The Anthropocene epoch: scientists declare dawn of human-influenced age

人類世紀(jì): 科學(xué)家宣布進(jìn)入受人類影響的時(shí)代

文章來源: theguardian.comhttps://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/aug/29/declare-anthropocene-epoch-experts-urge-geological-congress-human-impact-earth

Humanity’s impact on the Earth is now so profound that a new geological epoch – the Anthropocene – needs to be declared, according to an official expert group who presented the recommendation to the International Geological Congress in Cape Town on Monday.

impact n. 影響

profound adj. 深刻的

geological adj. 地質(zhì)的

根據(jù)官方專家組的報(bào)道，人類對(duì)地球的影響現(xiàn)在非常深刻，以至于需要宣布一個(gè)新的地質(zhì)時(shí)代 - 人類世界 - 這是一個(gè)周一在開普敦向國際地質(zhì)大會(huì)提出建議的專家組。

The new epoch should begin about 1950, the experts said, and was likely to be defined by the radioactive elements dispersed across the planet by nuclear bomb tests, although an array of other signals, including plastic pollution, soot from power stations, concrete, and even the bones left by the global proliferation of the domestic chicken were now under consideration.

radioactive adj. 放射性的

disperse vt. 分散

nuclear bomb 核武器

plastic n. 塑料

soot n. 煙煤

concrete n. 凝結(jié)物 adj. 混凝土的

proliferation n. 增殖，擴(kuò)散

domestic adj. 國內(nèi)的

專家們說，這個(gè)新時(shí)代應(yīng)該在1950年左右開始，并且很可能由核彈試驗(yàn)散布在地球上的放射性元素來定義，盡管其他一些信號(hào)包括塑料污染，發(fā)電站煙塵，混凝土和 目前正在考慮國內(nèi)雞群全球擴(kuò)散留下的骨頭。

The current epoch, the Holocene, is the 12,000 years of stable climate since the last ice age during which all human civilisation developed. But the striking acceleration since the mid-20th century of carbon dioxide emissions and sea level rise, the global mass extinction of species, and the transformation of land by deforestation and development mark the end of that slice of geological time, the experts argue. The Earth is so profoundly changed that the Holocene must give way to the Anthropocene.

climate n. 氣候

civilisation n. 文明

striking adj. 引人注目的

acceleration n. 促進(jìn)

carbon dioxide 二氧化碳

emission n. 排放

extinction n. 滅絕

deforestation n. 森林砍伐

目前的時(shí)代，全新世，是人類文明發(fā)展的最后一個(gè)冰河時(shí)期以來12000年的穩(wěn)定氣候。 專家認(rèn)為，自二十世紀(jì)中期以來，二氧化碳排放量和海平面上升，物種全球大規(guī)模滅絕以及森林砍伐和發(fā)展造成的土地轉(zhuǎn)變標(biāo)志著地質(zhì)時(shí)代終止。 地球如此深刻地變化，全新世必須讓步于人類世紀(jì)。

“The significance of the Anthropocene is that it sets a different trajectory for the Earth system, of which we of course are part,” said Prof Jan Zalasiewicz, a geologist at the University of Leicester and chair of the Working Group on the Anthropocene (WGA), which started work in 2009.

significance n. 意義

trajectory n. 軌道

“人類世紀(jì)的重要性在于它為地球系統(tǒng)設(shè)定了不同的軌跡，我們當(dāng)然是其中的一部分，”萊斯特大學(xué)地質(zhì)學(xué)家兼人類世界工作組主席Jan Zalasiewicz教授說， ），于2009年開始工作。

“If our recommendation is accepted, the Anthropocene will have started just a little before I was born,” he said. “We have lived most of our lives in something called the Anthropocene and are just realising the scale and permanence of the change.”

