經濟學人詳解

Climate?Change?States’?Rights

America is not such a laggard on climate change as it seems

本篇文章選自leader這一部分，講的是美國對待氣候變化問題的態度和采取的措施。文章非常的通俗易懂，沒有什么生詞。但是對觀點論證環環相扣，可以當作議論文作文模版來學習。

Is?AMERICAN?INACTION?climate change going to render?bits of?the planet?uninhabitable?by 2100? Or will American?grit?and?ingenuity?lower the risks? There is evidence for both views.

inaction: n.無為;無作為?If you refer to someone's?inaction, you disapprove of the fact that they are doing nothing.He is bitter about the inaction of the other political parties. 對其他政黨的無作為他多有挖苦。

bits of:?小部分a small part or p of it

uninhabitable: a.無法居住的；不適合居住的 If a place is uninhabitable, it is impossible for people to live there, for example because it is dangerous or unhealthy.About 90 percent of the city's single-family homes are?uninhabitable...?該市約90％的獨戶住宅都不適合居住。

grit:?勇氣；堅毅；果敢 If someone has grit, they have the determination and courage to continue doing something even though it is very difficult.You've got to admire her grit. 你不得不佩服她的勇氣。

ingenuity: n.心靈手巧;善于創造發明?Ingenuity?is skill at working out how to achieve things or skill at inventing new things.Inspecting the nest may require some ingenuity. 探查鳥巢是需要些技巧的。

開頭拋出兩個觀點相反的問題，接著用?“There is evidence for both views.”?引出下文。

While the White House was?issuing an edict?seeking to?offer relief to coal-fired power stations last week, New York’s state legislature was passing a bill that called on the state to eliminate carbon emissions by 2050. America’s?political divide?often creates?split-screen?moments. For the 7.3bn people who live beyond the country’s borders, this one matters more than most.

edict: n.法令;敕令?An?edict?is a command or instruction given by someone in authority.與issue搭配：issue an edict 頒布法令；下發指令He issued an edict that none of his writings be destroyed. 他下令不得毀壞他的任何作品。

seek to:?力圖；想方設法

political divide:?政治分歧

split-screen:?a.分畫面，分屏的

第二段立馬指出美國頒布了減少碳排放的法案，樹立一個積極正面的形象。而不是立即對第一段的問題作出回答與反駁。

America is often?denounced as?a?laggard?on climate change.?The reality is less bad than that suggests.?More than half of all?Americans now live in states that have?championed?legislation to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. In the past year California, Colorado, Maine, New Jersey, New Mexico and Washington have all joined the club of states with policies to?decarbonise?electricity generation. Oregon and New York look?set to?join them.

sb / sth be denounced as:?被譴責為...

laggard: n.落后者；技不如人者 If you describe a country, company, or product as a laggard, you mean that it is not performing as well as its competitors.The company has developed a reputation as a technological laggard in the personal-computer arena. 該公司在個人電腦領域因技術落后遭人詬病。

champion: v.支持；擁護；捍衛 If you champion a person, a cause, or a principle, you support or defend them.He passionately championed the poor... 他滿腔熱情地捍衛窮人的利益。

decarbonise: v.去碳化

set to: 做好準備的；可能的

這一段首先對第一段的觀點：美國被譴責在氣候變化問題中無所作，進行反駁：“The?reality is less bad than suggests.” 緊接著用美國人民的支持以及美國城市采取的措施來論證這個觀點。

Those who think global warming is not man-made are, inevitably,?opposed to states setting long-range targets to decarbonise the economy.?Even some who accept the overwhelming scientific?consensus?have their doubts. Targets are not the best way to go about reductions, they argue.?A carbon price would be better.?Market forces are already reducing carbon emissions, as?power stations?switch to?natural gas. There is no point in some states taking action if others do not bother, or if the federal government cannot get its act together, because energy markets do not?respect?state boundaries. Besides, the targets are too distant: they allow politicians to?pose as?green while pushing the costs of action onto their successors.

