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Carbon dioxide, or CO2, is the main greenhouse gas in climate change.
二氧化碳，又叫CO2，是气候变化中温室效应气体的主要成分
So how does CO2 get into our atmosphere?
co2是如何进入我们大气层的？
Well, carbon is part of a cycle. It starts with the sun,
碳是循环的一部分，它始于太阳
which heats the Earth's surface with more energy in one hour than the whole world uses in a year.
太阳用很大的能量照射地球表面，一个小时的能量比我们一年的使用量还要多
Plants, which are kind of like biological chefs,
植物就像是一种生物厨师
take that sunlight, and then suck in some CO2 from the air, mix them together, and BAM!
利用阳光，吸收空气中的二氧化碳，将它们混合，存储
They create a stored form of energy, in the form of carbohydrates such as glucose and sucrose.
植物在生成碳水化合物时会生成一种可以存储的能量，这个碳水化合物是葡萄糖，蔗糖等等
The process is called photosynthesis.
这个过程被称为光合作用
When animals like us eat those plants, our stomachs convert that food back into energy for our own growth.
当动物，譬如我们，吃这些植物时，我们的胃将食物转化为提供给我们生长所使用的能量
Greenhouse gases are a byproduct of this process, and are released through waste.
温室气体是这一过程的副产品，会通过损耗释放
If those plants die, they decompose, and tiny microorganisms break down those carbohydrates
如果这些植物死亡，它们会分解，同时微生物再一次分解这些碳水化合物
and again, release greenhouse gases as a byproduct.
将温室气体作为一种副产品释放
As you see, energy originates from the sun. It is then transferred as it moves through the food chain.
正如你看到的那样，能量来源于太阳并通过食物链转移
But sometimes, carbon based organisms like plants or animals get stuck in the earth.
但是，有时候植物和动物等生物体内的碳会被埋到地里
When this happens, they're compressed under tons of pressure,
当这种情况出现时，它们会被巨大的压力压缩
and turned into carbon-based fossil fuels, like oil, coal or natural gas.
然后转化为含碳的化石燃料，譬如石油，木炭，天然气
Since the Industrial Revolution, humans have been pulling those fossil fuels out of the ground
自从工业革命以来，人们已经挖掘出这些化石燃料了
and burning them, activating the stored energy to make electricity and power engines.
使用它们，产生可存储的能量，以此能量来发电或者为机器供能
But the thing is it also releases millions of years worth of stored CO2 back into the air.
但是这也使得数百万年来存储的二氧化碳被释放，重新进去空气中。
In addition, humans breathe in oxygen and breathe out CO2. But plants do the opposite.
除此之外，人类也会吸入氧气呼出二氧化碳。但是植物恰恰相反
Trees suck up huge amounts of CO2, which balances the cycle.
树木吸收大量的二氧化碳以平衡碳循环
Thus, deforestation reduces the plants that store CO2.
因此，森林开采减少了能储存二氧化碳的植物
We're attacking the cycle from both sides.
我们正在从两方面破坏碳循环
Think of it like a computer. A computer can operate a few programs at a time, right?
从计算机的角度来思考，一个计算机能够同时执行一些进程，对吧？
Normally, when you've finished with a document, you save, and you close it, so as not to overwork the computer.
一般来说，当你处理完一份文件，你会保存然后关闭它，只要计算机不是过度工作的
Then, imagine you stopped closing your documents. So they were all open at once.
接下来，想象你停止关闭文档。它们会立即全部打开
Your computer wouldn't be able to process it all.
你的电脑将不能处理它
It would start to slow down, and then to freeze, and eventually it would crash.
它将会开始变慢，接下来卡住，最后它将会崩溃
Which might be where our environment is heading if we keep overloading the carbon cycle.
如果我们保持碳循环过载的话，我们的环境也会走向同样的结果
So is there any way to rebalance the ecosystem?
所以有什么办法重新平衡碳循环吗？
What about technology? Technology is defined as a technique to solve a problem.
技术呢？技术被定义为解决一个问题的技巧
And so, sustainable technologies are those whose output is equal to their input.
所以可持续的技术就是让它的投入等于产出
They do not create negative externalities, such as CO2, in the present or the future.
他们不会产生负的外部效应，比如二氧化碳，不管是在现在还是在未来。
They sort of cancel themselves out to solve the problem.
这在抵消自己的二氧化碳排量上解决了这个问题
To achieve this, we need to invent sustainable technologies.
为了实现这个目标，我们需要发明可持续技术
If we put all the ideas and technologies ever created into one circle,
如果我们将全部的想法和技术用来创建一个循环
then invention is the pushing of the boundaries of that circle.
然后这个发明将推动循环边界的发展
And the area outside of the circle is infinite, meaning the potential for invention is limitless.
循环外的空间是无限的，这意味着发明创造的可能是有限的
Think about some of the incredible clean technologies we have today. All those ideas have one thing in common.
想想现今的洁净技术（能源）。所有这些有一点是相同的
They all came from people. People innovate. People create.
它们都来源于人类，人类创新，人类创造。
It's the limitless potential of creative people to build unimagined technologies
有创造性的人们发明不可思议的技术，这个可能性是有限的。
that is going to stop climate changeand rebalance the ecosystem.
这些技术指的是使得气候变化停止，生态系统平衡的技术。
And that is something to be hopeful about.
虽然可能性有限，但是是有希望的。
