Could Rising Sea Levels Flood Hawaii Famous Beaches?
海平面上升會淹沒夏威夷著名的沙灘嗎？
Rising sea levels could flood Hawaii's famous Waikiki Beach and the city streets of Honolulu in the next 15 to 20 years.
海平面上升可能在未來15年到20年內淹沒夏威夷著名的威基基沙灘以及檀香山的城市街道。
That information comes from a state climate commission. The commission also shared a video showing how flooding and erosion already affect many parts of Hawaii.
這一信息出自夏威夷氣候委員會。該委員會還分享了一則視頻，視頻顯示洪水和侵蝕已經影響到夏威夷的許多地區。
That is not good news for a state where tourism is the main driver of the economy. Hawaiian lawmakers are trying to pass new laws that would involve spending millions of dollars to protect coastlines and cities from rising tides.
對於一個以旅遊業為經濟主要推動力的州來說，這不是一個好消息。夏威夷州的立法者正試圖通過新的法律，包括耗資數百萬美元保護海岸線和城市免受漲潮的影響。
State Representative Chris Lee has put forward a bill calling for a coastline protection plan. He said, "The latest data on sea level rise is quite scary and it's accelerating faster than we ever thought possible."
州代表克裡斯·李（Chris Lee）提出一項法案，呼籲制定海岸線保護計劃。他指出，「有關海平面上升的最新數據十分可怕，而且上升速度遠比我們想像的還要快。」
Lee added that the program would center on Honolulu, Hawaii's capital. But it could become a test program for other coastal communities around the state.
李補充說，這一項目將以夏威夷首府——檀香山為中心。但是它可能成為該州其他沿海社區的一個試點項目。
Hawaii has rarely been directly hit by hurricanes. However, Lee writes in the bill that warming oceans increase the risk of hurricanes for the state. The bill estimates that if a major hurricane made landfall in Hawaii, it would cost $40 billion for the state to recover.
夏威夷很少遭到颶風的直接襲擊。然而，李在法案中寫道，海洋變暖加大了該州遭遇颶風的風險。該法案估計，如果一場大型颶風襲擊夏威夷，那麼該州將花費400億美元進行恢復。
Lee said, "The loss of coastal property and infrastructure, increased cost for storm damage and insurance, and loss of life are inevitable if nothing is done...."
李說：「如果不採取任何措施，沿海財產和基礎設施的損失、風暴破壞和保險成本的增加以及生命損失都是不可避免的……」
The proposed legislation is similar to action taken by New York City in 2012, after a major storm led to $19 billion in damage in the city. The Hawaii bill also seeks more research into a carbon tax that could raise money and lower the state's dependence on fossil fuels.
這項擬議的立法與2012年紐約市採取的措施類似，當時，一場大型風暴導致紐約市損失了190億美元。這項夏威夷法案還尋求對碳稅進行更多研究，以此籌措資金，降低該州對化石燃料的依賴。
Democrats lead both houses of Hawaii's legislature. The state traditionally has taken a leading role on climate issues. Lee said state lawmakers are to meet in the coming weeks to discuss final changes before sending the bill to Hawaii Governor David Ige. Ige, who is also a Democrat, has not said whether he would sign the bill.
民主黨人領導著夏威夷立法機構的兩院。該州一直以來在氣候問題上發揮著主導作用。李表示，州立法議員將在未來幾周內開會商討最終的修改，再將該法案送交夏威夷州長大衛·伊格，伊格也是民主黨人，他並未透露是否會籤署該法案。
The bill comes two years after the sea level rise adaptation report was made public as a guideline for future legislative action and planning.
該法案是在海平面上升適應報告公布兩年後提出的，該報告被作為未來立法行動和規劃的指導方針。
Research included in the report suggests Hawaii will see nearly a one-meter rise in ocean levels by the end of this century. It predicts that more than 6,000 of the state's buildings and 20,000 people across all of Hawaii's islands will experience continuing flooding.
報告中包括的研究表明，到本世紀末，夏威夷的海平面將上升近一米。該機構預測，夏威夷州6000多棟建築和2萬多居民將繼續遭受洪水的襲擊。
The report says roads, bridges and beaches will be washed away. And the state's seaports and airports will likely also be affected.
報告稱，道路、橋梁和海灘將被淹沒。該州的海港和機場也可能會受到影響。
The report was updated in September to included newly published research. The new research warns that previous estimates of flooding could be 35 to 54 percent lower.
該報告在9月份進行了更新，納入了最新發表的研究。這項新研究警告，先前對洪水的估計可能被低估了35%到54%。
University of Hawaii researcher Tiffany Anderson led the study. Anderson said she was surprised by the large increase when the effect of beach erosion was added to the study. She said, "We found out it covers a lot more land ... I wasn't expecting such a large increase..."
夏威夷大學的研究員蒂芙尼·安德森（Tiffany Anderson）領導了這項研究。安德森表示，當把海灘侵蝕的影響列入這項研究裡時，她對這種大規模增長感到驚訝。她說：「我們發現它覆蓋了更多的土地……沒想到會有這麼大的增長……」
State Representative Nicole Lowen said people hoping to build near the coast should already be wary. She also warned that sea level rise and climate change would impact "an economy that's so heavily based on tourism ..."
州代表妮可·勞文（Nicole Lowen）表示，希望在海岸附近建造房屋的居民保持警惕。她還警告稱，海平面上升和氣候變化將影響「嚴重依賴旅遊業的經濟……」
I'm Pete Musto.
皮特·穆斯託為您播報。