Earths "vital signs" in bad shape
More wood was removed from forests in 2005 than ever before, one of many troubling environmental signs highlighted on Thursday in the Worldwatch Institutes annual check of the planets health.
More wood was removed from forests in 2005 than ever before, one of many troubling environmental signs highlighted on Thursday in the Worldwatch Institutes annual check of the planets health.
The Washington-based think tanks "Vital Signs 2007-2008" report points to global patterns ranging from rising meat consumption to Asian economic growth it says are linked to the broader problem of climate change.
"I think climate change is the most urgent challenge we have ever faced," said Erik Assadourian, director of the Vital Signs project.
"You see many trends in climate change, whether we are talking about grain production which is affected by droughts and flooding. Or meat production as livestock production makes up about 20 percent of greenhouse gas emissions," he told reporters in a telephone interview before the reports release.
Assadourian said the key message of the report was that unsustainable consumption patterns were responsible for climate change linked to carbon emissions and other ecological woes.
He said of the 44 trends tracked by the report, 28 were "pronouncedly bad" and only six were positive.
The trends range from the spread of avian flu to the rise of carbon emissions to the number of violent conflicts. The growing use of wind power is among the few trends seen as positive.
Some of the points highlighted in the report include:
- Meat production hit a record 276 million metric tons (43 kilograms or 95 pounds per person) in 2006.
- Meat consumption is one of several factors driving rising soybean demand. Rapid expansion of soybean plantations in South America could displace 22 million hectares (54 million acres) of tropical forest and savanna in the next 20 years.
- The rise in global seafood consumption comes as many fish species become scarcer. In 2004, people ate 156 million metric tons of seafood, the equivalent of three times as much seafood per person than in 1950.
Other analysts and think tanks have focused on different trends they say mean less cause for alarm. For example, they point out that while more wood is being removed from forests on a global scale, many parts of Europe and North America have experienced reforestation in recent decades.
地球真的受伤了……
(Agencies) 上周四，世界观察研究学会一年一度的“地球健康体检”报告出炉。2005年，地球的森林砍伐量创历史新高，这是该报告强调的众多环境问题征兆之一。
该驻华盛顿智囊机构在一份题为“地球生命征兆2007-2008”的报告中指出，从肉类消费量的不断增长到亚洲经济发展等各种全球性态势与气候变化这一显著问题都有关系。
“地球声明征兆2007-2008”项目的负责人埃里克?阿萨多利安说，“我认为气候变化是人类有史以来所面临的最严峻的挑战”。
在报告公布前，阿萨多利安在接受记者的电话采访时说，“我们可以看到气候变化中出现的众多趋势，比如，粮食生产受到洪涝灾害的影响；以及肉类生产，据统计，家禽饲养过程中所产生的温室气体占温室气体总排放量的20%”。
阿萨多利安说，这份报告的主题是，二氧化碳排放及其它生态灾难引起气候变化，“不可持续”的消费模式才是气候变化的罪魁祸首。
据他介绍，在报告中提到的44种与气候变化有关的趋势中，有28种“尤为不利”，仅有六种具有积极意义。
这些趋势包括禽流感的蔓延、二氧化碳排放量的增加、以及暴力冲突的增加等。风能使用的日益增多是仅有的几大积极趋势之一。
报告中的一些重点包括：
--2006年，肉类生产量创2.76亿吨（人均43公斤/95磅）的最新记录。
--肉类消费量的增加是造成大豆需求不断增长的几大因素之一。在南美洲，大豆种植面积迅速扩大，这可能会导致未来20年热带森林和热带草原面积减少2200万公顷（5400万英亩）。
--很多鱼类品种日益稀少，全球海鲜消费量增加。2004年，全球共消耗1.56亿吨海鲜产品，人均消费量相当于1950年的三倍。
也有分析人士和相关智囊机构在关注另外一些趋势，他们认为这些趋势可以降低“警报级别”。
例如，尽管全球森林砍伐量创新高，但欧洲和北美的很多地区近几十年来一直在进行再造林。
Young couples quick to give up on marriage
Love is a feeling, marriage is a contract, and relationships are work.
That is the reality for many young Shanghai couples in ailing marriages, facing the prospect of working hard to get through prickly relationship problems or filing for divorce.
And many, it seems, are calling it quits.
According to official statistics, many couples aged under 30 - largely made up of "only children" born after 1980, - are opting to sever the marriage knot, instead of reconciling their relationships.
The latest figures show that from January to May this year, 2,100 young Shanghai couples got divorced, 10 percent up on 2006.
Last year, an average of 102 couples of all ages got divorced every day.
Couples born in the 1980s - and under 30 - are among the most likely to get divorced, with 5,876 Shanghai couples last year saying, ’I don’t any more’.
