我们的地球是一个极其复杂的动态机器
Our home planet is a complex and dynamic machine.
它的陆地 海洋及大气层
Its land, ocean and atmosphere provides everything
提供了人类生存繁衍所需要的一切
that we humans need to thrive.
但现今 人类活动
But now, human activity is throwing
使地球上这些和谐的系统逐渐失衡
the planet's finely tuned systems out of balance.
但这些系统是什么
But what are these systems?
地球又是如何运作
How does the Earth work?
人类如何才能在地球上可持续地生活
And how can we live sustainably on Planet Earth?
行星地球
用户指南
第一部分 启动地球
欢迎来到今年的英国皇家科学院圣诞讲座
Welcome to this year's Royal Institution Christmas Lectures.
今年是特殊的一年
This year has been a bit different,
我们也不得不做出一些改变
so we're going to have to do things a bit differently.
没错 自一八二五年
That's right. For the first time since 1825,
迈克尔·法拉第创立讲座以来
when Michael Faraday created these lectures,
首次出现讲座现场没有观众的情况
we're not going to have a live audience here in the theatre with us,
但若法拉第知道 全英国
but Faraday would be amazed to know
以及爱尔兰的孩子们
that we are joined by children
在家或学校 正通过屏幕加入我们的讲座
watching from their homes and their schools
一定会感到相当惊讶
all over the UK and Ireland.
观众将通过虚拟平台在讲座中轮流出现
It's a virtual audience that will rotate as we go through the lectures.
大家好 欢迎你们 打个招呼吧
So, hello and welcome. Give us a wave.
今年不同的事不止于此
And that's not the only thing we're doing differently this year.
我们三位将各自的专业知识融合在一起
This year, we have combined our expertise
因此今年讲座涵盖的内容
so that between the three of us,
将与地球本身一样 包罗万象
we can cover a subject as big as the Earth itself.
你们将在第二部分见到我
So, you'll next see me in lecture two,
这部分将对海洋进行讨论
where we'll be talking about the oceans.
我们将在第三部分了解大气层
And with me in lecture three, we'll be looking at the atmosphere.
我是克里斯·杰克逊 一名地质学家
I'm Chris Jackson and I'm a geologist and in my lecture,
我将在讲座中为大家展示
I'm going to show you
数十亿年来 地球气候是如何随着
how the Earth's climate has changed over billions of years
一系列惊人的自然进程而演变的
in response to an amazing array of natural processes.
通过这种方式 我们也许能更容易理解
And by doing that, we can then maybe better understand
未来气候将如何变化
how the climate could change in the future.
让我们回到一切的开始
So let's go back to the beginning.
四十五亿年前的地球仍是一片混沌
4.5 billion years ago was literally hell on Earth.
地表温度高达两百摄氏度
200 degrees Celsius, that's four to five times hotter
是如今地球上最热之处的四到五倍
than the hottest place on Earth today.
这样的地球是如何成为我们宜居的家园的呢
So how did we go from that to the place we now call home?
为了更直观地展示 我将与你们一同
Well, to show you, I need you to
在皇家科学院走一段一百米的旅程
join me on a 100 metre long journey
而我走的每一步
around the Royal Institution,
都代表着五千万年
where every step will be 50 million years.
我们最好快点启程
We'd better get a move on.
那时候 大气层中
Back then, there would have been
还没有生存所需的氧气
no life-giving oxygen in the atmosphere.
大气层中充斥着
Instead, it would have been
由二氧化碳 甲烷和氨组成的有毒混合气体
a poisonous soup of carbon dioxide, methane and ammonia.
这里是生命的禁区
This would have been a tough place to live.
距今
三十八亿年
大概三十八亿年前
But then, about 3.8 billion years ago..
随着海洋的形成 生命诞生了
..the oceans formed and life appeared.
叠石层是最早出现的开拓者
Stromatolites were a trailblazer.
这些细小的微生物
These tiny microbial critters not only coped
不仅能忍♥受极端高温和有毒气体
with the boiling temperatures and the toxic gases,
还能吸收二氧化碳
but they were able to take carbon dioxide
并将其转化为生命所需的氧气
and turn it into life-giving oxygen.
但直到走廊尽头 在这二十二亿五千万年里
But for 2.25 billion years, until the end of this corridor,
大气层中的氧气依旧极度稀缺
there was still hardly any oxygen in the atmosphere
二十四亿年
距今
直到发生了大氧化事件
..until the Great Oxygenation Event
以太阳光为能源的细菌
when some sun-worshipping bacteria
开始吸收大气层中的二氧化碳
learned to take CO2 out of the atmosphere,
进行光合作用并产出氧气
producing food with oxygen being the waste product.
