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Climate change can be a confusing subject to talk about because so many people seem to confuse climate with weather.
气候变化可能是一个令人困惑的话题，因为很多人似乎把气候和天气搞混了。
The world's climate is not the same thing as the weather.
世界的气候和天气不是一回事。
But what does that mean?
这是什么意思呢？
What exactly is the difference between weather and climate?
天气和气候到底有什么不同？
Mostly, the difference is time.
在很大程度上，区别在于时间。
Weather is the set of conditions in the atmosphere at a specific location at a specific time.
天气是在特定时间特定地点的大气条件的组合。
Weather changes day to day, hour to hour.
而天气每天、每小时都在变化。
But climate describes the average conditions in an area over a long period of time.
但是气候描述的是一个地区在很长一段时间内的平均状况。
Climate changes over decades or centuries.
几十年或几个世纪的气候变化。
And it's not just time though, it's also area.
这不仅仅是时间的问题，也是区域的问题。
Weather is sometimes different just a few miles away.
就在几英里之外，天气有时会有所不同。
But climate is often used to describe whole regions of the planet.
但气候经常被用来描述地球上的整个地区。
Here's an example of these differences.
以下是这些差异的一个例子。
What's the weather like in Timbuktu, Mali?
马里廷巴克图的天气怎么样？
Well, the answer depends on when you're watching this video.
好吧，答案取决于你什么时候看这段视频。
It might be hot or it might be cool.
天气可能很热，也可能很凉爽。
It might be sunny or cloudy.
可能是晴天，也可能是多云。
And it might even be cooler in one part of the city than another.
这座城市的一个地方甚至可能比另一个地方凉爽。
Timbuktu is located in the Sahara Desert.
廷巴克图位于撒哈拉沙漠。
Now what is the climate of the Sahara Desert like?
那么撒哈拉沙漠的气候是什么样的呢？
Well, that's easier.
嗯，那就容易多了。
The Sahara has a hot, dry climate.
撒哈拉沙漠气候炎热干燥。
High atmospheric pressure combined with a tropical location mean high levels of solar radiation heat the region up.
高气压加上地处热带地区意味着高水平的太阳辐射使该地区变得更热。
And that's true even when it's cool or cloudy, because the climate isn't about what's happening right now.
即使在凉爽或多云的时候也是如此，因为气候与现在发生的事情无关。
It's about what happens on average.
它是关于平均发生的事情。
That difference in scale isn't just semantics either.
这种规模上的差异也不仅仅是语义上的。
Slight changes in weather are rarely cause for concern.
天气的轻微变化很少会引起人们的担忧。
If it's warm in the morning and cooler at night, that's pretty normal.
如果早上暖和，晚上凉爽，那是很正常的。
But small changes in climate can cause big problems.
但气候的微小变化可能会引发大问题。
If climate change happens too quickly, plants and animals that have evolved to take advantage of a certain climate can be threatened.
如果气候变化发生得太快，为利用特定气候而进化的动植物可能会受到威胁。
And climate change can have big impacts on people too.
气候变化也会对人们产生重大影响。
Because climate describes average conditions, a small climate change can mask big weather events.
因为气候描述的是平均情况，一个小的气候变化就能掩盖大的天气事件。
A change in climate can affect crops and increase risks of natural disasters, like hurricanes, flooding, and wildfires.
气候变化可能会影响农作物，增加飓风、洪水和野火等自然灾害的风险。
So next time you step outside and the weather is colder than you expected, remember that weather isn't climate.
所以下次当你走出家门时，天气比你想象的要冷，记住天气不是气候。
Even in our warming world, there will be some chilly evenings.
即使在我们这个变暖的世界，也会有一些寒冷的夜晚。
