硬幣的兩面：氣候變遷與環境破壞

政府最重要的角色是保護其公民。在澳大利亞，這通常意味著軍事防禦、與其他國家的聯盟和大量支出。然而，包括我們在內的許多國家政府尚未認識到我們在當前應對日益嚴峻的氣候變遷和環境破壞威脅的鬥爭中面臨失敗的事實。

The world is facing two environmental crises: climate change and biodiversity loss. Both are critical and must be addressed simultaneously.

世界正面臨兩大環境危機：氣候變遷和生物多樣性喪失。兩者都很重要，必須同時解決。

Climate change is a pressing issue that has been widely recognized and discussed. The world is experiencing rising temperatures, extreme weather events, and sea level rise, all of which are impacting ecosystems, human societies, and economies.

氣候變遷是一個已被廣泛認識和討論的迫切問題。世界正在經歷氣溫上升、極端天氣事件和海平面上升，所有這些都在影響生態系統、人類社會和經濟。

To mitigate climate change, reducing fossil fuel emissions is crucial. However, despite commitments made at previous UN Climate Change Conferences (COPs), such as COP28, some countries, including Australia, have failed to follow through on their promises to phase out fossil fuels.

為了減緩氣候變化，減少化石燃料排放至關重要。然而，儘管在先前的聯合國氣候變遷會議（COP）（例如 COP28）上做出了承諾，但包括澳洲在內的一些國家未能兌現逐步淘汰化石燃料的承諾。

This failure is concerning, especially given the petro states among them, and the wealthiest democratic countries in the world, such as Australia, that are hiding their sins with their success with renewable energy.

這種失敗令人擔憂，特別是考慮到其中的石油國家以及世界上最富有的民主國家（例如澳洲）正在透過再生能源的成功來掩蓋自己的罪惡。

While climate change is a critical issue, biodiversity loss is equally severe and often overlooked. Biodiversity encompasses the variety of life on Earth, including the different species, genes, and ecosystems.

雖然氣候變遷是一個關鍵問題，但生物多樣性喪失同樣嚴重且經常被忽視。生物多樣性涵蓋地球上生命的多樣性，包括不同的物種、基因和生態系統。

This variety is essential for maintaining ecosystem services, such as food production, water purification, and carbon sequestration, which are critical for human well-being and survival.

這種多樣性對於維持糧食生產、水淨化和碳封存等生態系統服務至關重要，而這些服務對人類福祉和生存至關重要。

However, human activities, such as habitat destruction, pollution, and overexploitation, are leading to a rapid decline in biodiversity, threatening the stability and resilience of ecosystems.

然而，棲息地破壞、污染和過度開發等人類活動正在導致生物多樣性迅速下降，威脅生態系統的穩定性和復原力。

In Australia, the recent State of the Environment report highlights the concerning losses of mammals, deforestation, and degradation of soils, which are vital for agriculture and food production.

在澳大利亞，最近的環境狀況報告強調了令人擔憂的哺乳動物損失、森林砍伐和土壤退化，這些對農業和糧食生產至關重要。

The report also emphasizes the need for urgent action to protect and restore biodiversity, especially in light of rising temperatures and increasing floods, droughts, storms, and fires.

報告還強調需要採取緊急行動來保護和恢復生物多樣性，特別是考慮到氣溫上升以及洪水、乾旱、風暴和火災的加劇。

To ensure the survival of both the world and Australia, both climate change and biodiversity loss must be addressed.

為了確保世界和澳洲的生存，必須解決氣候變遷和生物多樣性喪失。

While world temperature is largely determined by the combined emissions of all countries, Australia's survival also depends on shifting from environmentally damaging practices to enhancing the resilience of ecosystems.

雖然世界氣溫很大程度上取決於所有國家的排放總量，但澳洲的生存也取決於從破壞環境的做法轉向增強生態系統的復原力。

If world temperature peaks at 2.5 or 3.0 degrees C in the coming decades, will Australia still have functioning ecosystems?

如果未來幾十年世界氣溫高峰達到攝氏 2.5 或 3.0 度，澳洲還會擁有正常運作的生態系統嗎？

This question highlights the urgency of collective action and the need to prioritize both facets of the environmental crisis.

這個問題凸顯了採取集體行動的迫切性以及優先考慮環境危機的兩個面向的必要性。

Unfortunately, many members of parliament do not fully grasp the role of ecological services in our survival, and those who do often prioritize measures that will ensure electoral success, such as focusing on economic growth at all costs.

