Scientists have long been predicting that global warming will increase extreme weather events around the world. Recent examples of such events are floods in Pakistan, extreme heat in Europe and drought in China, East Africa, northern Mexico, and the U.S. West.
长期以来，科学家们一直在预测，全球变暖将增加世界各地的极端天气事件。近期此类事件的例子包括巴基斯坦的洪水、欧洲的极端高温以及中国、东非、墨西哥北部和美国西部的干旱。
 
"With just over one degree of warming since pre-industrial times, we are already seeing more extreme weather patterns," said Elizabeth Robinson. She is director of the Grantham Research Institute in London.
伊丽莎白罗宾逊说：“自前工业时代以来，气温刚刚超过 1 度，我们已经看到了更多的极端天气模式。” 她是伦敦格兰瑟姆研究所的所长。
 
Kim Cobb is a climate scientist at Brown University in Rhode Island. She said researchers are now starting to get more exact details about the speed, size, and timing of climate changes. This includes details about how effects can be very different from region to region.
Kim Cobb 是罗德岛布朗大学的气候科学家。她说，研究人员现在开始获得有关气候变化速度、规模和时间的更准确的细节。这包括有关影响如何因地区而异的详细信息。
 
Scientists usually compare the average global temperature today to estimates for the pre-industrial period. That is when the burning of fossil fuels first started to increase.
科学家们通常将今天的全球平均温度与前工业化时期的估计值进行比较。那是化石燃料的燃烧开始增加的时候。
 
The average global temperature has increased between 0.9 and 1.2 degrees Celsius since 1850, mostly because of human activity. Those numbers come from estimates in the most recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC. Most of that warming has happened since 1975, at a rate of 0.15 Celsius to 0.2 Celsius per decade.
自 1850 年以来，全球平均气温上升了 0.9 到 1.2 摄氏度，主要是由于人类活动。这些数字来自政府间气候变化专门委员会 (IPCC) 最新报告中的估计。大部分变暖发生在 1975 年以来，每十年升温 0.15 到 0.2 摄氏度。
 
The average temperature in 2021 was 1.3 degrees higher than the 20th century average.
2021 年的平均气温比 20 世纪的平均气温高 1.3 度。
 
But most people are living in places where the temperature has increased more than the global average. That is because more and more people are living in urban areas. These areas can trap heat because of the many roads and buildings and because they have fewer trees. Trees help make an area cooler.
但大多数人生活在气温升高超过全球平均水平的地方。那是因为越来越多的人生活在城市地区。由于道路和建筑物众多，而且树木较少，这些区域可以吸收热量。树木有助于使区域凉爽。
 
Climate and global temperatures have changed throughout the Earth's history. But it is the speed of recent changes that worries researchers.
气候和全球温度在整个地球历史上都发生了变化。但令研究人员担忧的是最近变化的速度。
 
Adapting to dangerous weather events is one big way humans can limit damage from climate change. Weather-related disaster deaths are generally going down in number globally. That is because weather predictions have improved and because people are more prepared, scientists say.
适应危险的天气事件是人类限制气候变化损害的一种重要方式。全球与天气有关的灾害死亡人数普遍下降。科学家们说，这是因为天气预报有所改善，而且人们准备得更充分。
 
Robinson, the Grantham Research Institute scientist, said, "The extent to which people are harmed by an extreme weather event is strongly influenced by government policies."
格兰瑟姆研究所的科学家罗宾逊说：“人们受极端天气事件伤害的程度很大程度上受政府政策的影响。”
 
She added that "there are limits to adaptation."
她补充说，“适应是有限度的。”