04-07-08

美权威科学家警告地球暖化危机 (Leading US Climate Scientist Warns of Global Warming Crisis)

美国一位权威气候科学家说，目前紧迫需要大幅度减少二氧化碳排放，来应对被严重低估的全球气候变暖问题。

美国宇航局戈达德空间科学研究院主任詹姆斯.汉森说，地球大气层中的二氧化碳已经达到“临界点”。汉森说，大气密度的安全标准20年前就已超过。

汉森和8名共同作者在为“科学”杂志撰写的一篇文章中摘要介绍了他们的研究成果。汉森和他的同事呼吁立即停建不截流废气排放的火力发电站，并在2030年前逐步淘汰现有火力发电站。

One of the leading climate scientists in the U.S. says a sharp reduction in carbon dioxide emissions is urgently needed to counter what he says is a vastly underestimated global warming problem.

The director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, James Hansen, says the world has already reached a "tipping point" for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Hansen says a safe atmospheric concentration level was passed 20 years ago.

He and eight co-authors summarized their findings in an article submitted to "Science" magazine. In the article, Hansen and his colleagues call for an immediate moratorium on building coal-fired power plants that do not capture their emissions, and for phasing out existing plants by 2030.

中国新西兰签署自由贸易协定 (China, New Zealand Sign Free-Trade Deal)

中国和新西兰星期一签署了一项自由贸易协定，这是中国第一次与发达国家签署这样的协定。中国总理温家宝和新西兰总理海伦.克拉克出席了在北京举行的签字仪式。温家宝说，自由贸易协定将使两国的关系更加密切，跟双方都带来实实在在的利益。

China and New Zealand signed a free-trade agreement Monday. China's signing is the country's first such pact with a developed nation. The signing was witnessed in Beijing by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark. Mr. Wen says the deal will bring the two countries closer and deliver tangible benefits to both sides.