consensus: n.一致看法；共識an opinion that?everyone in a group agrees with or acceptsThe question of when the troops should leave would be decided by consensus. 部隊應該何時撤離的問題將由大家共同決定。

switch to:?轉換；改變

respect: v.遵守if you respect?a law or moral principle, you agree not to break it

pose as:?冒充；假裝If you pose as someone, you pretend to be that person in order to deceive people.The team posed as drug dealers to trap the ringleaders. 該隊隊員裝扮成毒品販子，誘捕罪犯頭目。

這一段我認為是在進一步佐證上一段的觀點，雖然仍然有人不支持或者持有懷疑的態度，但是美國還是努力的在采取措施減少碳排放。并且指出了存在的一些問題：各個州沒有聯合行動，以及目標太長遠了。

These objections are too gloomy. A carbon price is?indeed?the?optimal?way to reduce pollution,?but getting people to pay for carbon has been a vote-loser in America and Europe.?In a world of?second or?third-best options, targets backed by credible plans to reach them are reasonable. Emissions are indeed coming down thanks to the fracking boom, but there is a limit to how far they can fall if natural gas is the primary material from which electricity is generated. Yes, the targets are far into the future, but in New York’s case they come with a legal requirement to show progress in the next four years (see United States p).

indeed: ad.確實；的確

optimal: a.最佳的the best or most suitable

這一段對上一段的兩個觀點的反駁，開頭第一句就說這些反對的觀點都是極其悲觀的。接著說明調整碳價雖然是減少排放的最佳方案，但是讓人民買單會使其輸掉選票。所以減少碳排放才是最合理的計劃。

Waiting for Washington to take the climate seriously is?a counsel of despair. It also ignores the?magnitude of?states’ plans. Pledges by states help set America on the path to a 17% cut in emissions by 2025, using 2005 as a baseline. Add a few more and?the total would increase to nearly 25%, putting America?within striking distance of?the (albeit modest) commitment the previous White House made in Paris in 2016, even though the federal government has promised to?withdraw from?that agreement.

a counsel of despair:?一個不抱希望的提議

magnitude of: ...的重要性

within striking distance of:?接近

albeit:?ad.即使，盡管

withdraw from:?退出（活動或組織）

This matters for two reasons.?First, because the world’s largest economy is a significant source of pollution. America, like every other country, needs to be on a path to eliminate all emissions by mid-century or shortly thereafter if it is to reduce the risks posed by climate change.?Second, because the assumption that America is a laggard gives other countries an excuse to do nothing,?undermining?international climate?diplomacy.

undermine:?v.（常指間接地）削弱，損害，動搖（某人的地位或權威）?If you?undermine?someone or?undermine?their position or authority, you make their authority or position less secure, often by indirect methods.She undermined him and destroyed his confidence in his own talent... 她暗中打擊他，讓他對自己的才華信心全無。

diplomacy: n.(處理人際關系等的)手腕，策略，手段?Diplomacy?is the skill of being careful to say or do things which will not offend people.He stormed off in a fury, and it took all Minnelli's powers of diplomacy to get him to return. 他憤然離去，米內利使出了渾身解數才把他勸了回來。

這一段是對上一段現象的解釋。“This matters for two reasons. First... .Second... .”

States like California with ambitious laws on emissions can encourage the development of technologies that will then be used by others. And if America can stay on track through state actions, the nationwide politics of climate change might just change in the coming decades. Just over half of Americans aged 55 or over think climate change is man-made and worry about it, according to polling by Gallup. Among Americans aged 18-34, three-quarters do. America’s economy has been through transformations before. It can go through another.

最后一段從側面指出美國應該積極采取行動，并且美國人民也希望這樣做。

之前的經濟學人都選自China這個板塊，可能文章內容會涉及到敏感話題，導致我老是被屏蔽。所以以后的文章我會選擇我自己喜歡的內容發出來，不過都會是經濟學人的內容。我也會做一些我自己的分析，但我不是專業的，如果有錯誤希望可以諒解。大家也可以私信給我提意見，我都會虛心接受的。