The Anthropocene epoch: scientists declare dawn of human-influenced age

人类世纪: 科学家宣布进入受人类影响的时代

文章来源: theguardian.comhttps://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/aug/29/declare-anthropocene-epoch-experts-urge-geological-congress-human-impact-earth

Humanity’s impact on the Earth is now so profound that a new geological epoch – the Anthropocene – needs to be declared, according to an official expert group who presented the recommendation to the International Geological Congress in Cape Town on Monday.

impact n. 影响

profound adj. 深刻的

geological adj. 地质的

根据官方专家组的报道，人类对地球的影响现在非常深刻，以至于需要宣布一个新的地质时代 - 人类世界 - 这是一个周一在开普敦向国际地质大会提出建议的专家组。

The new epoch should begin about 1950, the experts said, and was likely to be defined by the radioactive elements dispersed across the planet by nuclear bomb tests, although an array of other signals, including plastic pollution, soot from power stations, concrete, and even the bones left by the global proliferation of the domestic chicken were now under consideration.

radioactive adj. 放射性的

disperse vt. 分散

nuclear bomb 核武器

plastic n. 塑料

soot n. 烟煤

concrete n. 凝结物 adj. 混凝土的

proliferation n. 增殖，扩散

domestic adj. 国内的

专家们说，这个新时代应该在1950年左右开始，并且很可能由核弹试验散布在地球上的放射性元素来定义，尽管其他一些信号包括塑料污染，发电站烟尘，混凝土和 目前正在考虑国内鸡群全球扩散留下的骨头。

The current epoch, the Holocene, is the 12,000 years of stable climate since the last ice age during which all human civilisation developed. But the striking acceleration since the mid-20th century of carbon dioxide emissions and sea level rise, the global mass extinction of species, and the transformation of land by deforestation and development mark the end of that slice of geological time, the experts argue. The Earth is so profoundly changed that the Holocene must give way to the Anthropocene.

climate n. 气候

civilisation n. 文明

striking adj. 引人注目的

acceleration n. 促进

carbon dioxide 二氧化碳

emission n. 排放

extinction n. 灭绝

deforestation n. 森林砍伐

目前的时代，全新世，是人类文明发展的最后一个冰河时期以来12000年的稳定气候。 专家认为，自二十世纪中期以来，二氧化碳排放量和海平面上升，物种全球大规模灭绝以及森林砍伐和发展造成的土地转变标志着地质时代终止。 地球如此深刻地变化，全新世必须让步于人类世纪。

“The significance of the Anthropocene is that it sets a different trajectory for the Earth system, of which we of course are part,” said Prof Jan Zalasiewicz, a geologist at the University of Leicester and chair of the Working Group on the Anthropocene (WGA), which started work in 2009.

significance n. 意义

trajectory n. 轨道

“人类世纪的重要性在于它为地球系统设定了不同的轨迹，我们当然是其中的一部分，”莱斯特大学地质学家兼人类世界工作组主席Jan Zalasiewicz教授说， ），于2009年开始工作。

“If our recommendation is accepted, the Anthropocene will have started just a little before I was born,” he said. “We have lived most of our lives in something called the Anthropocene and are just realising the scale and permanence of the change.”

“如果我们的建议被接受，那么人类世界在我出生前就已经开始了，”他说。 “我们大部分时间都生活在一种叫做Anthropocene的东西中，并且正在实现这种变化的规模和持久性。”

Prof Colin Waters, principal geologist at the British Geological Survey and WGA secretary, said: “Being able to pinpoint an interval of time is saying something about how we have had an incredible impact on the environment of our planet. The concept of the Anthropocene manages to pull all these ideas of environmental change together.”

principaladj. 首要的

secretaryn. 秘书

pinpointvt. 查明

interval of timen. 时间间隔

英国地质调查局和WGA秘书首席地质学家科林沃特斯教授说：“能够准确定位一段时间就是说我们如何对地球环境产生难以置信的影响。 人类世界的概念设法将所有这些环境变化的想法结合在一起。“

Prof Chris Rapley, a climate scientist at University College London and former director of the Science Museum in London said: “The Anthropocene marks a new period in which our collective activities dominate the planetary machinery.

