世界人居

“联合国生态系统恢复十年”倡议(the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration)是一项全球性号召,致力于推动世界各地对生态系统进行保护和修复(a rallying call for the protection and revival of ecosystems all around the world),从而造福人类和自然。它旨在制止生态系统的退化(halt the degradation of ecosystems),并对其进行修复,以实现全球目标。只有拥有健康的生态系统,我们才能改善人民生计,抵御气候变化,阻止生物多样性丧失(Only with healthy ecosystems can we enhance people’s livelihoods, counteract climate change, and stop the collapse of biodiversity)。

联合国生态系统恢复十年从2021年持续到2030年,这也是实现可持续发展目标的最后期限(the deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals)和科学家们认定的防止灾难性气候变化的最后机会(the timeline scientists have identified as the last chance to prevent catastrophic climate change)。

“联合国生态系统恢复十年”由联合国环境规划署(the UN Environment Programme,UNEP)和联合国粮食及农业组织(the Food and Agriculture Organization,FAO)共同领导,旨在重构、重建、重塑生态系统( re-imagine, recreate and restore ecosystems)。

联合国秘书长古特雷斯在行动计划在线启动仪式上发表视频讲话说,

The planet was rapidly reaching a "point of no return," cutting down forests, polluting rivers and oceans, and ploughing grasslands "into oblivion."地球正迅速接近“不可逆转的临界点”。砍伐森林、污染河流和海洋、开垦草原导致自然资源正在“消失殆尽”。

【词汇讲解】

单词oblivion本意是“完全被遗忘”,常见的搭配是fade/slide/sink into oblivion,均表示“慢慢淡出别人的记忆”,比如:These toys will be around for a year or two, then fade/slide/sink into oblivion(这些玩具在手边玩一两年以后就会被冷落在一旁了)。此外,oblivion还表示“被彻底摧毁”,比如:The planes bombed the city into oblivion(飞机轰炸把这座城市夷为平地)。

"We are ravaging the very ecosystems that underpin our societies," the UN chief warned.我们正在破坏支撑我们社会的生态系统。

"Our degradation of the natural world is destroying the very food, water and resources needed to survive, and already undermining the well-being of 3.2 billion people -- or 40 percent of humanity," said the top UN official.自然界的退化正在破坏人类赖以生存的食物、水和资源,而且已经危及全球40%的人口(32亿人)的生存。

But fortunately, the Earth is resilient and "we still have time to reverse the damage we have done," he added.幸运的是,地球是有恢复能力的,我们还有时间扭转自己造成的破坏。

【词汇讲解】

时政类报道中经常提到的“经济有韧性”一般会翻译为resilience in economic development或者resilient economic growth。所谓的“韧性”就是指经历过挫折和困境以后还能恢复到原先活力状态的能力,形容词resilient和名词resilience都可以用来表达这个意思。此外,形容词resilient和名词resilience也表示“弹性好的,能复原的,适应力好的”等意思,比如:Life is hard there, but the people are resilient.(那里生活艰难,但是人们都坚韧不拔),上文中the Earth is resilient也是这一层意思。This rubber ball is very resilient and immediately springs back into shape.(这个橡皮球弹性非常好,很快就恢复了原状)。

By restoring ecosystems, he said that "we can drive a transformation that will contribute to the achievement of all the Sustainable Development Goals."通过恢复生态系统,可以推动一场变革,这将有助于实现所有可持续发展目标。

"Accomplishing these things will not only safeguard the planet's resources. It will create millions of new jobs by 2030, generate returns of over 7 trillion US dollars every year and help eliminate poverty and hunger."做好有关工作,不仅能保护地球资源,而且到2030年,这场变革将创造数百万新的就业机会,每年产生超过7万亿美元的回报并帮助消除贫困和饥饿。

He pointed out that the next 10 years are "our final chance to avert a climate catastrophe, turn back the deadly tide of pollution and end species loss."未来十年是避免气候灾难、扭转致命污染浪潮、终结物种丧失的最后机会。

【相关词汇】

全球生态环境治理 global ecological and environmental governance

人与自然和谐共生harmonious coexistence of man and Nature

碳中和carbon neutrality

碳达峰to peak carbon emission

参考来源:新华网、联合国官网