Shu Xin, the founder of a divorce services company said people born after 1980 were more inclined to go their separate ways than other age groups, and more of them needed marriage counseling.
"They are more self-centered compared with previous generations," Shu said.
"So when they encounter problems in their marriage, many of them will avoid the problem by rushing into a divorce."
Zhang Xiong, an associate professor at East China University of Science and Technology, said young couples "imprudently reached the divorce decision", a contributing factor to the increasing year-on-year divorce rate.
爱情是一种感觉，婚姻是一个约定，而夫妻关系则是一门功课。
这对于上海很多婚姻不幸福的年轻夫妇们来说的确是个现实。他们面临的选择是，要么努力解决好两人之间的问题、要么离婚。
而现在看来，很多人还是选择了放弃。
据官方统计数据，很多30岁以下的夫妇（大多是80年后的独生子女）的选择是离婚，而不是和解。
最新数据显示，从今年1月至5月，上海有2100对年轻夫妇离婚，比2006年上升10%。
去年，上海平均每天有102对夫妻离婚。
其中，80年后出生的、年龄不到30岁的夫妇离婚率最高，去年上海共有5876对30岁以下的夫妇离婚。
一家离婚服务公司的创建者舒心说，80年后的人比其它年龄段的人更有“离婚倾向”，他们更需要婚姻咨询服务。
舒女士说：“与上几代的人相比，80年后的一代以自我为中心的意识更强。”
“所以在婚姻中遇到问题时，很多人就会用草率离婚的方式来逃避问题。”
华东科技大学的张雄副教授说，年轻夫妇“做离婚决定过于草率”，这是离婚率逐年上升的一个重要因素。
Beijing is the most beautiful city in China and Hong Kong the safest and second most beautiful, according to a study by the China Institute of City Competitiveness.
The capital came in ahead of 558 other mainland cities and the two SARs, with a score of 0.756 points out of one for its impressive historical monuments and tourist attractions.
Gui Qiangfang, the institute’s chairman, said: "The capital has a rich history and culture, which have been key to its development."
The assessment took into consideration the cities’ urban design, infrastructure, architecture, culture and natural beauty.
Factors including the preservation of historical monuments, forest coverage, air quality, the transportation network, city life, public space and GDP were also considered.
Hong Kong, which ranked second with 0.666 points, won praise for its skyscrapers, Victoria Harbor and the development of its service industry.
Shenzhen took third spot with 0.664 points, scoring highly for its role as the pioneer of China’s opening up and reform policies.
Shanghai finished fourth with 0.663 points for being the country’s financial center.
In the voting for the safest city, which assessed the social, economic and ecological development, Hong Kong came first with 0.849 points.
In this category, the cities’ crime rates, stability of financial policies, authority of the government, industrial accident rate, food safety and pollution situation, were considered.
The institute said Hong Kong had low crime, and the number of work-related casualties is only 18.4 per 1,000 workers last year.
The SAR also attracted $42.7 billion foreign investment last year, up 19 percent on 2005.
Shanghai ranked second in the safe city poll with 0.712 points, followed by Nanjing with 0.666 points.
The institute said Shanghai is developing a harmonious society ahead of the 2010 World Expo.
据中国城市竞争力研究会的一项调查，北京被评为中国最美丽的城市；香港名列第二，并被评为全国最安全的城市。
首都北京的历史古迹和旅游景点令人印象深刻，因此以0.756分（总分为1分）位居558个内地城市及两个特别行政区之首。
中国城市竞争力研究会会长桂强芳说：“北京悠久的历史和深厚的文化底蕴对它的发展至关重要。”
该评估综合考虑了城市的规划设计、基础设施、建筑风格、文化底蕴和自然景观等因素。
此外，历史古迹的保护、森林覆盖率、空气质量、市政交通、城市生活、公共空间、及GDP等因素也被考虑在内。
香港凭借摩天大楼、维多利亚港及服务业的发展，以0.666分名列第二。
深圳凭其改革开放窗口的特殊地位以0.664分名列第三。
全国金融中心上海以0.663分名列第四。
对最安全城市的评选主要基于社会、经济和生态的发展，香港在这项评选中以0.849分名列第一。
此外，城市的犯罪率、金融政策的稳定性、政府的权威、工伤事故发生率、食品安全及污染状况等因素也被考虑在内。
据中国城市竞争力研究会介绍，香港的犯罪率较低，去年工伤事故的发生率仅为18.4‰（每一千个工人中有18.4起）。
此外，去年香港共吸引外资427亿美元，比2005年增加19%。
上海以0.712分名列第二大最安全城市，其次是南京，得分0.666分。
中国城市竞争力研究会称，上海在2010年世博会召开之前正朝着和谐社会迈进。
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