“如果我們的建議被接受，那么人類世界在我出生前就已經(jīng)開始了，”他說。 “我們大部分時(shí)間都生活在一種叫做Anthropocene的東西中，并且正在實(shí)現(xiàn)這種變化的規(guī)模和持久性?！?/p>

Prof Colin Waters, principal geologist at the British Geological Survey and WGA secretary, said: “Being able to pinpoint an interval of time is saying something about how we have had an incredible impact on the environment of our planet. The concept of the Anthropocene manages to pull all these ideas of environmental change together.”

principaladj. 首要的

secretaryn. 秘書

pinpointvt. 查明

interval of timen. 時(shí)間間隔

英國地質(zhì)調(diào)查局和WGA秘書首席地質(zhì)學(xué)家科林沃特斯教授說：“能夠準(zhǔn)確定位一段時(shí)間就是說我們?nèi)绾螌?duì)地球環(huán)境產(chǎn)生難以置信的影響。 人類世界的概念設(shè)法將所有這些環(huán)境變化的想法結(jié)合在一起?！?/p>

Prof Chris Rapley, a climate scientist at University College London and former director of the Science Museum in London said: “The Anthropocene marks a new period in which our collective activities dominate the planetary machinery.

former director? 前董事

collective adj. 集體的

dominate vt. 支配

倫敦大學(xué)學(xué)院氣候科學(xué)家，倫敦科學(xué)博物館前主任Chris Rapley教授說：“人類世紀(jì)標(biāo)志著我們集體活動(dòng)主宰行星機(jī)械的新時(shí)期。

“Since the planet is our life support system – we are essentially the crew of a largish spaceship – interference with its functioning at this level and on this scale is highly significant. If you or I were crew on a smaller spacecraft, it would be unthinkable to interfere with the systems that provide us with air, water, fodder and climate control. But the shift into the Anthropocene tells us that we are playing with fire, a potentially reckless mode of behaviour which we are likely to come to regret unless we get a grip on the situation.” Rapley is not part of the WGA.

crew n. 船員 人員

interference n. 干擾

fodder n. 飼料

reckless adj. 魯莽的

regret vi. 后悔

grip n. 把手

“由于地球是我們的生命支持系統(tǒng) - 我們基本上是一艘大型宇宙飛船的機(jī)組人員 - 在這個(gè)級(jí)別和這個(gè)級(jí)別對(duì)其功能的干擾非常顯著。 如果您或我是乘坐小型航天器的船員，干擾為我們提供空氣，水，飼料和氣候控制的系統(tǒng)將是不可想象的。 但是進(jìn)入人類世紀(jì)的轉(zhuǎn)變告訴我們，我們正在玩火，這是一種潛在的魯莽行為模式，除非我們掌握情況，否則我們可能會(huì)后悔的?！癛apley不是WGA的一員。

Martin Rees, the astronomer royal and former president of the Royal Society, said that the dawn of the Anthropocene was a significant moment. “The darkest prognosis for the next millennium is that bio, cyber or environmental catastrophes could foreclose humanity’s immense potential, leaving a depleted biosphere,” he said.

astronomer n. 天文學(xué)家

royal n. 皇族

dawn n. 黎明

prognosis n. 預(yù)測(cè)

millennium n. 千年

catastrophes n. 災(zāi)難

immense adj. 巨大的

depleted adj. 耗盡的

biosphere n. 生物圈

天文學(xué)家皇家和皇家學(xué)會(huì)前主席馬丁里斯說，人類世界的曙光是一個(gè)重要的時(shí)刻。 “下一個(gè)千年最黑暗的預(yù)測(cè)是，生物，網(wǎng)絡(luò)或環(huán)境災(zāi)難可能會(huì)阻礙人類巨大的潛力，留下一個(gè)枯竭的生物圈，”他說。

But Lord Rees added that there is also cause for optimism. “Human societies could navigate these threats, achieve a sustainable future, and inaugurate eras of post-human evolution even more marvellous than what’s led to us. The dawn of the Anthropocene epoch would then mark a one-off transformation from a natural world to one where humans jump start the transition to electronic (and potentially immortal) entities, that transcend our limitations and eventually spread their influence far beyond the Earth.”

optimism n. 樂觀

threat n. 威脅

inaugurate vt. 開幕，開創(chuàng)

post-human 后人類

marvellous adj. 奇妙的

one-off 一次性

transcend vt. 超越

但里斯爵士補(bǔ)充說，也有理由樂觀。 “人類社會(huì)可以駕馭這些威脅，實(shí)現(xiàn)可持續(xù)發(fā)展的未來，為人類進(jìn)化后的時(shí)代開創(chuàng)一片新天地，甚至比引導(dǎo)我們的更加美妙。 然后，人類世紀(jì)的黎明將標(biāo)志著從自然世界到人類開始向電子（和潛在的不朽）實(shí)體過渡的一次性轉(zhuǎn)變，超越我們的局限并最終將其影響力傳播到地球之外。“