former director  前董事

collective adj. 集体的

dominate vt. 支配

伦敦大学学院气候科学家，伦敦科学博物馆前主任Chris Rapley教授说：“人类世纪标志着我们集体活动主宰行星机械的新时期。

“Since the planet is our life support system – we are essentially the crew of a largish spaceship – interference with its functioning at this level and on this scale is highly significant. If you or I were crew on a smaller spacecraft, it would be unthinkable to interfere with the systems that provide us with air, water, fodder and climate control. But the shift into the Anthropocene tells us that we are playing with fire, a potentially reckless mode of behaviour which we are likely to come to regret unless we get a grip on the situation.” Rapley is not part of the WGA.

crew n. 船员 人员

interference n. 干扰

fodder n. 饲料

reckless adj. 鲁莽的

regret vi. 后悔

grip n. 把手

“由于地球是我们的生命支持系统 - 我们基本上是一艘大型宇宙飞船的机组人员 - 在这个级别和这个级别对其功能的干扰非常显着。 如果您或我是乘坐小型航天器的船员，干扰为我们提供空气，水，饲料和气候控制的系统将是不可想象的。 但是进入人类世纪的转变告诉我们，我们正在玩火，这是一种潜在的鲁莽行为模式，除非我们掌握情况，否则我们可能会后悔的。“Rapley不是WGA的一员。

Martin Rees, the astronomer royal and former president of the Royal Society, said that the dawn of the Anthropocene was a significant moment. “The darkest prognosis for the next millennium is that bio, cyber or environmental catastrophes could foreclose humanity’s immense potential, leaving a depleted biosphere,” he said.

astronomer n. 天文学家

royal n. 皇族

dawn n. 黎明

prognosis n. 预测

millennium n. 千年

catastrophes n. 灾难

immense adj. 巨大的

depleted adj. 耗尽的

biosphere n. 生物圈

天文学家皇家和皇家学会前主席马丁里斯说，人类世界的曙光是一个重要的时刻。 “下一个千年最黑暗的预测是，生物，网络或环境灾难可能会阻碍人类巨大的潜力，留下一个枯竭的生物圈，”他说。

But Lord Rees added that there is also cause for optimism. “Human societies could navigate these threats, achieve a sustainable future, and inaugurate eras of post-human evolution even more marvellous than what’s led to us. The dawn of the Anthropocene epoch would then mark a one-off transformation from a natural world to one where humans jump start the transition to electronic (and potentially immortal) entities, that transcend our limitations and eventually spread their influence far beyond the Earth.”

optimism n. 乐观

threat n. 威胁

inaugurate vt. 开幕，开创

post-human 后人类

marvellous adj. 奇妙的

one-off 一次性

transcend vt. 超越

但里斯爵士补充说，也有理由乐观。 “人类社会可以驾驭这些威胁，实现可持续发展的未来，为人类进化后的时代开创一片新天地，甚至比引导我们的更加美妙。 然后，人类世纪的黎明将标志着从自然世界到人类开始向电子（和潜在的不朽）实体过渡的一次性转变，超越我们的局限并最终将其影响力传播到地球之外。“

The evidence of humanity’s impact on the planet is overwhelming, but the changes are very recent in geological terms, where an epoch usually spans tens of millions of years. “One criticism of the Anthropocene as geology is that it is very short,” said Zalasiewicz. “Our response is that many of the changes are irreversible.”

overwhelming adj. 压倒性的

criticism n. 批评

irreversible adj. 不可逆的

人类对地球影响的证据是压倒性的，但是这种变化在地质学上是最近的，其中一个时代通常跨越数千万年。 Zalasiewicz说：“人类世界被认为是地质学的一个非常短的批评。 “我们的回应是，许多变化是不可逆转的。”

To define a new geological epoch, a signal must be found that occurs globally and will be incorporated into deposits in the future geological record. For example, the extinction of the dinosaurs 66m years ago at the end of the Cretaceous epoch is defined by a “golden spike” in sediments around the world of the metal iridium, which was dispersed from the meteorite that collided with Earth to end the dinosaur age.

