气候变化与责任 Climate Change and Responsibility

关于guānyú气候变化qìhòu biànhuà，公众gōngzhòng最zuì常cháng听到tīngdào的de建议jiànyì是shì随手suíshǒu关灯guāndēng、少shǎo用yòng塑料袋sùliàodài、尽量jǐnliàng乘坐chéngzuò公共交通gōnggòng jiāotōng。

On climate change, the advice the public hears most often is to switch off the lights, use fewer plastic bags, and take public transport whenever possible.

这些zhèxiē提醒tíxǐng当然dāngrán没错méicuò，可kě若ruò把bǎ责任zérèn全部quánbù推给tuī gěi个人gèrén，未免wèimiǎn过于guòyú轻巧qīngqiǎo。

These reminders are of course not wrong, but pushing the whole responsibility onto individuals is a bit too glib.

有yǒu研究yánjiū指出zhǐchū，一个yí gè普通pǔtōng家庭jiātíng一年yì nián省下shěngxià的de排放páifàng，往往wǎngwǎng抵不上dǐ bú shàng一次yí cì大型dàxíng活动huódòng的de消耗xiāohào。

Studies point out that the emissions an ordinary household saves in a year often fail to offset the consumption of a single large-scale event.

换言之huàn yán zhī，真正zhēnzhèng决定juédìng排放páifàng曲线qūxiàn走向zǒuxiàng的de，是shì能源néngyuán结构jiégòu、建筑jiànzhù标准biāozhǔn与yǔ交通jiāotōng规划guīhuà这类zhè lèi系统性xìtǒngxìng的de选择xuǎnzé。

In other words, what really sets the direction of the emissions curve are systemic choices: the energy mix, building standards, transport planning.

然而rán'ér，倘若tǎngruò因此yīncǐ断定duàndìng个人gèrén无能为力wú néng wéi lì，同样tóngyàng是shì一种yì zhǒng误解wùjiě。

Yet if one concludes from this that individuals are powerless, that is equally a misunderstanding.

个人gèrén的de选择xuǎnzé之所以zhī suǒyǐ重要zhòngyào，并bìng不bú在于zàiyú它tā直接zhíjiē减少jiǎnshǎo了le多少duōshao排放páifàng，而ér在于zàiyú它tā塑造sùzào了le什么shénme被bèi视为shìwéi正常zhèngcháng。

The reason individual choices matter lies not in how much they directly cut emissions, but in what they shape into being seen as normal.

当dāng越来越yuè lái yuè多duō的de人rén把bǎ节能jiénéng视作shìzuò理所当然lǐ suǒ dāng rán，政策zhèngcè与yǔ市场shìchǎng才cái有yǒu可能kěnéng随之suí zhī调整tiáozhěng。

Only when more and more people take saving energy as a matter of course can policy and the market possibly adjust along with them.

与其yǔqí在zài“该gāi怪guài谁shéi”上shàng争论不休zhēnglùn bùxiū，不如bùrú承认chéngrèn：气候qìhòu责任zérèn从来cónglái不是bú shì单选题dānxuǎntí。

Rather than argue endlessly over "whose fault it is," it would be better to admit that climate responsibility was never a single-choice question.

它tā既jì需要xūyào制度zhìdù的de转身zhuǎnshēn，也yě需要xūyào无数wúshù人rén日常rìcháng的de坚持jiānchí，二者èr zhě同样tóngyàng不可或缺bùkě huòquē。

It needs institutions to turn around and it needs the daily persistence of countless people; the two are equally indispensable.

🔊 Audio uses your device's Chinese voice for now — teacher recordings are coming. Tap any word to see its meaning.

Key words 生词

未免wèimiǎnrather too; a bit excessively (mild criticism)

换言之huàn yán zhīin other words

无能为力wú néng wéi lìpowerless; unable to do anything about it

理所当然lǐ suǒ dāng ránas a matter of course; taken for granted

争论不休zhēnglùn bùxiūto argue on and on without end

不可或缺bùkě huòquēindispensable

Grammar note 语法点

倘若……，…… — supposing that; if

A formal written equivalent of 如果, used to introduce a hypothetical the author is about to reject or warn against.

倘若没有及时提醒，后果不堪设想。 — Had no timely warning been given, the consequences would be unthinkable.

之所以……，在于/是因为…… — the reason why … is that

Puts the result first and the cause second, giving the explanation extra weight; typical of analytical and argumentative writing.

他之所以坚持下来，是因为看到了别人看不到的意义。 — The reason he kept going is that he saw a meaning others could not see.

既……，也…… — both … and

Joins two qualities or requirements that hold at the same time. Unlike 又……又……, it is more formal and often summarizes an argument.

这份工作既需要耐心，也需要判断力。 — This job calls for both patience and judgment.

Check yourself 小测验

1. What do the studies mentioned in the text say about a household's yearly savings?

2. According to the author, why do individual choices still matter?

3. What conclusion does the text reach about climate responsibility?

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气候变化与责任Qìhòu biànhuà yǔ zérènClimate Change and Responsibility

Key words 生词

Grammar note 语法点

Check yourself 小测验

Reading is the easy part. Speaking is where you get stuck.

More HSK 6 reading practice