The evidence of humanity’s impact on the planet is overwhelming, but the changes are very recent in geological terms, where an epoch usually spans tens of millions of years. “One criticism of the Anthropocene as geology is that it is very short,” said Zalasiewicz. “Our response is that many of the changes are irreversible.”

overwhelming adj. 壓倒性的

criticism n. 批評(píng)

irreversible adj. 不可逆的

人類對(duì)地球影響的證據(jù)是壓倒性的，但是這種變化在地質(zhì)學(xué)上是最近的，其中一個(gè)時(shí)代通?？缭綌?shù)千萬年。 Zalasiewicz說：“人類世界被認(rèn)為是地質(zhì)學(xué)的一個(gè)非常短的批評(píng)。 “我們的回應(yīng)是，許多變化是不可逆轉(zhuǎn)的?！?/p>

To define a new geological epoch, a signal must be found that occurs globally and will be incorporated into deposits in the future geological record. For example, the extinction of the dinosaurs 66m years ago at the end of the Cretaceous epoch is defined by a “golden spike” in sediments around the world of the metal iridium, which was dispersed from the meteorite that collided with Earth to end the dinosaur age.

incorporate vt. 把...合并

deposits n. 積淀，存款

dinosaurs n. 恐龍

為了確定一個(gè)新的地質(zhì)時(shí)代，必須發(fā)現(xiàn)一個(gè)全球性的信號(hào)，并將其納入未來的地質(zhì)記錄中。 例如，66m年前在白堊紀(jì)末期恐龍的滅絕是由金屬銥周圍沉積物中的“金色尖峰”定義的，金屬銥從與地球相撞的隕石中分散出來以結(jié)束恐龍 年齡。

For the Anthropocene, the best candidate for such a golden spike are radioactive elements from nuclear bomb tests, which were blown into the stratosphere before settling down to Earth. “The radionuclides are probably the sharpest – they really come on with a bang,” said Zalasiewicz. “But we are spoiled for choice. There are so many signals.”

candidate n. 候選人

stratosphere n. 平流層

對(duì)于人類世紀(jì)來說，這種金色尖峰的最佳人選是來自核彈試驗(yàn)的放射性元素，這些元素在沉降到地球之前被吹入平流層。 “放射性核素可能是最尖銳的 - 他們真的爆炸了，”Zalasiewicz說。 “但是我們被選擇寵壞了。 有這么多的信號(hào)?！?/p>

Other spikes being considered as evidence of the onset of the Anthropocene include the tough, unburned carbon spheres emitted by power stations. “The Earth has been smoked, with signals very clearly around the world in the mid-20th century,” said Zalasiewicz.

onset n. 發(fā)病 進(jìn)攻

其他峰值被認(rèn)為是人類茂盛發(fā)生的證據(jù)，包括發(fā)電站排放的堅(jiān)硬，未燃燒的碳球。 Zalasiewicz說：“地球已被吸入，20世紀(jì)中葉世界各地的信號(hào)非常清楚。

Other candidates include plastic pollution, aluminium and concrete particles, and high levels of nitrogen and phosphate in soils, derived from artificial fertilisers. Although the world is currently seeing only the sixth mass extinction of species in the 700m-year history of complex life on Earth, this is unlikely to provide a useful golden spike as the animals are by definition very rare and rarely dispersed worldwide.

soil n. 土壤

derive vt. 派生

artificial adj. 人造的

fertiliser n. 化肥

其他候選人包括塑料污染，鋁和混凝土顆粒，以及來自人造肥料的土壤中高含量的氮和磷酸鹽。 雖然目前世界上僅有地球上復(fù)雜生物的700萬年歷史中僅有第六次物種大規(guī)模滅絕，但這不可能提供有用的黃金上漲，因?yàn)檫@些動(dòng)物在世界范圍內(nèi)非常稀少而且很少分散。