incorporate vt. 把...合并

deposits n. 积淀，存款

dinosaurs n. 恐龙

为了确定一个新的地质时代，必须发现一个全球性的信号，并将其纳入未来的地质记录中。 例如，66m年前在白垩纪末期恐龙的灭绝是由金属铱周围沉积物中的“金色尖峰”定义的，金属铱从与地球相撞的陨石中分散出来以结束恐龙 年龄。

For the Anthropocene, the best candidate for such a golden spike are radioactive elements from nuclear bomb tests, which were blown into the stratosphere before settling down to Earth. “The radionuclides are probably the sharpest – they really come on with a bang,” said Zalasiewicz. “But we are spoiled for choice. There are so many signals.”

candidate n. 候选人

stratosphere n. 平流层

对于人类世纪来说，这种金色尖峰的最佳人选是来自核弹试验的放射性元素，这些元素在沉降到地球之前被吹入平流层。 “放射性核素可能是最尖锐的 - 他们真的爆炸了，”Zalasiewicz说。 “但是我们被选择宠坏了。 有这么多的信号。“

Other spikes being considered as evidence of the onset of the Anthropocene include the tough, unburned carbon spheres emitted by power stations. “The Earth has been smoked, with signals very clearly around the world in the mid-20th century,” said Zalasiewicz.

onset n. 发病 进攻

其他峰值被认为是人类茂盛发生的证据，包括发电站排放的坚硬，未燃烧的碳球。 Zalasiewicz说：“地球已被吸入，20世纪中叶世界各地的信号非常清楚。

Other candidates include plastic pollution, aluminium and concrete particles, and high levels of nitrogen and phosphate in soils, derived from artificial fertilisers. Although the world is currently seeing only the sixth mass extinction of species in the 700m-year history of complex life on Earth, this is unlikely to provide a useful golden spike as the animals are by definition very rare and rarely dispersed worldwide.

soil n. 土壤

derive vt. 派生

artificial adj. 人造的

fertiliser n. 化肥

其他候选人包括塑料污染，铝和混凝土颗粒，以及来自人造肥料的土壤中高含量的氮和磷酸盐。 虽然目前世界上仅有地球上复杂生物的700万年历史中仅有第六次物种大规模灭绝，但这不可能提供有用的黄金上涨，因为这些动物在世界范围内非常稀少而且很少分散。

In contrast, some species have with human help spread rapidly across the world. The domestic chicken is a serious contender to be a fossil that defines the Anthropocene for future geologists. “Since the mid-20th century, it has become the world’s most common bird. It has been fossilised in thousands of landfill sites and on street corners around the world,” said Zalasiewicz. “It is is also a much bigger bird with a different skeleton than its prewar ancestor.”

in contrast 相反

contender n. 竞争者

fossil n. 化石

landfill site 垃圾填埋场

skeleton n. 骨架

相比之下，一些有人类帮助的物种在全球迅速传播。 国内的鸡是一个认真的竞争者，成为未来地质学家定义人类世界的化石。 “自20世纪中叶以来，它已成为世界上最常见的鸟类。 它已经在全球数千个垃圾填埋场和街角化石化了，“Zalasiewicz说。 “它也是一种比它的战前祖先骨骼更大的鸟。”

The 35 scientists on the WGA – who voted 30 to three in favour of formally designating the Anthropocene, with two abstentions – will now spend the next two to three years determining which signals are the strongest and sharpest. Crucially, they must also decide a location which will define the start of the Anthropocene. Geological divisions are not defined by dates but by a specific boundary between layers of rock or, in the case of the Holocene, a boundary between two ice layers in a core taken from Greenland and now stored in Denmark.

abstention n. 期权

crucially adv. 最重要的是

WGA的35位科学家 - 投票赞成30至3人赞成正式指定人类世纪，并以两票弃权 - 现在将在未来两三年内花费决定哪些信号是最强和最强的。 至关重要的是，他们还必须决定一个定义人类世纪开始的地点。 地质分区不是由日期定义的，而是由岩石层之间的特定边界确定的，或者在全新世的情况下，是从格陵兰采集并现在储存在丹麦的岩芯中的两个冰层之间的边界。

