Climate Change氣候變遷

天氣是這個星期，氣候是這三十年。分不清楚這兩個字，就會覺得「今年好冷」可以拿來反駁暖化。

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The Warming Island正在變暖的小島

12 個可以點的單字 · 可以隨時暫停、轉動場景

逐字稿（15 段）
  1. 1Welcome to the warming island. Weather is what the sky is doing right now. Climate is something different.歡迎來到正在變暖的小島。天氣是天空此刻在做什麼，氣候就不一樣了。
  2. 2Climate is the pattern over decades, usually thirty years or more. One cold winter tells you nothing about it.氣候是幾十年下來的型態，通常看三十年以上。某一年的寒冬，完全說明不了氣候。
  3. 3A decade is ten years. To see the climate, we look at many decades together.一個 decade 是十年。要看氣候，就得把好幾個十年放在一起看。
  4. 4Weather stations have kept records since the 1800s. Averaged together, they show a clear rise.氣象站從 1800 年代就開始留紀錄。平均起來，看得出明確的上升。
  5. 5The average has risen by about 1.2 degrees since the 1800s. It sounds small, but it is a global average.自 1800 年代以來，平均溫度升高了大約 1.2 度。聽起來很小，但那是全球的平均。
  6. 6A greenhouse lets sunlight in and keeps the heat inside. Some gases in the air do the same.溫室讓陽光照進來，把熱留在裡面。空氣中有些氣體也是這樣。
  7. 7These gases trap the heat that the ground gives back. Without them, the Earth would be frozen.這些氣體會留住地面反射回去的熱。沒有它們，地球會是一顆凍結的星球。
  8. 8Burning coal, oil and gas adds carbon dioxide to the air. Now the blanket is too thick.燃燒煤、石油和天然氣，把二氧化碳加進空氣裡。現在這條毯子變得太厚了。
  9. 9Warm water expands. That is one reason the sea is rising.水變暖會膨脹，這是海平面上升的原因之一。
  10. 10Melting ice adds more water to the sea.融化的冰又把更多水加進海裡。
  11. 11In the Arctic, melting ice shows dark water. Dark water absorbs even more heat.在北極，融冰露出深色的海水，而深色的海水會吸收更多熱量。
  12. 12Satellites measure the sea. It is rising by about three to four millimetres a year.衛星測量海平面，它每年上升大約三到四毫米。
  13. 13Warmer air holds more water, so rain comes in heavier downpours. That matters for a mountainous island like Taiwan.越暖的空氣含水越多，所以下雨時雨勢更猛。這對台灣這樣多山的島嶼影響很大。
  14. 14Solar and wind power are renewable. They do not release carbon dioxide while they run.太陽能和風力是可再生能源，運轉時不排放二氧化碳。
  15. 15Now it's your turn. Turn the island around and click on anything you see.現在換你了。轉動小島，點點看你看到的每一樣東西。

Weather Is Not Climate天氣不等於氣候

Weather is what the sky is doing right now — today's rain, this week's cold front. Climate is the pattern over decades, usually thirty years or more.天氣是天空此刻在做什麼——今天的雨、這週的冷氣團。氣候則是幾十年下來的長期型態，通常看三十年以上。

So one cold winter does not tell you anything about climate, in the same way that one wet day does not tell you whether a city is dry.所以某一年的寒冬完全說明不了氣候，就像某一天下雨也說明不了一座城市是不是乾燥。

Certain gases in the air let sunlight through but trap the heat that the ground gives back. This is the greenhouse effect, and without it the Earth would be frozen.空氣中某些氣體讓陽光通過，卻把地面反射回去的熱留住。這就是溫室效應——沒有它，地球會是一顆凍結的星球。

The problem is not the effect itself. It is that burning coal, oil and gas has added so much carbon dioxide that the blanket has become too thick.問題不在溫室效應本身，而在於燃燒煤、石油和天然氣加進了太多二氧化碳，讓這條毯子變得太厚。