In contrast, some species have with human help spread rapidly across the world. The domestic chicken is a serious contender to be a fossil that defines the Anthropocene for future geologists. “Since the mid-20th century, it has become the world’s most common bird. It has been fossilised in thousands of landfill sites and on street corners around the world,” said Zalasiewicz. “It is is also a much bigger bird with a different skeleton than its prewar ancestor.”

in contrast 相反

contender n. 競(jìng)爭(zhēng)者

fossil n. 化石

landfill site 垃圾填埋場(chǎng)

skeleton n. 骨架

相比之下，一些有人類幫助的物種在全球迅速傳播。 國內(nèi)的雞是一個(gè)認(rèn)真的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)者，成為未來地質(zhì)學(xué)家定義人類世界的化石。 “自20世紀(jì)中葉以來，它已成為世界上最常見的鳥類。 它已經(jīng)在全球數(shù)千個(gè)垃圾填埋場(chǎng)和街角化石化了，“Zalasiewicz說。 “它也是一種比它的戰(zhàn)前祖先骨骼更大的鳥。”

The 35 scientists on the WGA – who voted 30 to three in favour of formally designating the Anthropocene, with two abstentions – will now spend the next two to three years determining which signals are the strongest and sharpest. Crucially, they must also decide a location which will define the start of the Anthropocene. Geological divisions are not defined by dates but by a specific boundary between layers of rock or, in the case of the Holocene, a boundary between two ice layers in a core taken from Greenland and now stored in Denmark.

abstention n. 期權(quán)

crucially adv. 最重要的是

WGA的35位科學(xué)家 - 投票贊成30至3人贊成正式指定人類世紀(jì)，并以兩票棄權(quán) - 現(xiàn)在將在未來兩三年內(nèi)花費(fèi)決定哪些信號(hào)是最強(qiáng)和最強(qiáng)的。 至關(guān)重要的是，他們還必須決定一個(gè)定義人類世紀(jì)開始的地點(diǎn)。 地質(zhì)分區(qū)不是由日期定義的，而是由巖石層之間的特定邊界確定的，或者在全新世的情況下，是從格陵蘭采集并現(xiàn)在儲(chǔ)存在丹麥的巖芯中的兩個(gè)冰層之間的邊界。

The scientists are focusing on sites where annual layers are formed and are investigating mud sediments off the coast of Santa Barbara in California and the Ernesto cave in northern Italy, where stalactites and stalagmites accrete annual rings. Lake sediments, ice cores from Antarctica, corals, tree rings and even layers of rubbish in landfill sites are also being considered.

cave n. 洞穴

stalactite n. 鐘乳石

科學(xué)家們正在關(guān)注一年一度的地層形成，并正在調(diào)查加利福尼亞州圣巴巴拉海岸以及意大利北部Ernesto洞穴的泥質(zhì)沉積物，那里鐘乳石和石筍可以增加年輪。 也正在考慮湖泊沉積物，南極冰芯，珊瑚，樹環(huán)以及垃圾填埋場(chǎng)的垃圾層。

Once the data has been assembled, it will be formally submitted to the stratigraphic authorities and the Anthropocene could be officially adopted within a few years. “If we were very lucky and someone came forward with, say, a core from a classic example of laminated sediments in a deep marine environment, I think three years is possibly viable,” said Zalasiewicz.

assemble vt. 組合 集合

formally adv. 正式地

一旦數(shù)據(jù)匯總完成后，將會(huì)正式提交給地層當(dāng)局，人類世紀(jì)可能會(huì)在幾年內(nèi)正式通過。 Zalasiewicz說：“如果我們非常幸運(yùn)，并且有人提出了一個(gè)來自深海海洋環(huán)境中層狀沉積物典型例子的核心，我認(rèn)為三年可能是可行的。

This would be lightning speed for such a geological decision, which in the past would have taken decades and even centuries to make. The term Anthropocene was coined only in 2000, by the Nobel prize-winning scientist Paul Crutzen, who believes the name change is overdue. He said in 2011: “This name change stresses the enormity of humanity’s responsibility as stewards of the Earth.” Crutzen also identified in 2007 what he called the “great acceleration” of human impacts on the planet from the mid-20th century.

