Climate change: Covid pandemic has little impact on rise in CO2 新冠疫情未能阻止大氣中二氧化碳濃度的上升

世界氣象組織（World Meteorological Organization）稱，全球各國對新冠肺炎疫情危機的應對措施對大氣中二氧化碳濃度持續上升的影響甚微。

One of the key qualities of carbon dioxide is its staying power. Molecules emitted by the burning of coal at the start of the Industrial Revolution in the 1700s are still in the atmosphere warming our planet today.

二氧化碳的一個重要特性是它在大氣層中的持久力。在18世紀工業革命初期燃燒煤炭所釋放出的二氧化碳分子仍存在於大氣層中，使我們的星球變暖。

So, while the global lockdown saw carbon emissions from transport and industry drop by as much as 17% at their peak, large amounts of the gas were still being produced, adding to the overall total. In fact, since 2015, the levels of CO2 in the atmosphere have surged. According to Dr Oksana Tarasova from the World Meteorological Organization, the speed of this change hasn’t been seen before.

因此，雖然在全球各國封鎖期間，運輸和工業碳排放量峰值下降瞭17%，但大量氣體仍在生成，增加瞭大氣層中二氧化碳的總含量。事實上，自2015年以來，大氣層中的二氧化碳含量急劇上升。來自世界氣象組織的奧卡薩納·塔拉索娃博士表示，這種變化的速度前所未有。

While researchers agree that the overall impact of the pandemic on the amount of carbon in the atmosphere will be limited, they argue that the experience of lockdown shows that major changes to transport and energy production are feasible and affordable. The real question is whether there is sufficient political will and public support to make these type[s] of changes permanent.

雖然研究人員一致認為新冠肺炎疫情對大氣中碳含量的整體影響是有限的，但他們認為，疫情封鎖的經驗表明，對運輸和能源生產進行重大改革是可行的，而且可以負擔得起。真正的問題是：是否有足夠的政治意願和公眾支持，來確保這種變化的持久性。

詞匯表

qualities 特性，屬性
carbon dioxide 二氧化碳
molecules 分子
coal 煤
carbon emissions 碳排放
peak 最高值，峰值
atmosphere 大氣層
surged 急劇上升，劇增
feasible 可行的
affordable 負擔得起的
sufficient 充足的

閱讀理解：請在讀完上文後，回答下列問題。

1. True or false? Since 2015, the levels of CO2 in the atmosphere have dropped.

2. What is one of the key qualities of CO2?

3. How much did carbon emissions from transport and energy industry drop during the global lockdown?

4. According to Dr Oksana Tarasova, what is significant about this change?

答案

1. True or false? Since 2015, the levels of CO2 in the atmosphere have dropped.
False. On the contrary, the levels of CO2 in the atmosphere have increased drastically.

2. What is one of the key qualities of CO2?
One of the key qualities of CO2 is its staying power.

3. How much did carbon emissions from transport and energy industry drop during the global lockdown?
They dropped as much as 17% at their peak.

4. According to Dr Oksana Tarasova, what is significant about this change?
According to Dr Oksana Tarasova, the speed of this change hasn’t been seen before.