Earth's vital signs in bad shape: report 地球已病了

本文只在原中譯基礎上稍作修改 (黑色原文，紅色刪除，藍色新增，綠色移位，原文出自 Chinadaily的雙語新聞[ 2007-09-17 09:47 ])

Earth's "vital signs" in bad shape: report
地球真的受傷了的健康狀況很差

More wood was removed from forests in 2005 than ever before, one of many troubling environmental signs highlighted on Thursday in the Worldwatch Institute's annual check of the planet's health.
上週四，世界觀察研究學會一年一度的“地球健康體檢”報告出爐。2005年，地球的森林砍伐量創歷史新高，這是該報告強調的眾多環境問題徵兆之一。

The Washington-based think tank's "Vital Signs 2007-2008" report points to global patterns ranging from rising meat consumption to Asian economic growth it says are linked to the broader problem of climate change.
該駐位於華盛頓的智囊機構在一份題為“地球生命徵兆2007-2008”的報告中指出，從肉類消費量的不斷增長到亞洲經濟發展增長等各種全球性態勢，都與氣候變化這一更顯著的問題都有關係。

"I think climate change is the most urgent challenge we have ever faced," said Erik Assadourian, director of the Vital Signs project.
“地球生命徵兆2007-2008”項目的負責人埃裏克•阿薩多利安說，“我認為氣候變化是人類有史以來所面臨的最嚴峻的挑戰”。

"You see many trends in climate change, whether we are talking about grain production which is affected by droughts and flooding. Or meat production as livestock production makes up about 20 percent of greenhouse gas emissions," he told reporters in a telephone interview before the report's release.
在報告公佈前，阿薩多利安在接受記者的電話採訪時說，“我們可以看到氣候變化中出現的眾多趨勢，比如，糧食生產受到洪澇旱災害的影響；以及肉類生產方面，據統計，飼養家畜禽飼養過程中所產生的溫室氣體占溫室氣體總排放量的20%”

Assadourian said the key message of the report was that unsustainable consumption patterns were responsible for climate change linked to carbon emissions and other ecological woes.
阿薩多利安說，這份報告的關鍵內容主題揭示不可持續的消費模式，是導致二氧化碳排放增多和造成及其它生態災難，進而引起氣候變化，“不可持續”的消費模式才是氣候變化的罪魁禍首。

He said of the 44 trends tracked by the report, 28 were "pronouncedly bad" and only six were positive.
據他介紹，在報告中提到的44種與氣候變化有關的趨勢中，有28種“尤為不利”，僅有六6種具有積極意義。

The trends range from the spread of avian flu to the rise of carbon emissions to the number of violent conflicts. The growing use of wind power is among the few trends seen as positive.
這些趨勢包括禽流感的蔓延、二氧化碳排放量的增加、以及暴力衝突的增加等。風能使用的日益增多是僅有的幾大積極趨勢之一。

Some of the points highlighted in the report include:
報告中的一些重點包括：

- Meat production hit a record 276 million metric tons (43 kilograms or 95 pounds per person) in 2006.
--2006年，肉類生產量創2.76億噸（人均43公斤或/95磅）的最新記錄。

- Meat consumption is one of several factors driving rising soybean demand. Rapid expansion of soybean plantations in South America could displace 22 million hectares (54 million acres) of tropical forest and savanna in the next 20 years.
--肉類消費量的增加是造成大豆需求不斷增長的幾大因素之一。在南美洲，大豆種植面積迅速擴大，這可能會導致未來20年熱帶森林和熱帶草原面積減少2200萬公頃（5400萬英畝）。

- The rise in global seafood consumption comes as many fish species become scarcer. In 2004, people ate 156 million metric tons of seafood, the equivalent of three times as much seafood per person than in 1950.
--全球海鮮消費量增加，致使很多品種的魚類品種日益稀少，全球海鮮消費量增加。2004年，全球共消耗1.56億噸海鮮產品，人均消費量相當於1950年的三倍。

Other analysts and think tanks have focused on different trends they say mean less cause for alarm. For example, they point out that while more wood is being removed from forests on a global scale, many parts of Europe and North America have experienced reforestation in recent decades.
也有關注另一些趨勢的分析家人士和相關智囊機構關注另外一些趨勢，他們認為，“地球生命徵兆”報告提及的部分這些趨勢可以降低“警報級別”。例如，儘管全球森林砍伐量創新高，但歐洲和北美的很多地區近幾十年來一直在進行再造林。

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注：智囊機構又稱智庫，一般指民間的研究機構和顧問公司。