)
crucial /ˈkruːʃ(ə)l/ adj. 至關重要的
component /kəmˈpəʊnənt/ n. 組成部分
hydrological /ˌhʌɪdrəˈlɒdʒɪk(ə)l/ cycle (整個地球的)水循環
rely /rɪˈlaɪ/ on 依靠、依賴
massive /ˈmæsɪv/ adj. 巨大的
suffering /ˈsʌf(ə)rɪŋ/ n. 痛苦、折磨
The new findings show, though, that using a geoengineering half measure could reduce temperature and moderate the adverse impacts on the hydrological cycle associated with both climate change and full-on geoengineering. According to the study, tropical cyclone intensity would be reduced as well.
moderate /ˈmɒd(ə)reɪt/ v. 緩和
full-on 最大程度的
intensity /ɪnˈtensəti/ n. 強度(由intense加後綴-ity變成名詞)
as well = too
"Surprisingly we find only a very small fraction of places see the effects of climate change exacerbated(惡化)," said Peter Irvine, a postdoctoral researcher who led the new study. "If you kept cooling, you'd keep getting benefits of temperature but diminishing returns on hydrological variables. Offsetting all warming, and you're beginning to introduce problems that are new."
surprisingly /səˈpraɪzɪŋli/ adv. 令人驚訝地(由surprise的現在分詞加後綴-ly變成副詞)
fraction /ˈfrækʃ(ə)n/ n. 一小部分
postdoctoral /pəʊstˈdɒkt(ə)r(ə)l/ adj. 博士後的
diminish /dɪˈmɪnɪʃ/ v. 減小、降低
return /rɪˈtɜːn/ n. 回報
variable /ˈveəriəb(ə)l/ n. 變量
introduce /ˌɪntrəˈdjuːs/ v. 引入
That doesn't mean sun-dimming will be coming to a stratospheric(極高的) location near you anytime soon. And it doesn't offer a substitute for what really needs to be done to address climate change. Irvine was blunt in his assessment that it's only one piece of the puzzle, and a speculative one. "This can't solve climate change," he said.
dim /dɪm/ v. 變暗(sun-dimming指遮住一小部分從太陽到地球的光)
substitute /ˈsʌbstɪtjuːt/ n. 替代品
address /əˈdres/ v. 應對
blunt /blʌnt/ adj. 直言不諱的
assessment /əˈsesmənt/ n. 評估(由assess加後綴-ment變成名詞)
puzzle /ˈpʌz(ə)l/ n. 拼圖(引申為難題)
speculative /ˈspekjulətɪv/ adj. 推測的、猜測的
英文原文節選自Gizmodo
https://earther.gizmodo.com/scientists-maybe-if-we-only-dim-the-sun-a-little-it-wo-1833203941
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