Unit6 carrying capacity 课文加翻译.docx

Unit6 carrying capacity：earth’s bottom lineIt takes no stretch of the imagination to see that thehuman species is now an agent of change of geologicproportions. We literally move mountains to mine theearth’s minerals, redirect rivers to build cities in thedesert, torch forests to make way for crops and cattle,and alter the chemistry of the atmosphere in disposing of our wastes. At humanity’s hand, the earth isundergoing a profound transformation-one withconsequences we cannot fully grasp.没有一点点想象明白人类带来地理比例的变化,我们移山开采地球的矿物质,重定向的河流在沙漠中建造城市,为了农作物和畜牧烧森林来让路,并改变大气的化学处理的废物。对于人类,地球正在经历一个深远的改变-这一结果我们不能完全控制.It may be the ultimate irony that, in our efforts tomake the earth yield more for ourselves, we arediminishing its ability to sustain lifeof all kinds,humans included. Signs of environmental constraintsare now pervasive. Cropland is scarcely expandingany more, and a good portion of existing agriculturalland is losing fertility. Grasslands have been overgrazed and fisheries overharvested, limiting theamount of additional food from these sources. Waterbodies have suffered extensive depletion and pollution, severely restricting future food production andurban expansion. And natural forests-which helpstabilize the climate, moderate water supplies, andharbor a majority of the planet’s terrestrial biodiversity-continue to recede.它可能是最终的讽刺,在我们努力使地球产量更多,我们正在消弱其维持生命的能力。包括人类,环境约束是现在普遍的迹象。农田几乎扩大了,和相当一部分现有的农业土地失去肥力。草地的过度放牧和渔业的过度捕捞，从这些来源限制额外的食物数量。水域已经遭受大量的损耗和污染，严重地限制未来的粮食生产和城市扩张。并且原始森林帮助稳定气候，减缓水的供应，并且保持大量地球的生物多样性，持续减弱。These trends are not new. Human societies havebeen altering the earth since they began. But the paceand scale of degradation that started about mid-century-and continues today-is historically new. Thecentral conundrum of sustainable development isnow all too apparent: Population and economiesgrow exponentially, but the natural resources thatsupport them do not.这些趋势并不新鲜。人类社会已经从他们开始改变地球。但退化的速度和规模,开始于中世纪一直持续到今天，是前所未有的。可持续发展的核心难题现在太明显:人口和经济以指数形式增长，但自然资源不能维持他们。Biologists o