coin vt. 創(chuàng)造 n. 錢幣

overdue adj. 過期的

對(duì)于這樣一個(gè)地質(zhì)決定來說，這將是閃電般的速度，過去需要幾十年甚至幾個(gè)世紀(jì)才能做出。 “人類世紀(jì)”一詞是在2000年由諾貝爾獎(jiǎng)得主科學(xué)家保羅克魯岑創(chuàng)造的，他認(rèn)為名稱改變已逾期。 他在2011年說道：“這個(gè)名稱改變強(qiáng)調(diào)了人類作為地球管理者的責(zé)任的巨大性?！笨唆斸?007年也確定了他稱之為20世紀(jì)中期人類對(duì)地球的影響的“巨大加速”。

Despite the WGA’s expert recommendation, the declaration of the Anthropocene is not yet a foregone conclusion. “Our stratigraphic colleagues are very protective of the geological time scale. They see it very rightly as the backbone of geology and they do not amend it lightly,” said Zalasiewicz. “But I think we can prepare a pretty good case.”

despite prep. 盡管

盡管WGA的專家建議，人類世紀(jì)宣言尚未成為定局。 “我們的地層同事對(duì)地質(zhì)時(shí)間尺度非常保護(hù)。 他們認(rèn)為它是非常正確的地質(zhì)學(xué)骨干，他們不會(huì)輕易修改它，“Zalasiewicz說。 “但我認(rèn)為我們可以準(zhǔn)備一個(gè)很好的案例?！?/p>

Rapley also said there was a strong case: “It is highly appropriate that geologists should pay formal attention to a change in the signal within sedimentary rock layers that will be clearly apparent to future generations of geologists for as long as they exist. The ‘great acceleration’ constitutes a strong, detectable and incontrovertible signal.”

appropriate adj. 適當(dāng)?shù)?/p>

apparent adj. 明顯的

incontrovertible adj. 不容置疑的

Rapley還表示，有一個(gè)強(qiáng)有力的例子：“地質(zhì)學(xué)家應(yīng)該正確地關(guān)注沉積巖層內(nèi)信號(hào)的變化，這一點(diǎn)對(duì)于未來幾代地質(zhì)學(xué)家來說，只要他們存在，就顯而易見。 “巨大的加速度”構(gòu)成了一個(gè)強(qiáng)大的，可檢測(cè)到的，無可爭(zhēng)議的信號(hào)。“

Evidence of the Anthropocene

Human activity has:

? Pushed extinction rates of animals and plants far above the long-term average. The Earth is on course to see 75% of species become extinct in the next few centuries if current trends continue.

?推動(dòng)動(dòng)植物消亡率遠(yuǎn)高于長期平均水平。 如果目前的趨勢(shì)持續(xù)下去，地球當(dāng)然會(huì)在未來幾個(gè)世紀(jì)看到75％的物種滅絕。

? Increased levels of climate-warming CO2?in the atmosphere at the fastest rate for 66m years, with fossil-fuel burning pushing levels from 280 parts per million before the industrial revolution to 400ppm and rising today.

?大氣中二氧化碳?xì)夂蜃兣乃揭?600萬年的最快速度增長，化石燃料燃燒推動(dòng)水平從工業(yè)革命前的百萬分之二百八十到百萬分之四百，并在今天上升。

? Put so much plastic in our waterways and oceans that microplastic particles are now virtually ubiquitous, and plastics will likely leave identifiable fossil records for future generations to discover.

?在我們的水道和海洋中放置如此多的塑料以至于微型彈性顆?，F(xiàn)在幾乎無處不在，塑料可能留下可識(shí)別的化石記錄供未來的幾代人發(fā)現(xiàn)。

? Doubled the nitrogen and phosphorous in our soils in the past century with fertiliser use. This is likely to be the largest impact on the nitrogen cycle in 2.5bn years.

?在過去的一個(gè)世紀(jì)里，肥料使用使土壤中的氮和磷增加了一倍。 這可能是25億年來對(duì)氮循環(huán)的最大影響。

? Left a permanent layer of airborne particulates in sediment and glacial ice such as black carbon from fossil fuel burning.