The scientists are focusing on sites where annual layers are formed and are investigating mud sediments off the coast of Santa Barbara in California and the Ernesto cave in northern Italy, where stalactites and stalagmites accrete annual rings. Lake sediments, ice cores from Antarctica, corals, tree rings and even layers of rubbish in landfill sites are also being considered.

cave n. 洞穴

stalactite n. 钟乳石

科学家们正在关注一年一度的地层形成，并正在调查加利福尼亚州圣巴巴拉海岸以及意大利北部Ernesto洞穴的泥质沉积物，那里钟乳石和石笋可以增加年轮。 也正在考虑湖泊沉积物，南极冰芯，珊瑚，树环以及垃圾填埋场的垃圾层。

Once the data has been assembled, it will be formally submitted to the stratigraphic authorities and the Anthropocene could be officially adopted within a few years. “If we were very lucky and someone came forward with, say, a core from a classic example of laminated sediments in a deep marine environment, I think three years is possibly viable,” said Zalasiewicz.

assemble vt. 组合 集合

formally adv. 正式地

一旦数据汇总完成后，将会正式提交给地层当局，人类世纪可能会在几年内正式通过。 Zalasiewicz说：“如果我们非常幸运，并且有人提出了一个来自深海海洋环境中层状沉积物典型例子的核心，我认为三年可能是可行的。

This would be lightning speed for such a geological decision, which in the past would have taken decades and even centuries to make. The term Anthropocene was coined only in 2000, by the Nobel prize-winning scientist Paul Crutzen, who believes the name change is overdue. He said in 2011: “This name change stresses the enormity of humanity’s responsibility as stewards of the Earth.” Crutzen also identified in 2007 what he called the “great acceleration” of human impacts on the planet from the mid-20th century.

coin vt. 创造 n. 钱币

overdue adj. 过期的

对于这样一个地质决定来说，这将是闪电般的速度，过去需要几十年甚至几个世纪才能做出。 “人类世纪”一词是在2000年由诺贝尔奖得主科学家保罗克鲁岑创造的，他认为名称改变已逾期。 他在2011年说道：“这个名称改变强调了人类作为地球管理者的责任的巨大性。”克鲁岑在2007年也确定了他称之为20世纪中期人类对地球的影响的“巨大加速”。

Despite the WGA’s expert recommendation, the declaration of the Anthropocene is not yet a foregone conclusion. “Our stratigraphic colleagues are very protective of the geological time scale. They see it very rightly as the backbone of geology and they do not amend it lightly,” said Zalasiewicz. “But I think we can prepare a pretty good case.”

despite prep. 尽管

尽管WGA的专家建议，人类世纪宣言尚未成为定局。 “我们的地层同事对地质时间尺度非常保护。 他们认为它是非常正确的地质学骨干，他们不会轻易修改它，“Zalasiewicz说。 “但我认为我们可以准备一个很好的案例。”

Rapley also said there was a strong case: “It is highly appropriate that geologists should pay formal attention to a change in the signal within sedimentary rock layers that will be clearly apparent to future generations of geologists for as long as they exist. The ‘great acceleration’ constitutes a strong, detectable and incontrovertible signal.”

appropriate adj. 适当的

apparent adj. 明显的

incontrovertible adj. 不容置疑的

Rapley还表示，有一个强有力的例子：“地质学家应该正确地关注沉积岩层内信号的变化，这一点对于未来几代地质学家来说，只要他们存在，就显而易见。 “巨大的加速度”构成了一个强大的，可检测到的，无可争议的信号。“

Evidence of the Anthropocene

Human activity has:

• Pushed extinction rates of animals and plants far above the long-term average. The Earth is on course to see 75% of species become extinct in the next few centuries if current trends continue.

•推动动植物消亡率远高于长期平均水平。 如果目前的趋势持续下去，地球当然会在未来几个世纪看到75％的物种灭绝。

• Increased levels of climate-warming CO2 in the atmosphere at the fastest rate for 66m years, with fossil-fuel burning pushing levels from 280 parts per million before the industrial revolution to 400ppm and rising today.

•大气中二氧化碳气候变暖的水平以6600万年的最快速度增长，化石燃料燃烧推动水平从工业革命前的百万分之二百八十到百万分之四百，并在今天上升。

• Put so much plastic in our waterways and oceans that microplastic particles are now virtually ubiquitous, and plastics will likely leave identifiable fossil records for future generations to discover.

