中英对照：卑诗野火吞噬利顿小镇，气候变暖将为大选重要事宜

 

虽然加拿大以寒冷闻名，且以少受恶劣气候影响而著称，但这一声誉却受到前所未有的挑战。近几十年来，这一地理多样化的国家其气候不断发生变化，导致恶劣天灾事件时有发生。今年6月间，热浪和野火袭击加拿大卑诗省，使该省的利顿小镇遭受了极为罕见的有史以来的高温天气。慌张的撤离，被大火烧毁的村庄，以及大幅人员伤亡给加国这个美丽的省份带来沉重打击，也使环境变化这一现实日益成为加国人士关注之焦点。

 

While Canada is well known for its cold temperature and deemed as a country largely spared from the worst sorts of extreme weather, that reputation has now faced unprecedented challenges. The last few decades have brought dangerous changes to the climate of this geographically diverse country, creating adverse weather events with higher intensity and frequency. Lytton, B.C. broke the record for the hottest temperature recorded in Canada in June as heatwaves and wildfires hit Canada's West Coast. The frantic evacuations, wiped-out villages, and tragic casualties have dealt a heavy blow to Canada's most beautiful province, putting climate change to the front and center for all Canadians.

 

在一连串的热浪袭击了这个距温哥华150公里远的小镇后，利顿终被野火吞噬。小镇在六月份经历了连续三天的加拿大历史最高温天气，气温高达46.6 C, 47.9C, 和 49.6C。令人无法喘息的热浪造成数百人死亡并导致了最为恐怖的气候灾难。在持续不降的高温热浪袭击下，野火腾空而起，数小时内把小镇烧得精光。随之大部分建筑物和房产被烈火夷为平地，惊恐中得居民纷纷仓惶避难逃生。丧失的数百个生命和小镇的烈火遗骸就是加拿大最恶劣的气候给人们带来的灾难和毁灭之活生生的见证。

 

Lytton, B.C., succumbed to wildfires after a cascade of heat waves hit the valley village 150 kilometers away from Vancouver. In three consecutive days in June, Lytton broke the historical high temperatures recorded in Canada, hitting 46.6 C, 47.9C, and 49.6C, respectively. The insufferable heat has left hundreds of people died and triggered the most devastating climate disaster. Wildfires erupted amidst the intensified temperature spike, engulfing Lytton in flames within hours. Residents run for cover as the fire erased the majority of properties and burned the infrastructure into ashes. The death tragedy and town in ruin have served as vivid evidence of the havoc and destruction caused by Canada's most extreme weather conditions.

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 这个位于北纬50度的小镇居然会受到如此热浪的袭击，这的确令人费解。但气象学家们认为太平洋沿海山脉为这场热浪的到来起了推波助澜的作用。冰雪从高山峻岭中的陡然融化和消失导致山脚下的光秃秃的土壤气温以高于其他地区75%的速度骤然上升。攀高的气温和极度干旱导致大片地区被令人窒息的热空气包围，在高压系统笼罩下，冷空气被排斥在外，气温在数天内持高不下，产生热穹现象。

 

It seems perplexing that the extremely high temperatures could hit a valley village at 50 degrees N latitude. But climatologists believe that the Pacific Coast Mountains have played a devil role in creating the historical heatwaves. As the ice melted and the snow disappeared suddenly from the mountain range, temperature from bare soil beneath shot up quickly, soaring at 75% faster than elsewhere. Warmer mountains and severe drought created a vast area of sweltering heat that got trapped under a high-pressure system, and the heat dome blocked the cold air from coming in, thus sending temperatures skyrocketing for days on end.

 

气象学家认为这种高热天气不可能是一个孤立事件，而是到处都有气候变化影响的痕迹。据最新的气象研究，如果没有全球气候变暖的作用，如此剧烈之热浪几乎根本不可能发生。计算机系统通过几十年的气温数据分析而得出结论，化石燃料导致的全球气候变暖是利顿小镇热浪的始作俑者，也是这场天灾和大规模伤亡的祸根。如果不立即采取禁用化石燃料和消除温室排放等措施，全球气温将进一步上升，这种罕见的热穹现象就会经常发生，以致成为日后之常态。

 

Meteorologists believe such an intense heat period was unlikely an isolated event but has a climate change footprint all over it. According to climate researchers, the fierce heatwaves would almost certainly not have occurred without global warming. Using decades of observed temperatures, the computer model has determined that the global warming caused by fossil fuel emission was responsible for the Lytton heatwaves and the culprit for the mass casualty event. 

Moreover, in the absence of immediate actions to eliminate fossil fuel use and greenhouse emission, the global temperature will continue to rise, turning the deadly heat domes from a rare incident into a norm.

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从菲律宾的台风海燕到洪都拉斯的干旱，气候变化的恶果在数几年来不断影响着贫穷国家。但利顿的这场天灾却把这种影响真真实实地带到了加拿大，充分显示了这个富庶而严寒的国家正处于气候变暖之紧急状态这一惊人现实。加拿大是遭全球气候变暖影响最大的十国之一，其温度上升速度为其他地区的两倍。除了最近卑诗省的这场热浪之外，恶劣气候事件已导致了2018年数百人的死亡，而去年一年的保险损失就高达$24亿元。

 

From Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines to severe drought in Honduras, the adverse effects of climate change have severely hampered many developing nations for decades. But the Lytton disaster has brought the devastating impact of global warming close to home, laying bare the shocking reality that the affluent and cold Canada is in a climate emergency. Canada is among the top ten countries in the world most affected by climate change, with the temperature rising twice as the rest of the globe. Apart from the recent catastrophes in B.C., severe weather events caused hundreds of death in 2018 and $2.4 billion insured damages last year alone.  

 

随着卑诗省上百起野火继续肆虐，全球变暖所造成的威胁呼吁加国政府采取更紧急的行动和环境保护政策。应对环境变化将是即将到来的大选中最为突出的问题，影响多数加国人士的投票选择。

 

As hundreds of B.C. wildfires continue to ravage the province, the imminent threat of global warming calls for more urgent actions and green-friendly policies from the Canadian government. Addressing climate change will be a prominent issue in the upcoming election, affecting most Canadians' voting choices.

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