Arctic heatwave could break records 北極熱浪恐破紀錄 ◎魏國金
Temperatures at the North Pole could be up to 20 degrees higher than average this Christmas Eve. Temperatures are forecast to peak on Christmas Eve around the North Pole - at near-freezing. Climate scientists say these unseasonably warm weather patterns in the Arctic region are directly linked to man-made climate change.
今年耶誕夜的北極氣溫，恐將高出平均溫度達20度。氣溫預報顯示，北極周邊耶誕夜的溫度將升達高峰—接近冰點。氣象科學家說，北極地區這些不合時令的溫暖天氣模式，直接與人為造成的氣候變遷有關。
Temperatures throughout November and December were 5C higher than average. It follows a summer during which Arctic sea ice reached the second-lowest extent ever recorded by satellites.
整個11月與12月的溫度，要比同期平均溫度高出攝氏5度。而在夏季期間，北極海冰的規模達到衛星紀錄以來的第二低程度。
Dr Friederike Otto, a senior researcher at Oxford’s Environmental Change Institute said that in pre-industrial times "a heatwave like this would have been extremely rare - we would expect it to occur about every 1,000 years".
牛津大學環境變遷研究所資深研究員奧圖博士說，在工業化前時代「諸如此類的熱浪極為罕見—我們認為大概每1000年才發生一次。」
Dr Otto added that scientists are "very confident" that the weather patterns were linked to anthropogenic climate change.
奧圖博士補充說，科學家「非常確信」該氣溫模式與人為造成的氣候變遷有關。
"We have used several different climate modelling approaches," she said. "And in all our methods, we find the same thing; we cannot model a heatwave like this without the anthropogenic signal."
「我們使用好幾個不同的氣候模型途徑，」她說。「然而在我們的方法中，我們發現相同之處：在缺少人為導因下，我們無法形塑出如此的熱浪。」
新聞辭典
freezing：極冷的、冷淡的、冰點。例句：The temperature was below freezing. （溫度降至冰點以下。）
unseasonably：不合時令地、不合時宜地。例句：Winemakers have been worried about unseasonably warm weather.（酒廠對不合時令的溫暖天氣憂心忡忡。）
anthropogenic：人為的。例句： Anthropogenic activities are major threats to coral reefs.（人為活動對珊瑚礁構成主要威脅。）
Leonardo DiCaprio： climate fight is US history’s ’biggest economic opportunity’ 李奧納多：對抗氣候變遷是美國歷史上「最大經濟發展契機」 ◎孫宇青
Tackling climate change is the "biggest economic opportunity" in the history of the US no matter who holds political office, the Hollywood star and environmental activist Leonardo DiCaprio said.
好萊塢巨星、環保運動人士李奧納多．狄卡皮歐表示，不論由誰掌權，處理氣候變遷將是美國歷史上「最大經濟發展契機」。
"There are a few very prominent people that still deny the overwhelming conclusions of the world’s scientists that climate change is largely human-caused and needs immediate urgent attention," he told a United Nations awards ceremony.
他在聯合國的頒獎典禮上說：「儘管全球科學家共同得出結論，指氣候變遷大多是由人類造成，需要立即且迫切的關注，但有些卓越人士仍不斷加以否認。」
But "the truth" about climate change has spread like "wildfire", he said.
然而，他說，有關氣候變遷的「真相」已經如「野火」般蔓延。
DiCaprio’s comments did not refer to the US president-elect, Donald Trump, by name but were a thinly-veiled reference to his views and nominations of climate change sceptics with oil industry ties for cabinet posts.
狄卡皮歐並未點名美國總統當選人川普，但幾乎直指川普新內閣中對氣候變遷持懷疑論、且與石油產業有關聯的提名人士。
DiCaprio met Trump and his team in the early December, reportedly arguing that support for renewable energy could create millions of jobs.
狄卡皮歐12月初與川普及其團隊會晤，據報導，雙方就支持再生能源可創造數百萬計的工作機會展開討論。
"In less than 100 years of our pollution-based prosperity, we humans have put our entire existence in jeopardy," said DiCaprio, who released his own documentary, Before the Flood, on the impacts of global warming two months ago.
甫於兩個月前發表地球暖化效應紀錄片《洪水之前》的狄卡皮歐表示：「用污染換來的繁榮還不到100年，我們人類已經面臨全面性的生存危機。」
新聞辭典
prominent：形容詞，卓越的。例句：As the assistant to the mayor, he has every opportunity to meet prominent people.（身為市長助理，他有很多機會與名人會晤。）
thinly-veiled：形容詞，不加掩飾的。例句：The spokesperson replied the reporter’s question with a thinly-veiled warning.（發言人以不加掩飾的警告語氣回覆記者提問。）
jeopardy：名詞，危險。例句：My family’s lives were in jeopardy during this typhoon.（颱風來襲期間，我家人的生命陷入險境。）
