首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
A former Government chief scientist once told me that we should always have a Plan B ready in case Plan A doesn’t work—or doesn’
A former Government chief scientist once told me that we should always have a Plan B ready in case Plan A doesn’t work—or doesn’
admin
2015-01-10
67
问题
A former Government chief scientist once told me that we should always have a Plan B ready in case Plan A doesn’t work—or doesn’t happen. He was speaking in relation to the possibility of " geo-engineering" the climate if it becomes obvious that global warming is beginning to tip irrevocably towards a potentially dangerous state. He could only say this once he was out of office of course because the official Government view at the time—as it is now—was that "there is no Plan B" in relation to climate change, that the only conceivable way of avoiding dangerous global temperature increases in the future is to curb the production of greenhouse gas emissions now.
Geo-engineering is defined as the deliberate, large-scale intervention in the Earth’s climate system in order to limit undesirable climate change, but it is seen by many as a technical fix too far. At its most outlandish, geo-engineering envisages putting giant mirrors in space to deflect incoming solar radiation, but it also includes more benign interventions, such as solar-powered "artificial trees" in the desert for soaking up carbon dioxide in the air. Despite the official view of there being no Plan B, however, last week’s fifth report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC)has placed geo-engineering firmly on the agenda—even if the scientific panel rather denigrates the idea as probably unworkable and potentially dangerous. Nevertheless, for some critics of geo-engineering the mere mention of the concept in such an official and high-profile publication is enough to see red.
Indeed, the Canadian-based ETC Group of environmentalists perceived a Russian-led conspiracy to subvert the IPCC process. Russia had insisted on the addition of geo-engineering to the report and it is Russia where many geo-engineering projects are being tested, the ETC Group claims. Before getting carried away with the inclusion for the first time of geo-engineering in an IPCC report, it is worth pointing out that the panel emphasizes the inherent flaws of the proposals to counter rising temperatures. Deflecting sunlight with artificially created white clouds over the oceans, for instance, would do nothing to prevent the acidification of the oceans and, if it had to be stopped for any reason, global surface temperatures would soon rise again even higher than before.
In short, if we rely on a technical fix to combat climate change, rather than addressing the root problem, we could become addicted to the illusion that all is well when, in fact, all that we are doing is delaying the inevitable, while increasing the risk of some serious unintended consequences, which history tells us are never far away from big engineering proposals of this kind. Take for instance the relatively small-scale geo-engineering project to divert the rivers running into the Aral Sea of the former Soviet Union. Half a century ago the Aral Sea was the fourth largest lake in the world with a thriving commercial fishery, but by 2007 it had declined to about 10 per cent of its original size, with fishing boats stranded in the middle of a toxic salt pan.
Soviet scientists diverted water from two rivers running into the Aral Sea to irrigate fields of cotton and other crops. But in the end they created a barren, dusty landscape where once there was a sea filled with wildlife. Toxins and salt blown from the Aral’ s parched basement even threatened the very crops that the project was meant to generate. So when some people talk about the possibility of "fixing" the climate with technological interventions rather than cuts in carbon dioxide emissions, let’s not forget history. Perhaps HM Government is right: there is no Plan B. Talking of carbon dioxide, I have just returned from an interesting visit to the Czech Republic where health tourism, rather than being frowned upon, is positively encouraged.
What has this got to do with carbon dioxide, you may ask? Well one of the more curious, if not bizarre, "medical" treatments you can buy is a dip in a dry bath of carbon dioxide. For 20 minutes or so you bathe everything below your waist(fully clothed)in an atmosphere of "natural" carbon dioxide pumped from underground sources. It is said by those who sell it to cure a range of conditions and even acts like a dose of Viagra. Strictly in the interests of science I volunteered. I intend to publish my findings in a peer-reviewed scientific journal—that is if I can find one prepared to overlook my limited set of data points.
What are the views of the critics of geo-engineering?
选项
答案
do not agree with such kind of ideas with wild imagination/the idea of geo-engineering "probably unworkable"/potentially might be dangerous/the mere mention of the idea in the "official and high-profile publication" made critics angry("to see red")/criticism: deflecting sunlight with artificial means would "do nothing to prevent the acidification of the oceans"/and if it had to be stopped, global surface temperatures would rise again "even higher than before "/do not deal with the root problem /
解析
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/pDSO777K
本试题收录于:
NAETI高级口译笔试题库外语翻译证书(NAETI)分类
0
NAETI高级口译笔试
外语翻译证书(NAETI)
相关试题推荐
Ifpeoplecannotaffordtobuytheirownhouse,theycanrentpropertyfromaprivatelandlord,as10%ofthepopulationdoes,o
NearlyeveryoneinBritainwouldliketoowntheirownhomeand,whethertheydoornot,theyarepreparedtoputtimeandmoney
VisitorstoBritainmayfindthebestplacetosamplelocalcultureisinatraditionalpub.Butthesefriendlyhostelriescanb
VisitorstoBritainmayfindthebestplacetosamplelocalcultureisinatraditionalpub.Butthesefriendlyhostelriescanb
VisitorstoBritainmayfindthebestplacetosamplelocalcultureisinatraditionalpub.Butthesefriendlyhostelriescanb
VisitorstoBritainmayfindthebestplacetosamplelocalcultureisinatraditionalpub.Butthesefriendlyhostelriescanb
VisitorstoBritainmayfindthebestplacetosamplelocalcultureisinatraditionalpub.Butthesefriendlyhostelriescanb
VisitorstoBritainmayfindthebestplacetosamplelocalcultureisinatraditionalpub.Butthesefriendlyhostelriescanb
Hepaintedhisbedroomblack.Itlooksdarkanddreary.Heshouldchooseadifferentcolor.
随机试题
合同工程实施期间,如果出现设计图纸(含设计变更)与招标工程量清单任一项目的特征描述不符,且由此导致工程造价增减变化的,应按()的规定重新确定相应工程量清单项目的综合单价,调整合同价款。
以下关于铁路工程工期说法正确的有()。
下列建设工程项目相关费用中,属于工程建设其他费用的是()。
19世纪末物理学的三大发现是()。
小何准备进行问卷调查,其指导语是“尊敬的老师,您好!非常感谢您参与这项研究,此调查旨在了解老师的专业发展情况,只为研究之用,无好坏之分,请您务必根据自己的实际情况作答。”指导教师看后让小何完善指导语,小何须完善的是
毛泽东是在下列哪篇文章中完整地论述新民主主义革命的总路线的()
ErnestHemingwaywasoneofthemostimportantAmericanwritersinthehistoryofcontemporaryAmericanliterature.Hewasthe【B
Thereisnogoodplacetohaveacarcrash--butsomeplacesareworsethanothers.Inaforeigncountry,forinstance,(1)toex
Whatwillfuturehistoriansrememberabouttheimpactofscience【C1】______thelastdecadeofthe20thcentury?Theywilln
Scientistshavecomeupwithatheoryforwhytimeflieswhenyonarehavingfunanddragswhenyouarebored.Scanshavesh
最新回复
(
0
)