How We Know我們怎麼知道的

Thermometers溫度計
Weather stations around the world have kept records since the 1800s. Averaged together, they show a clear rise.全世界的氣象站從 1800 年代就開始留紀錄。平均起來，顯示出明確的上升趨勢。
Ice cores冰芯
Scientists drill deep into ice sheets and pull out cylinders of ice. Air bubbles trapped in the layers tell us what the atmosphere was like hundreds of thousands of years ago.科學家鑽進冰層深處取出圓柱狀的冰芯。冰層裡封住的氣泡告訴我們幾十萬年前的大氣長什麼樣。
Sea level海平面
Warm water expands, and melting ice adds more water. Satellites have measured the sea rising by a few millimetres every year.水變暖會膨脹，融化的冰又加進更多水。衛星測到海平面每年上升幾毫米。
Not every place warms equally不是每個地方都一樣暖
The Arctic is warming much faster than the average, because melting ice exposes dark water that absorbs even more heat.北極暖化的速度遠快於平均值，因為融冰露出深色的海水，吸收更多熱量。
Warmer air holds more water越暖的空氣含水越多
That is why a warmer world does not just mean hotter days. It also means heavier downpours when it does rain — which matters a lot for a mountainous island.所以變暖的世界不只是熱天變多，也代表下雨時雨勢更猛——這對一座多山的島嶼影響特別大。

The Numbers數字

Item 項目Figure 數值
Warming since the 1800s 自 1800 年代以來的升溫About 1.2 °C 約 1.2 度
Paris Agreement target 巴黎協定目標Well below 2 °C, aiming for 1.5 °C 遠低於 2 度，力求 1.5 度
Sea level rise 海平面上升About 3 – 4 mm a year 每年約 3 至 4 毫米
Year the Paris Agreement was signed 巴黎協定簽署年2015

資料查證至 2025 年底

1.2 度聽起來很小，但那是全球平均。地球在上一個冰河期的全球平均溫度，也不過比現在低約 6 度——那時候大半個北歐蓋在冰下面。

What It Means for Taiwan對台灣的意義

  • Taiwan is an island with high mountains, so both rising seas and heavier rain matter here.台灣是一座有高山的島，所以海平面上升和降雨變猛兩件事在這裡都很重要。
  • Warmer sea water can make typhoons stronger, because warm water is their fuel.海水變暖可能讓颱風更強，因為溫暖的海水正是它們的燃料。
  • Trees and plants take carbon dioxide out of the air, which is one reason forests matter so much.樹木和植物會把二氧化碳從空氣中移除，這是森林如此重要的原因之一。
  • Solar and wind power do not release carbon dioxide while they run, which is why so many countries are building them.太陽能和風力發電在運轉時不排放二氧化碳，這就是為什麼這麼多國家在興建它們。

Key Words單字表

  • climate/ˈklaɪ.mət/n.

    氣候

    Climate is the pattern over decades.氣候是幾十年的長期型態。

  • decade/ˈdek.eɪd/n.

    十年

    Climate is measured over decades.氣候要看幾十年。

  • trap/træp/v.

    困住、留住

    The gases trap heat.這些氣體把熱留住。

  • greenhouse/ˈɡriːn.haʊs/n.

    溫室

    This is the greenhouse effect.這就是溫室效應。

  • carbon dioxide/ˌkɑːr.bən daɪˈɑːk.saɪd/phr.

    二氧化碳

    Burning coal releases carbon dioxide.燒煤會排放二氧化碳。

  • average/ˈæv.ɚ.ɪdʒ/n. / adj.

    平均

    The global average has risen.全球平均值上升了。

  • expand/ɪkˈspænd/v.

    膨脹

    Warm water expands.溫水會膨脹。

  • melt/melt/v.

    融化

    Melting ice adds more water.融冰加進更多水。

  • absorb/əbˈzɔːrb/v.

    吸收

    Dark water absorbs more heat.深色的水吸收更多熱。

  • satellite/ˈsæt̬.əl.aɪt/n.

    衛星

    Satellites measure sea level.衛星測量海平面。

  • downpour/ˈdaʊn.pɔːr/n.

    傾盆大雨

    Warmer air brings heavier downpours.更暖的空氣帶來更猛的雨。

  • renewable/rɪˈnuː.ə.bəl/adj.

    可再生的

    Solar and wind are renewable.太陽能和風力是可再生的。

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