The greenhouse effect 温室效应

由于温室效应，地球正在升温。当化石燃料燃烧时，释放出的二氧化碳进入大气层，像毯子一样将地球裹起来，这意味着热辐射无法发散，使地球表面温度升高。这个现象是地球上出现越来越多极端天气事件的原因之一。为减缓这种状况的加剧，人们可以在家里使用更节能的电器、尝试以蔬菜为主的饮食结构。本期节目介绍什么是温室效应。

词汇：climate change 气候变化

Our planet is heating up due to something called the greenhouse effect. This is one of the reasons why Earth is seeing more extreme weather events, such as heatwaves, forest fires and floods each year. But what exactly is the greenhouse effect, and what can we do to reduce it?

Let's first think about a greenhouse – you may have one in your garden! It's a glass structure that protects plants against low temperatures by trapping heat inside. But, while this helps your plants grow, Earth is trapping heat in the same way, and it's causing global warming. When fossil fuels, such as coal, oil and gas, are burnt for power, carbon dioxide is released as a waste product. It enters the atmosphere and acts like a blanket around the planet, which means heat radiation can't escape and the temperature increases.

The impact of gases on the Earth's climate was first investigated in the 1820s. Eunice Foote, a scientist and women's rights activist¹, tested the effects of sunlight on different gases that she put into glass cylinders². Her results showed that carbon dioxide traps heat more than other gases. The idea of the greenhouse effect was born.

So, what can we do to reduce the greenhouse effect? The UN recommends using more energy-efficient electrical appliances at home and switching to LED lightbulbs. Also, by washing your clothes at 30° instead of a higher temperature, around 40% less electricity is used over a year, according to the Energy Saving Trust. A change in diet is also something to consider. The charity A Well-Fed World, claim that plant-based foods, as opposed to meat and dairy, need less land and water to be produced. So, switching saves energy and lowers emissions, which contribute to climate change.

We only have one planet, so let's try and take care of it as much as we can.

词汇表

heat up 变暖
greenhouse effect 温室效应
extreme weather 极端天气
heatwave 热浪，酷暑期
greenhouse 温室，暖房
temperature 气温
trap 吸收，保存
global warming 全球变暖
fossil fuel 矿石燃料
carbon dioxide 二氧化碳
waste product 废物
atmosphere 大气层
radiation 辐射
gas 气体
climate 气候
sunlight 阳光
energy-efficient 节能的，高能效的
LED lightbulb 发光二极管灯泡
plant-based 仅有蔬菜的，全素的
emission 排放