從 DSCOVR 看到的地球，圖片來源：NASA 戈達德太空飛行中心
Our Pale Blue Dot
One of the benefits of planetary science is the perspective it provides of our home planet, and an appreciation of its fragility in space. The Apollo astronauts marveled at the spectacle of this lovely blue and white marble, suspended above the lunar horizon – an oasis of color in a vast ocean of blackness. As we explore the other worlds in our solar system, it becomes readily apparent that even in the most dystopian conditions we can imagine, a war-torn, polluted, irradiated Earth in the midst of nuclear winter would still be a paradise compared to the extreme, inhospitable environments we find on Mars and Venus, our closest neighbors in space.
三顆行星的故事
例如，在火星上生活比搬到南極洲困難得多。火星上沒有空氣可以呼吸；平均氣溫低至攝氏零下63度，塵埃有毒，地表受到來自太空的有害輻射，而且沒有地表水——還需要我繼續說下去嗎？
丈夫希爾，火星，圖片來源：NASA
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金星表面的藝術再現；光線被濃密的大氣層折射，將地平線彎曲成碗狀。 （圖片由基於科學數據的人工智慧工具產生。）
Carl Sagan testifying before Congress in 1985 on climate change.
Planetary scientists were among the first to realize that increasing levels of CO2 in our atmosphere could bring about serious, problematic changes in our climate. Venus became a poster child for the worst case scenario – when greenhouse gases build up in the atmosphere to such a degree that your ocean completely evaporates, and the surface becomes hot enough to melt a block of lead.
If you could manage to survive on the surface for more than a few seconds, you’d find yourself subject to crushing atmospheric pressures – like being submerged in Earth’s ocean at a depth of 3,000 ft. In this dark and gloomy place, the light around you is constantly warped by the dense atmosphere, making it seem like you’re standing in a bowl.
採取行動的必要性
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地球作為一個星球，無法免受溫室氣體排放增加的影響。人類產生的二氧化碳所捕獲的能量導致全球平均氣溫上升。這對全球系統造成了破壞性影響，為我們以及與我們共享地球的其他動物創造了日益危險的生存環境。
情況可能會變得更糟，因為到目前為止，我們的海洋已經吸收了大部分釋放的二氧化碳，但吸收的速度正在減慢。我們需要大幅減少二氧化碳排放量，而要做到這一點，我們必須關注溫室氣體的兩個最大來源—能源生產和運輸。
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簡而言之，我們需要盡快徹底擺脫汽油和柴油，並確保我們的電網由清潔能源供電。
好消息是，只要有適當的激勵措施和基礎設施，電動車如今已成為汽油車的可行替代品。在能源方面，太陽能和風能與電池儲能結合，已經比化石燃料替代品更經濟、更安全，因此，轉向清潔能源對工業界來說變得越來越明智。
我們很自豪地說，我們的天文台完全由星光供電——也就是說，一個12千瓦的屋頂光電系統，配備54千瓦時的電池儲能係統。我們的交通需求由兩輛起亞電動車滿足。
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科羅拉多州大章克申附近的松樹峽谷火災。圖片來自 Rawpixel。
What's Next?
Some years back, my daughter and I had the privilege of meeting Al Gore in Los Angeles, and we signed up to become trained and certified Climate Reality trainers. Consequently, if your organization would like a free presentation on this topic, anywhere in world, drop us a line at info@bracken-observatory.com, and we’ll be happy to help set that up for you! Better yet, sign up to become a Climate Reality Leader yourself at climaterealityproject.org/training.