新西蘭呼吁創(chuàng)造數(shù)千個新的“綠色”工作崗位

新西蘭呼吁創(chuàng)造數(shù)千個新的“綠色”工作崗位

There's plenty of speculation over the origins of the pandemic that has ground much of the world to a halt. But there's little doubt about who caused it. As a panel of international scientists noted in a release issued this week, "There is a single species that is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic — us."

關(guān)于這場讓世界大部分地區(qū)陷入停滯的大流行的起源有很多猜測。但毫無疑問大都是猜測病毒是怎樣引起的。正如一個國際科學(xué)家小組在本周發(fā)布的一份新聞稿中指出的那樣，“有一個物種要對2019冠狀病毒大流行負(fù)責(zé)，那就是我們。”

The statement — authored by professors Josef Settele, Sandra Díaz, Eduardo Brondizio and zoologist Peter Daszak — goes on to point the finger squarely at our obsession with "economic growth at any cost."

這份由約瑟夫·塞特勒教授、桑德拉·迪亞茲教授、愛德華多·布隆迪齊奧教授和動物學(xué)家彼得·達(dá)扎克教授共同撰寫的聲明，繼續(xù)將矛頭直指我們對“不惜任何代價(jià)的經(jīng)濟(jì)增長”的癡迷。

The Wellington Cable Car may be an old idea. But a less fossil fuel-dependent New Zealand may see more tracks and fewer cars. (Photo: Milosz Maslanka/Shutterstock)

"Rampant deforestation, uncontrolled expansion of agriculture, intensive farming, mining and infrastructure development, as well as the exploitation of wild species have created a 'perfect storm' for the spillover of diseases from wildlife to people."

“猖獗的森林砍伐、不受控制的農(nóng)業(yè)擴(kuò)張、集約化農(nóng)業(yè)、采礦和基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施建設(shè)，以及對野生物種的開發(fā)利用，造成了一場疾病從野生動物向人類蔓延的‘完美風(fēng)暴’。”

Now, the real question is how do we make things right in the world, while avoiding the mistakes that brought us here in the first place? At least one major political party thinks it has the answer.

現(xiàn)在，真正的問題是我們?nèi)绾卧谑澜缟献稣_的事情，同時避免讓我們來到這里的錯誤?至少有一個主要政黨認(rèn)為自己找到了答案。

This week, New Zealand's Green Party unveiled an ambitious plan to get the country back to work and the gears of industry turning once again, in environmentally friendly fashion.

本周，新西蘭綠黨公布了一項(xiàng)雄心勃勃的計(jì)劃，以環(huán)保的方式讓國家恢復(fù)工作，讓工業(yè)再次運(yùn)轉(zhuǎn)起來。

And all for the tidy sum of $1 billion.

這一切都是為了10億美元。

It may seem like a lot, but the cost pales in comparison with what we're paying in lost economic output from this pandemic. Early estimates peg that tally at around $2.7 trillion, which is about the entire GDP of the United Kingdom.

這看起來似乎很多，但與我們在這場大流行中付出的經(jīng)濟(jì)產(chǎn)出損失相比，代價(jià)就顯得微不足道了。據(jù)初步估計(jì)，這一數(shù)字約為2.7萬億美元，相當(dāng)于整個英國的GDP。

The plan calls for plenty of building projects, only they would focus not just on reviving the economy, but also the environment. It includes funding, for instance, to save Raukūmara Conservation Park from the invasive deer and possums. As well, there are details on how to bring native birds back to the country. Other projects would restore the country's ailing freshwater reserves, create carbon sinks and natural buffers against rising sea levels.

該計(jì)劃需要大量的建設(shè)項(xiàng)目，只是他們將不僅關(guān)注經(jīng)濟(jì)復(fù)蘇，而且也關(guān)注環(huán)境。例如,它包括資金拯救Raukūmara保護(hù)公園免受鹿和負(fù)鼠入侵的危害。此外，還有一些關(guān)于如何將本土鳥類帶回美國的細(xì)節(jié)。其他項(xiàng)目將恢復(fù)該國日益惡化的淡水儲備，建立碳匯和自然緩沖，以應(yīng)對海平面上升。

Milford Sound, home to seal colonies, penguins and dolphins, is one of several spectacular tourist draws in New Zealand. (Photo: Henner Damke/Shutterstock)

"This investment creates thriving native forests and wetlands, assets that last centuries and suck carbon out of the atmosphere," Sage explains. "It will avoid future pest control costs, better buffer coastal areas from sea level rise and provide corridors for birds to come back to neighbourhoods.

Sage解釋說:“這項(xiàng)投資創(chuàng)造了繁榮的本土森林和濕地，這些資產(chǎn)可以持續(xù)幾個世紀(jì)，吸收大氣中的碳。這將避免未來的蟲害控制成本，更好地緩沖沿海地區(qū)的海平面上升，并為鳥類返回居民區(qū)提供走廊。”

Indeed, the party's recent call for $9 billion to be spent on electric trains as a sustainable and practical alternative to cars may also face an uphill climb.

事實(shí)上，黨最近呼吁花費(fèi)90億美元在電動火車上，作為一種可持續(xù)和實(shí)用的汽車替代品，這可能也面臨著一個艱難的攀升。

But then again, the New Zealand model, if adopted, could be just the fresh inspiration the rest of us need to reboot a post-COVID world. One thing, at least, is certain: we can't go back to the way things were.

但話又說回來，新西蘭模式如果被采納，可能會成為我們其他人重新啟動后科維德世界所需要的新靈感。至少，有一件事是肯定的:我們不能回到過去。

As scientists noted in their statement this week, the world needs "transformative change" across the board. That includes fundamental, system-wide reorganization across technological, economic and social factors, including paradigms, goals and values, promoting social and environmental responsibilities across all sectors.

正如科學(xué)家們在本周的聲明中所指出的，世界需要全面的“變革性變革”。這包括跨技術(shù)、經(jīng)濟(jì)和社會因素的根本性的全系統(tǒng)重組，包括模式、目標(biāo)和價(jià)值觀，促進(jìn)跨所有部門的社會和環(huán)境責(zé)任。

"As daunting and costly as this may sound — it pales in comparison to the price we are already paying."

“盡管這聽起來令人生畏、代價(jià)高昂，但與我們已經(jīng)付出的代價(jià)相比，就顯得微不足道了。”