《中英對照讀新聞》Scientist calls hurricanes "smoking gun" of climate change 科學家稱颶風是氣候變遷的「確切證據」

◎ 羅彥傑

Super-powerful hurricanes hitting the United States are the “smoking gun” of global warming, one of Britain's leading scientists has said.

襲擊美國的超強颶風乃是全球暖化的「確切證據」，英國首屈一指的一名科學家說。

Sir John Lawton, chairman of the Royal Commission on Environmental pollution, told the Independent that the growing violence of storms such as Katrina, which wrecked New Orleans, and Rita, later pounding Texas, was “very probably” caused by climate change.

皇家環境污染委員會主席約翰．羅頓爵士告訴獨立報，諸如重創紐奧良的卡崔娜，稍後侵襲德州的麗塔，這些颶風威力愈來愈強，「非常可能」是氣候變遷所造成。

Lawton hit out at “neoconservatives” in the United States who were still denying the “reality of climate change”.

羅頓強力抨擊目前還在否認「氣候變遷事實」的美國「新保守派」人士。

Referring to Hurricane Rita he said: “If this makes the climate loonies in the States realise we've got a problem, some good will come out of a truly awful situation.”

在提到麗塔颶風時，他說：「如果能讓美國這些瘋子體認到我們確實遇到了麻煩，也算是真正不幸中的大幸。」

Asked about characterising them as “loonies”, he said: “There are a group of people in various parts of the world… who simply don't want to accept human activities can change climate and are changing the climate. I'd liken them to the people who denied that smoking causes lung cancer.”

在被問到將這些人描述為「瘋子」時，他說：「世界各地都有一群人，就是不想接受人類活動會改變氣候而且正改變氣候的事實。我認為他們和那些否認抽菸會造成肺癌的人可說半斤八兩。」

新聞辭典

smoking gun：原指「冒煙的槍」，引申為（尤其指犯罪的）確切證據。

wreck：名詞指船難、失事，動詞指破壞、毀壞。例句：Investment in China by Taiwanese businessmen will wreck the economy of Taiwan.（台商在中國投資將傷害台灣的經濟。）

hit out：片語，指猛烈抨擊。例句：The leader of the opposition hit out at the government's latest decision.（反對黨領袖重批政府的最新決策。）

liken：動詞，把~比喻成…，後接to。例句：He likened the course of revolution to the movement of waves.（他將革命進程比喻成是波浪運動。）