•在我们的水道和海洋中放置如此多的塑料以至于微型弹性颗粒现在几乎无处不在，塑料可能留下可识别的化石记录供未来的几代人发现。

• Doubled the nitrogen and phosphorous in our soils in the past century with fertiliser use. This is likely to be the largest impact on the nitrogen cycle in 2.5bn years.

•在过去的一个世纪里，肥料使用使土壤中的氮和磷增加了一倍。 这可能是25亿年来对氮循环的最大影响。

• Left a permanent layer of airborne particulates in sediment and glacial ice such as black carbon from fossil fuel burning.

•在沉积物和冰川冰层中留下永久性的悬浮颗粒物，如化石燃料燃烧时的黑碳。

单词

Anthropocene n. 人类世

Epoch n. [地质] 世；新纪元；新时代；时间上的一点

Radioactive adj. [核] 放射性的；有辐射的

Array n. 数组，阵列；排列，列阵；大批，一系列；衣服 vt. 排列，部署；打扮

Proliferation n. 增殖，扩散；分芽繁殖

Holocene adj. 全新世的；全新统的

Trajectory n. [物] 轨道，轨线；[航][军] 弹道

Pinpoint n. 针尖；精确位置；极小之物 vt. 查明；精确地找到；准确描述 adj. 精确的；详尽的

Fodder n. 饲料；素材 vt. 喂

Prognosis n. [医] 预后；预知

Foreclose vt. 阻止；排除；取消抵押品赎回权 vi. 取消抵押品赎回权

One-off n. 一次性事物 adj. 一次性的

Jumpstart vt. 安装；引进

Entity n. 实体；存在（entity的复数形式）；

Irreversible adj. 不可逆的;不能取消的;不能翻转的

Incorporated v. 合并；包含；组成公司（incorporate的过去分词）adj. 合并的；组成法人组织的

Cretaceous n. 白垩纪；白垩系 adj. 白垩纪的；似白垩的

spike n. 长钉，道钉；钉鞋；细高跟 vt. 阻止；以大钉钉牢；用尖物刺穿

iridium n. [化学] 铱（Ir）

meteorite n. 陨星；流星

stratosphere n. 同温层，平流层；最上层；最高阶段

radionuclide n. [核] 放射性核素

onset n. 开始，着手；发作；攻击，进攻

contender n. 竞争者；争夺者

Designate vt. 指定；指派；标出；把…定名为adj. 指定的；选定的

abstention n. 弃权；节制；戒绝

stalactite n. [地质] 钟乳石

stalagmite n. 石笋；石笋状

accrete adj. 合生的；增积的 vt. 使依附；使连接；把…吸引过来 vi. 合生；增大生长；依附

laminate n. 薄片制品；层压制件 vi. 分成薄片 vt. 将锻压成薄片；分成薄片

viable adj. 可行的；能养活的；能生育的

enormity n. 巨大；暴行；极恶

steward n. 管家；乘务员；膳务员；工会管事 vi. 当服务员；当管事 vt. 管理

foregone v. 发生在…之前（forego的过去分词） adj. 过去的；先前的；预知的；预先决定的

incontrovertible adj. 无可争议的；无疑的；明白的

Ppm abbr. 百万分率，百万分之…（parts per million）

ubiquitous adj. 普遍存在的；无所不在的

airborne adj. [航] 空运的；空气传播的；风媒的

长句

The dawn of the Anthropocene epoch would then mark a one-off transformation from a natural world to one where humans jumpstart the transition to electronic (and potentially immortal) entities, that transcend our limitations and eventually spread their influence far beyond the Earth.

The dawn 主语 of the Anthropocene 定语

would then mark 谓语

a one-off transformation 宾语

from a natural world to one（代词，指world）状语

where humans jumpstart the transition to electronic (and potentially immortal) entities 定语从句，修饰前面的one

that transcend our limitations and eventually spread their influence far beyond the Earth. 定语从句，修饰前面的entities，请注意后面的transcend用的是原型；其中their指的也是entities