Why is the world warming up? Let's think of Earth for just a moment as a greenhouse. Every second, a huge amount of energy smashes into our greenhouse. Our atmosphere, the glass roof and walls, reflects some of that energy, but most of it passes right through and heats everything up. Much of that heat used to escape back into space, keeping us at a stable, warm temperature.
为什么世界在变暖? [ 旁白:克里斯汀·贝尔 ] 让我们暂时把地球想象成一个温室。 每秒钟,都有大量的能量 不断涌入我们的温室。 我们的大气层, 即玻璃屋顶和墙壁, 反射了部分能量, 但大部分能量直接穿过了这层屏障, 让温室内的一切都开始升温。 其中大部分热量被释放回太空, 让温室内部得以保持 稳定舒适的温度。
But then something changed. Humans began to spew enough carbon dioxide to fill billions of greenhouses each day. What does all that greenhouse gas do? It makes the glass of our greenhouse thicker. Thicker glass means heat escapes into space much more slowly. And don't forget, energy from the sun is still streaming in just as quickly as before.
但是后来事情变了。 人类开始每天排放 足够填满数十亿个温室的二氧化碳。 那些温室气体有什么作用? 它会使我们温室的玻璃更厚。 较厚的玻璃意味着 热量向空间扩散的速度要慢得多。 别忘了,来自太阳的能量 仍然照常快速地流入。
The result is a planet with temperatures too hot for our liking and, eventually... living.
最后的结果就是, 地球的温度变得不再宜居, 最终—— 生命也将无法存活。
[Countdown Take action on climate change at Countdown.ted.com]
[ “倒计时” 请登陆 COUNTDOWN.TED.COM, 针对气候变化采取行动 ]