Stay Fabulous!

前陣子高爾來日本 宣傳電影「不願面對的真相」(An Inconvenient Truth 不都合な真実)　
不過 與其說宣傳電影 不如說是宣傳理念
在電視上看到他的訪問 覺得最有意思的一點是
很多人在看了他的電影後 決定對環保盡一份心力 開始展開行動(take action)
so Gore is actually the "ultimate" action star! ：）

以下節錄至An Inconvenient Truth by Albert Gore
感謝Waitingchen的翻譯：）希望中文版能趕快出~~


The 10 most common misconceptions about global warming
十個關於全球暖化的誤解

Misconception 1
" Scientists disagree about whether humans are causing the Earth's climate to change."

In fact, there is strong scientific consensus that human activities are changing the Earth's climates.
Scientists overwhelmingly agree that the Earth is getting warmer, that this trend is caused by people, and that if we continue to pump greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, the warming will be increasingly harmful.

誤解一
「科學家對於人類是否造成地球氣候變化都還沒達成共識哩。」

事實上，科學界對人類活動正在影響氣候這件事早有強烈的共識。
大多數科學家也同意地球正在變暖，而且暖化是由人類造成的，如果我們持續往大氣灌溫室氣體，暖化造成的災害會越來越嚴重。


Misconception 2
" Lots of things can impact climate -- so there's no reason we should single out CO2 to worry about."

Climate is sensitive to many things besides carbon dioxide -- sunspots, for one, as well as water vapor.
But this just proves how much we should worry about CO2 and other human-influenced green house gases.
The fact that the climate system has been shown to be sensitive to many sorts of natural changes throughout history should serve as a red flag: We need to pay attention to the massive and unprecedented changes we're causing.
We have become more powerful than any force of nature.

誤解二
「許多因素都可以影響氣候，幹嘛特別把二氧化碳當成罪魁禍首？」

氣候對於二氧化碳以外的其他因子，像是太陽黑子、水氣等等，也都很敏感。
但正因為如此，我們才該特別擔心二氧化碳與其他人為排放的溫室氣體。
歷史紀錄顯示了氣候系統對於各種自然因子的敏感性，這其實是一個警訊：我們必須更關注自己所造成的改變，人類的影響如此巨大且史無前例，早已超越任何自然因子的影響程度。

註：所謂的氣候敏感度，就是指當某個因子被改變（例如大氣的水氣增加或減少）氣候狀況的反應會有多大（例如地面溫度會升高幾度）。一般而言，「全球平均地面溫度」這個參數對水氣量、極區冰雪覆蓋量最敏感，對水氣以外的溫室氣體次之，對太陽強度、黑子數量等敏感度相對較低。但是，氣候系統的複雜性在於，所有的環節都是緊扣的，改變溫室氣體往往就會連帶改變水氣與冰層分布，所有的效應因此疊加。一個敏感的系統，代表著一點點的變動就會讓系統產生很大的反應。所以當我們越認識氣候的複雜程度，就更該謹慎處理人類可能造成的大小影響，因為它們都可能對氣候造成重大改變。


Misconception 3
" Climate naturally varies over time, so any change we're seeing now is just part of a natural cycle."

Climate does naturally change.
By studying tree rings, take sediments, ice cores, and other natural features that provide a record of past climates, scientists know that changes in climate, including abrupt changes, have occurred throughout history.
But these changes all took place with natural variations in carbon dioxide levels that were smaller than the ones we are now causing.
Cores taken from deep in the ice of Antarctica show that carbon dioxide levels are higher now than they have been at any time in the last 650,000 years, which means we are outside the realm of natural climate variation.
More CO2 in the atmosphere means warming temperatures.

誤解三
「氣候本來就會自然變動，我們現在看到的不過是一種自然週期變化。」

的確，氣候是會自然改變的。
科學家在研究了樹木年輪、沉積物、冰芯與其它自然界對過往氣候的紀錄後，發現氣候變化，包括短時間的劇烈變化，在歷史上都發生過，但是這些變化發生的當時，二氧化碳的濃度都在自然範圍內，且低於現今人類造成的濃度。
根據南極鑽探出的冰芯，目前的二氧化碳濃度比過去六十五萬年都要高，所以我們已經不處於「氣候自然變化」的範籌。
而我們都知道，大氣中二氧化碳增加，溫度就會升高。


Misconception 4
" The hole in the ozone layer causes global warming."

There is a relationship between climate change and the ozone hole, but this isn't it.
The hole in the ozone layer -- a part of the upper atmosphere that contains high concentrations of ozone gas and shields the planet from the sun's radiation -- is due to man-made chemicals called CFCs, which were banned by an international agreement called the Montreal Protocol.
The hole causes extra UV radiation to reach the Earth's surface, but it does not affect the Earth's temperature.
The only connection between the ozone layer and climate change is almost the exact opposite of the myth stated above.
Global warming -- while not responsible for the ozone hole -- could actually slow the natural repairing of the ozone layer.
Global warming heats the lower atmosphere but actually cools the stratosphere, which can worsen stratospheric ozone loss.

誤解四
「是臭氧洞造成全球暖化的。」

氣候變化和臭氧洞有關聯，但並不是在暖化這件事情上。
臭氧洞的發生，是因為氟氯碳化物（一種人造化學物質，已被蒙特婁公約規定禁用）破壞了位於大氣高處、可阻隔有害太陽輻射的臭氧層。
臭氧洞會讓地面暴露於過多的紫外線輻射，但不會影響地面溫度。
臭氧層與氣候變化的唯一關聯正好和誤解所提的相反：儘管全球暖化不是造成臭氧洞的原因，卻會讓臭氧洞復原的速度減緩，因為全球暖化雖然使低層大氣增溫，卻會讓平流層冷卻，加快平流層臭氧的分解。


Misconception 5
" There is nothing we can do about climate change. It's already too late."

This is the worst misconception of all.
If "denial ain't just a river in Egypt," despair ain't just a tire in the trunk.
There are lots of things we can do -- but we need to start now.
We can't ignore the causes and impacts of climate change any longer.
We need to reduce our use of fossil fuels, through a combination of government initiatives, industry innovation, and individual action.
Dozens of things you can do are outlined in this resource guide. (註：指本書)

誤解五
「沒甚麼好做的啦，早就來不及了」

這個是最最最大的誤解。
雖說「不見棺材不掉淚」太過鐵齒，但坐以待斃也絕不是解決問題的方法。
我們有很多可以做的，重點是，「現在」就要開始做。
我們不該再忽視自己對氣候的作為與影響。
當務之急是透過國際公約、技術改良與個人行動各方面多管齊下、減少使用石化燃料。
這本指南裡也整理了許多你可以做的事情。