夏威夷毛威岛遭野火吞噬之际，气候变化还能事不关己？（观点）
Opinion: Why do many Canadians still see climate change as someone else’s problem?
来源: 大中网/096.ca 南茜(Nancy Jin)
2018年加利福尼亚发生的严重火灾造成至少85人死亡，并摧毁了近19,000所房屋。2021年，不列颠哥伦比亚省的高温热浪夺走了600人的生命。而最近，夏威夷毛伊岛的大火导致106人遇难，逼使11000人撤离家园。尽管气候变化正在以令人震惊的速度和规模带来巨大灾难，但对于许多未直接受其影响的人来说，其仍被视为一个遥不可及、与己无关的问题。根据最近的Abacus调查，只有27%的加拿大人在即将来临的选举中，将气候变化视为他们的前三大关切之一。相比之下，有71%的人更关心日常生活开销，48%的人更关注医疗健康，而43%的人则对住房的可负担性表示担忧。
今天你也许关心的话题：
2023年加拿大死亡人数比预计的要高 背后原因目前不知
因为住房危机，加拿大移民部将坚持移民计划，但重新考虑国际学生政策
特鲁多要么在住房问题上破釜沉舟，要么滚蛋（环邮专栏）
The 2018 campfire in California killed at least 85 people and ruined nearly 19,000 homes. The 2021 heat dome resulted in 600 deaths in B.C. The recent wildfires in Maui Hawaiian Islands killed 106 people and sent 11000 to flee. While climate change continues to escalate its speed and scale, it has remained a distant and sideline problem for many not directly affected by its catastrophic outcomes. A recent abacus survey has found only 27% of Canadians ranked climate change as one of their top three concerns for the upcoming election. This pales compared to the 71% who were more concerned with the cost of living, 48% in healthcare, and 43% in housing affordability.
许多人都会把眼皮子底下的事看得比什么都重，除非天灾找上门，否则会对气候变化这种看似遥远又宏伟的话题保持冷漠态度。在许多加拿大人士对气候威胁视而不见之际，美国人也显示出类似的心态。今年早些时候的一项研究发现，许多房价便宜，但自然灾难风险高的美国县城与那些房价较高、但却气候灾难风险低的地区相比人口增长更快，显示出有大批美国人士在做搬迁决定时会将短期经济收益放在首位，忽视长期的气候变化风险，贪图较低的房地产价值却忽视了气候变化的迫在眉睫的威胁。这种令人不安的迁徙趋势将会导致某些人口被困于环境变化之高风险区，饱受来自从干旱到飓风到野火等各种自然灾难的蹂躏和折磨。
Many prioritize the present over the future, often remaining indifferent to the climate change impacts until it strikes closer to home. While many Canadians put the urgent climate threat on the back burner, a similar mindset appeared in many Americans when making relocation decisions. An analysis of early this year found that many counties across the U.S. offering lower property prices but with high-climate risks witnessed faster population growth compared to their pricier, climate-secure counterparts. Behind this trend was a massive population prioritizing short-term economic gains over long-term climate change risks, lured by the lower property values while overlooking the looming threat of climate change. The disturbing migration pattern will see a vulnerable demographic trapped in areas prone to natural disasters -- from drought to hurricanes to wildfires.
但随着气候变化继续对加拿大各地的加拿大人造成严重危害，越来越多的加拿大人已经感受到了其紧迫性，并加入了关注气候变化的行列。Abacus调查还发现，那些认为气候变化是他们最关心的三个问题之一的加国人士在最近一个月内有所增长，即从6月27日的27%增加到7月25日的29%。
But as climate change continues to cause significant damage to Canadians from coast to coast to coast, more Canadians have sensed its urgency and joined the climate-conscious camp. The Abacus survey also found that the number of Canadians rating climate change among their top three concerns has increased within the recent month -- from 27% on June 27 to 29% on July 25.
我也曾不认为气候变化是什么当紧而迫在眉睫的事宜。然而，最近魁北克和安大略爆发的丛林野火改变了我的观点。多伦多天空有许多天烟雾弥漫，焦糊味刺鼻，空气质量降至令人震惊的水平。我每天都不得不检查空气质量指数，就像我的那些当年身处雾霾笼罩下的北京的亲友们一样。飙升的PM2.5指数造成严重的健康隐患，使中国的肺癌病例出现惊人的增长。
I am among those who used to dismiss climate change as a distant and irrelevant concern. However, recent wildfires in Quebec and Ontario changed my perspective. The plumes of smoke blanked the sky, reducing air quality in Toronto to alarming levels for many days. I had to frequently check the air quality index, much like my peers in China during Beijing’s infamous “airpocalypse.” The soaring PM2.5 index imposed significant health risks, driving up lung cancer cases in China to an alarming level.
但大自然野火造成的灾害远不止空气污染。近期夏威夷毛威岛遭受疯狂野火侵袭，视频显示这个曾经一度被誉为度假天堂的圣地顷刻间沦为人间地狱，熊熊火焰面前，恐惧的岛上居民纷纷跳入大海逃生。一些观光的游客们对他们与死神擦肩而过的经历的描述使气候变化造成的天灾比以往任何时候都更为触目惊心，给那些一贯对气候变化不以为然的人士敲醒了警钟。气候变化造成的自然灾难可能随时降临，其毁灭性后果难以逆转。毫无疑问，没有任何短期经济利益可以弥补气候肆虐带来的如此规模和幅度的巨大伤害。
But the devastation of the wildfires goes far beyond air pollution. Recent shocking videos on Maui wildfires showed that the once-iconic vacation paradise transformed into a horrific landscape, with terrified residents leaping into the sea, desperately seeking refuge as deadly flames engulfed the city. The Island’s tourists’ vivid account of their near-death experience has made the ravaging effect of climate change more personal and resonant than ever, serving as a reckoning moment for those who have viewed climate change as a future and remote concern. The catastrophic events could come to our doorstep at any moment, creating tragedy unexpectedly and devastating countless innocent lives. Undoubtedly, no short-term economic benefits can outweigh the climate ravages of this scale and magnitude.
