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By now, there are lots of things about climate change you probably think you know, like how carbon dioxide could lead to a warmer atmosphere or how melting ice could raise sea levels.
现在，有很多关于气候变化的事情你可能认为你知道，像二氧化碳如何导致大气变暖或者融化的冰如何提高海平面。
Those ideas are more right than wrong, but the truth is it's complicated.
这些想法是正确的，但事实却是复杂的。
While certain natural functions need CO2, too much could throw off the planet's carbon-cycle balance.
虽然某些自然的功能需要二氧化碳，过多可能会影响地球的碳循环平衡。
A 2014 study, for example, showed plants can absorb more CO2 than we thought,about 1 trillion tons. And more carbon dioxide can even help plants grow.
例如，一项2014年的研究表明，植物吸收的二氧化碳比我们想象的要多，大约有1万亿吨。更多的二氧化碳甚至可以帮助植物生长。
But too much atmospheric CO2 can ultimately hinder plant growth because it can influence weather patterns, like longer droughts.
但大气太多的CO2最终会阻碍植物的生长，因为它会影响天气模式，比如更长的干旱。
Although human activity is driving the increase in CO2, we might only partly contribute to other climate change phenomena.
虽然人类活动正在推动二氧化碳的增加，我们可能只是部分地促进了其它气候变化现象。
In a recent study, scientists found things that happen naturally, like temperature flux and solar radiation, make up as much as half of the overall decline in sea ice.
在最近的一项研究中，科学家发现自然发生的事情如温度通量和太阳辐射，构成了海冰整体下降一半。
So, sea ice melt isn't entirely our fault, but we do still contribute at least half and that's a problem.
因此，海冰融化并不完全是我们的错，但我们仍然贡献至少一半，这是一个问题。
Sea ice reflects sunlight, which keeps Earth cool. Less of it means the dark ocean can absorb more light, which heats up the planet.
海冰反射阳光使地球保持凉爽。它的减少意味着深蓝的海洋可以吸收更多的阳光使地球变热。
But melting sea ice doesn't raise sea levels. Research attributes that to land ice, from mountain glaciers and ice sheets that flow into the ocean.
但是融化的海冰并不能提高海平面。研究发现是流入海洋的高山冰川和冰原使海平面上升。
Think of it like adding water to an already full glass,eventually it will overflow.
想想，就好像是把水倒在已经满了的杯子里，最终它会溢出来。
译文属可可原创，仅供学习交流使用，未经许可请勿转载。