但当时地球气候并不稳定
But the Earth's climate was restless.
时而大雪纷飞 如同处在水晶球中
Sometimes, it was Snowball Earth,
时而如同进了《热带俱乐部》
other times literally Club Tropicana.
有时却又几乎什么都没有
And then, at other times, almost nothing
人们称之为"无聊的十亿年"
during the so-called Boring Billion.
但在十亿年前 事情变得有趣起来
But one billion years ago, things got really exciting.
海绵动物出现了 单细胞生物让位于
Sponges appeared and single-celled organisms gave way
距今
七亿五千万年
结构更加复杂的多细胞生物 即动物
to complex multi-cellular life that we now know as animals.
生命得以降临
Life finds a way.
五亿四千一百万年前 寒武纪大爆发
And then, 541 million years ago, the Cambrian explosion,
距今
五亿四千一百万年
海洋内外的生命喷涌而来
an eruption of life inside and outside the oceans.
动物 植物 花朵
Animals, plants, flowers.
然而两亿五千两百万年前
But then, 252 million years ago
百分之七十五的物种灭绝了
75% of all species went extinct.
生物大灭绝
生命从来都不容易
Life is never easy.
灭绝的灰烬中进化出了更为复杂的新生命
And out of the ashes, new and more complex life evolved.
恐龙来了又去了
Dinosaurs came, and went.
至少是不会飞的那些
The flightless ones, anyway.
灵长目出现了 随后 距今二十万年前
Primates appeared. And then, 200,000 years ago,
智人也出现了
Homo sapiens emerged.
在我们走完皇家科学院
And after our 100 metre long journey
这一百米旅程之后
around the Royal Institution,
所有文明的长度都只相当于一根头发的宽度
all of civilisation can fit on the width of a single human hair.
现如今 人类占领了地球每个角落
And we now occupy every corner of the globe
拥有了绝对的主导权
and we've become so dominant,
开始对地球的系统以及其中的生命
we've started to influence the Earth's system
产生影响
and the life on it.
我们定义了一个新的地质时代 人类世
We've defined a new geological epoch, the Anthropocene.
仅仅两百年间
And in only 200 years,
地球上的人口
the Earth's population has gone
从十亿激增至七十多亿
from around one billion to more than seven billion,
遍布全球的人类产生了真正的全球性影响
and this global presence has had a truly global impact
实际上 人类已经开始
and we've actually started to
改变地球上最根本的东西之一 大气层
change one of the most fundamental things on the Earth,
从而引起了气候的变化
the atmosphere, driving changes in our very climate.
我们已经讲过许多与气候相关的内容
So we've talked already a lot about climate,
但气候和天气之间有什么不同呢
but how does that differ to the weather?
天气描述的是
Well, the weather describes things
温度 降雨量
like temperature and, say, rainfall.
实际上 天气会告诉你该穿什么衣服
Effectively, weather tells you what to take out of your wardrobe.
你们一直认真听课
Now, you've been waiting very patiently,
现在让我来问问你们
so I would like to come and ask you
你们认为明天的天气怎么样
what do you think the weather is going to be like tomorrow?
我走到这块屏幕前
I'm just coming up to this screen here
我想问问阿斯玛
and I am going to ask Asmah
你觉得呢
What do you think?
你觉得是会下雨 下雪 还是
Do you think it might be rainy or snowy, or?
你觉得明天的天气会是怎样的
What do you think it's going to be like tomorrow?
我觉得会下雨
I think it's going to rain.
你觉得会下雨 很好
You think it's going to rain, brilliant.
好吧 让我们来看一看
OK, let's go and see,
因为我碰巧有个魔力衣橱
because I happen to have a magic wardrobe.
让我们看看今天是否会下雨
Let's see if it's going to rain today.
对不起 是明天
Or tomorrow, sorry.
天啊 阿斯玛 你说对了 快看
Oh, my word, Aasmah! You got it right, look.
你准备得很充分
You are perfectly prepared.
穿着雨衣 打着雨伞 非常感谢
You know, rain jacket, umbrella. Thank you so much.
好吧 这是其中一个人的看法
OK, that's one out of one.
让我们回到这里 我们还有谁
Let's go back up here. Who have we got?
康斯坦西亚和阿兰娜 你们怎么认为
Constancia and Alanah, what do you think?
清晨可能会非常冷
It will probably be relatively frosty in the morning
因为现在是十二月
because it's December.
谢谢你 康斯坦西亚
Thank you, Constancia.