今天你也许关心的话题：
2023年加拿大死亡人数比预计的要高 背后原因目前不知
因为住房危机，加拿大移民部将坚持移民计划，但重新考虑国际学生政策
特鲁多要么在住房问题上破釜沉舟，要么滚蛋（环邮专栏）
The 2018 campfire in California killed at least 85 people and ruined nearly 19,000 homes. The 2021 heat dome resulted in 600 deaths in B.C. The recent wildfires in Maui Hawaiian Islands killed 106 people and sent 11000 to flee. While climate change continues to escalate its speed and scale, it has remained a distant and sideline problem for many not directly affected by its catastrophic outcomes. A recent abacus survey has found only 27% of Canadians ranked climate change as one of their top three concerns for the upcoming election. This pales compared to the 71% who were more concerned with the cost of living, 48% in healthcare, and 43% in housing affordability.
许多人都会把眼皮子底下的事看得比什么都重，除非天灾找上门，否则会对气候变化这种看似遥远又宏伟的话题保持冷漠态度。在许多加拿大人士对气候威胁视而不见之际，美国人也显示出类似的心态。今年早些时候的一项研究发现，许多房价便宜，但自然灾难风险高的美国县城与那些房价较高、但却气候灾难风险低的地区相比人口增长更快，显示出有大批美国人士在做搬迁决定时会将短期经济收益放在首位，忽视长期的气候变化风险，贪图较低的房地产价值却忽视了气候变化的迫在眉睫的威胁。这种令人不安的迁徙趋势将会导致某些人口被困于环境变化之高风险区，饱受来自从干旱到飓风到野火等各种自然灾难的蹂躏和折磨。
Many prioritize the present over the future, often remaining indifferent to the climate change impacts until it strikes closer to home. While many Canadians put the urgent climate threat on the back burner, a similar mindset appeared in many Americans when making relocation decisions. An analysis of early this year found that many counties across the U.S. offering lower property prices but with high-climate risks witnessed faster population growth compared to their pricier, climate-secure counterparts. Behind this trend was a massive population prioritizing short-term economic gains over long-term climate change risks, lured by the lower property values while overlooking the looming threat of climate change. The disturbing migration pattern will see a vulnerable demographic trapped in areas prone to natural disasters -- from drought to hurricanes to wildfires.
但随着气候变化继续对加拿大各地的加拿大人造成严重危害，越来越多的加拿大人已经感受到了其紧迫性，并加入了关注气候变化的行列。Abacus调查还发现，那些认为气候变化是他们最关心的三个问题之一的加国人士在最近一个月内有所增长，即从6月27日的27%增加到7月25日的29%。
But as climate change continues to cause significant damage to Canadians from coast to coast to coast, more Canadians have sensed its urgency and joined the climate-conscious camp. The Abacus survey also found that the number of Canadians rating climate change among their top three concerns has increased within the recent month -- from 27% on June 27 to 29% on July 25.
我也曾不认为气候变化是什么当紧而迫在眉睫的事宜。然而，最近魁北克和安大略爆发的丛林野火改变了我的观点。多伦多天空有许多天烟雾弥漫，焦糊味刺鼻，空气质量降至令人震惊的水平。我每天都不得不检查空气质量指数，就像我的那些当年身处雾霾笼罩下的北京的亲友们一样。飙升的PM2.5指数造成严重的健康隐患，使中国的肺癌病例出现惊人的增长。
I am among those who used to dismiss climate change as a distant and irrelevant concern. However, recent wildfires in Quebec and Ontario changed my perspective. The plumes of smoke blanked the sky, reducing air quality in Toronto to alarming levels for many days. I had to frequently check the air quality index, much like my peers in China during Beijing’s infamous “airpocalypse.” The soaring PM2.5 index imposed significant health risks, driving up lung cancer cases in China to an alarming level.
但大自然野火造成的灾害远不止空气污染。近期夏威夷毛威岛遭受疯狂野火侵袭，视频显示这个曾经一度被誉为度假天堂的圣地顷刻间沦为人间地狱，熊熊火焰面前，恐惧的岛上居民纷纷跳入大海逃生。一些观光的游客们对他们与死神擦肩而过的经历的描述使气候变化造成的天灾比以往任何时候都更为触目惊心，给那些一贯对气候变化不以为然的人士敲醒了警钟。气候变化造成的自然灾难可能随时降临，其毁灭性后果难以逆转。毫无疑问，没有任何短期经济利益可以弥补气候肆虐带来的如此规模和幅度的巨大伤害。
But the devastation of the wildfires goes far beyond air pollution. Recent shocking videos on Maui wildfires showed that the once-iconic vacation paradise transformed into a horrific landscape, with terrified residents leaping into the sea, desperately seeking refuge as deadly flames engulfed the city. The Island’s tourists’ vivid account of their near-death experience has made the ravaging effect of climate change more personal and resonant than ever, serving as a reckoning moment for those who have viewed climate change as a future and remote concern. The catastrophic events could come to our doorstep at any moment, creating tragedy unexpectedly and devastating countless innocent lives. Undoubtedly, no short-term economic benefits can outweigh the climate ravages of this scale and magnitude.
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