气候变暖的“新罪名”:扩大贫富差距

气候变暖的“新罪名”:扩大贫富差距

5.0分钟 3412 2wpm

Climate Change Makes the Rich Richer, the Poor Poorer

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Temperatures may be rising globally, but not all of us feel the impact in the same way.

全球温度都在升高,但对各国的影响并不相同。

Over the past half century, climate change has increased inequality between countries, dragging down growth in the poorest nations whilst likely boosting prosperity in some of the richest, a new study by Stanford University says.

根据斯坦福大学的一项新研究,半个世纪以来气候变化加剧了国家间的不平等,拖缓了贫困国家的发展,但在同时也让一些富裕国家愈发繁荣。


The gap between the world's poorest and richest countries is about 25% larger today than it would have been without global warming. African countries in tropical latitudes have been the hardest hit, with the GDP per capita of Mauritania and Niger more than 40% lower than they would have been without the rising temperatures.

研究估算,若是没有全球变暖,那么贫困国家和富裕国家之间的贫富差距或许能降低25%。地处热带的非洲国家遭受的打击最为严重,毛里塔尼亚和尼日尔的人均GDP因为气候变暖的缘故少增长了40%。

On the other hand, according to the study, global warming has likely contributed to the GDP per capita of several rich nations, including some of the world's biggest emitters of greenhouse gases.

另一方面,研究也表明气候变暖对一些富裕国家的人均GDP反而有正面贡献,其中不乏世界上最主要的温室气体排放国。



The historical data show that crops are more productive, people are healthier and more productive at work when temperatures are neither too hot nor too cold. In another word, cold countries have reaped "warming benefits" from rising mercury, while hot countries have been given a "warming penalty" by being pushed further away from their optimum temperature.

历史数据显示,气温不高不低的时候,农作物的产量更高,人更健康,工作效率也更高。换言之,温度升高让寒冷国家获得了“升温福利”,而炎热国家的气温跟理想温度相差甚远,遭受了“升温惩罚”。

Likewise, there is evidence that labour productivity declines at high temperatures, that cognitive performance declines as well, while interpersonal conflict increases at high temperatures.

同样,现有证据也表明温度高时人的生产力会降低,认知能力变差,人与人之间的冲突也会增加。


This study shows that the poorest and most vulnerable countries are on the frontlines of climate change, and developing countries must deal with the increasingly extreme climate impacts at the expense of their own development. However, researchers also argue that the benefits reaped by developed nations are just temporary. It’s just a matter of time to suffer the negative influences if no concrete measures are taken to fight against the global warming issue.

从该研究来看,最贫困、最脆弱的国家在气候变化面前最先遭殃。为了解决日益严峻的气候影响,发展中国家只能以牺牲自身的发展作为代价。但也有学者认为,当前发达国家收获的“气候红利”只是暂时的。从长远来看,经受升温带来的负面影响只是时间问题,当下最关键的,莫过于各方携起手来积极应对气候变暖的问题。



VOCABULARY

latitude: n. 纬度
emitter: n. 排放者;发射极
optimum: adj. 最佳的
  • 时长:5.0分钟
  • 语速:2wpm
  • 来源:互联网 2019-06-26