?在沉積物和冰川冰層中留下永久性的懸浮顆粒物，如化石燃料燃燒時(shí)的黑碳。

單詞

Anthropocene?n.?人類世

Epoch?n.?[地質(zhì)] 世；新紀(jì)元；新時(shí)代；時(shí)間上的一點(diǎn)

Radioactive?adj.?[核] 放射性的；有輻射的

Array?n.?數(shù)組，陣列；排列，列陣；大批，一系列；衣服?vt.?排列，部署；打扮

Proliferation?n.?增殖，擴(kuò)散；分芽繁殖

Holocene?adj.?全新世的；全新統(tǒng)的

Trajectory?n.?[物] 軌道，軌線；[航][軍] 彈道

Pinpoint?n.?針尖；精確位置；極小之物?vt.?查明；精確地找到；準(zhǔn)確描述?adj.?精確的；詳盡的

Fodder?n.?飼料；素材?vt.?喂

Prognosis?n.?[醫(yī)] 預(yù)后；預(yù)知

Foreclose?vt.?阻止；排除；取消抵押品贖回權(quán)?vi.?取消抵押品贖回權(quán)

One-off?n.?一次性事物?adj.?一次性的

Jumpstart?vt.?安裝；引進(jìn)

Entity?n.?實(shí)體；存在（entity的復(fù)數(shù)形式）；

Irreversible?adj.?不可逆的;不能取消的;不能翻轉(zhuǎn)的

Incorporated?v.?合并；包含；組成公司（incorporate的過去分詞）adj.?合并的；組成法人組織的

Cretaceous?n.?白堊紀(jì)；白堊系?adj.?白堊紀(jì)的；似白堊的

spike?n.?長釘，道釘；釘鞋；細(xì)高跟?vt.?阻止；以大釘釘牢；用尖物刺穿

iridium?n.?[化學(xué)] 銥（Ir）

meteorite?n.?隕星；流星

stratosphere?n.?同溫層，平流層；最上層；最高階段

radionuclide?n.?[核] 放射性核素

onset?n.?開始，著手；發(fā)作；攻擊，進(jìn)攻

contender?n.?競(jìng)爭(zhēng)者；爭(zhēng)奪者

Designate?vt.?指定；指派；標(biāo)出；把…定名為adj.?指定的；選定的

abstention?n.?棄權(quán)；節(jié)制；戒絕

stalactite?n.?[地質(zhì)] 鐘乳石

stalagmite?n.?石筍；石筍狀

accrete?adj.?合生的；增積的?vt.?使依附；使連接；把…吸引過來?vi.?合生；增大生長；依附

laminate?n.?薄片制品；層壓制件?vi.?分成薄片?vt.?將鍛壓成薄片；分成薄片

viable?adj.?可行的；能養(yǎng)活的；能生育的

enormity?n.?巨大；暴行；極惡

steward?n.?管家；乘務(wù)員；膳務(wù)員；工會(huì)管事?vi.?當(dāng)服務(wù)員；當(dāng)管事?vt.?管理

foregone?v.?發(fā)生在…之前（forego的過去分詞）?adj.?過去的；先前的；預(yù)知的；預(yù)先決定的

incontrovertible?adj.?無可爭(zhēng)議的；無疑的；明白的

Ppm?abbr.?百萬分率，百萬分之…（parts per million）

ubiquitous?adj.?普遍存在的；無所不在的

airborne?adj.?[航] 空運(yùn)的；空氣傳播的；風(fēng)媒的

長句

The dawn of the Anthropocene epoch would then mark a one-off transformation from a natural world to one where humans jumpstart the transition to electronic (and potentially immortal) entities, that transcend our limitations and eventually spread their influence far beyond the Earth.

The dawn?主語?of the Anthropocene?定語

would then mark?謂語

a one-off transformation?賓語

from a natural world to one（代詞，指world）狀語

where humans jumpstart the transition to electronic (and potentially immortal) entities?定語從句，修飾前面的one

that transcend our limitations and eventually spread their influence far beyond the Earth.?定語從句，修飾前面的entities，請(qǐng)注意后面的transcend用的是原型；其中their指的也是entities