不幸的是，許多議員並沒有完全理解生態服務在我們生存中的作用，而那些真正理解的人往往會優先考慮確保選舉成功的措施，例如不惜一切代價關注經濟成長。

As a result, the fate of our nation may be decided by rising temperatures and the eventual collapse of ecological services.

因此，我們國家的命運可能取決於氣溫上升和生態服務的最終崩潰。

Despite the Biodiversity Council and other organizations documenting high public support for increased environmental protection, this issue ranks lower on the list of public concerns, such as the cost of living and housing.

儘管生物多樣性理事會和其他組織記錄了公眾對加強環境保護的高度支持，但這個問題在生活和住房成本等公眾關注的問題上排名較低。

Consequently, funding for the environment remains insufficient.

因此，環境資金仍然不足。

Soil, which serves as our ecological life support system for food production, is teeming with diverse species, including bacteria, fungi, viruses, nematodes, mites, worms, and insects—two-thirds of all species on the planet—that work together to maintain its resilience and provide essential services.

土壤是我們糧食生產的生態生命支持系統，充滿了多種物種，包括細菌、真菌、病毒、線蟲、蟎蟲、蠕蟲和昆蟲——佔地球上所有物種的三分之二——它們共同努力，保持其彈性並提供基本服務。

However, many of these species, including insects, are experiencing significant declines.

然而，其中許多物種，包括昆蟲，正在經歷顯著下降。

Current farming practices, aimed at maximizing food production, are damaging soil and its constituent species, along with current water policies and land and forest clearance.

目前旨在最大限度地提高糧食產量的農業實踐正在破壞土壤及其組成物種，以及當前的水政策以及土地和森林砍伐。

To ensure the health and sustainability of our soils, we must reform intensive farming practices and, if necessary, establish a legal framework to do so.

為了確保土壤的健康和永續性，我們必須改革集約化耕作方式，並在必要時建立法律框架。

Soil health is maintained by the addition of organic matter, which breaks down to provide nutrients for plants. However, in many modern farming systems, fertilizers are used instead to maintain and increase crop yields.

透過添加有機物來維持土壤健康，有機物分解為植物提供養分。然而，在許多現代農業系統中，肥料被用來維持和增加作物產量。

This practice depletes the living soil, making it more susceptible to erosion by increasingly severe storms.

這種做法會耗盡活土，使其更容易受到日益嚴重的風暴的侵蝕。

Those in our governance systems have yet to fully consider the possibility that we are already experiencing environmental demise, of which rising temperature is just one aspect.

我們的治理系統尚未充分考慮我們已經經歷環境消亡的可能性，氣溫上升只是其中一個面向。

However, this possibility is on the minds of many scientists who are observing the current rise in epidemics of disease in human and other species, the ongoing failure of laws preventing loss of vegetation, and the mismanagement and pollution of water resources.

然而，許多科學家都在考慮這種可能性，他們正在觀察當前人類和其他物種疾病流行的增加、防止植被喪失的法律的持續失敗以及水資源的管理不善和污染。

Where is the government education of the public on the essential causes of the biodiversity demise? The total number of people, the “population” of a nation, is the leading factor in the demise of its biodiversity.

政府對公眾關於生物多樣性消亡的根本原因的教育在哪裡？人口總數，即一個國家的“人口”，是其生物多樣性消亡的主要因素。

Yet, Australia still doesn't have a population policy.

然而，澳洲仍然沒有人口政策。

Currently, a biodiverse forest in Manyana, NSW, has received national approval to be felled for the construction of 153 houses under an Environmental Act that is 25 years old, completely disregarding the current biodiversity crisis and facilitating it through state and government ignorance.

目前，新南威爾斯州馬亞納市的一片生物多樣性森林已獲得國家批准，根據一項已有25 年歷史的環境法案，可以砍伐該森林用於建造153 棟房屋，這完全無視當前的生物多樣性危機，並透過州和政府的無知助長了這場危機。

This month, Environmental Justice Australia, a prestigious organization, reacted to government permission for the extension of three NSW coal mines with the following words:

本月，著名組織澳洲環境正義組織對政府批准新南威爾斯州三個煤礦的擴建做出如下回應：

"This is a betrayal of our environment. A betrayal of our children. A betrayal of all that we hold dear."

“這是對我們環境的背叛。對我們孩子的背叛。對我們所珍視的一切的背叛。”

When combined with the increase in gas production, these actions

當與天然氣產量的增加相結合時，這些行動