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The world's oceans have absorbed about half of all the carbon dioxide released so far into the atmosphere by industry,
全世界的海洋吸收了工业排放到 大气层中几乎一半的二氧化碳
significantly reducing the greenhouse effect.
显着地减少了温室效应
But there's a catch—
但这有个隐情...
for the fish, all that extra carbon dioxide in the water can have some unwanted side effects.
对于鱼类而言 水中额外的二氧化碳 会产生它们不希望的副作用
All life in the Pacific is dependent on the tiniest of creatures—the plankton that floats freely in the currents.
太平洋里所有的生命都依赖于最微小的生物——在洋流里自由地飘浮的浮游生物
One of the most plentiful is the sea butterfly,
其中最丰富的一种是海蝴蝶
a tiny marine snail, which uses its enlarged foot to "fly" through the water.
一种极小的海洋蜗牛 用它增大的足在水里"飞行"
Sea butterflies are such important food for so many marine animals
海蝴蝶是众多海洋生物非常重要的食物
they have been dubbed the "potato chips of the ocean".
以至被称为"海里的薯条"
But they could be under threat from all that extra carbon dioxide.
但它们可能已经处在那些 额外的二氧化碳威胁之下
Dissolved carbon dioxide is slowly turning the water more acidic,
溶解的二氧化碳慢慢地将水变得更酸性
making it harder for sea butterflies to build their calcium shells.
使海蝴蝶更难形成它们的钙质贝壳
The loss of these swimming "potato chips" would have repercussions right up the food chain.
游动的"薯片"的消失 会往上影响食物链
And with a billion people around the world dependent on fish for their protein,
全球有十亿的人口需要靠鱼类提供他们所需的蛋白质
fewer fish would clearly be bad news for people too.
鱼的减少显然对人类来说也是一个坏消息
Of course, there's no need to worry if the greenhouse gases are brought under control.
当然 人们不需要烦恼 只要温室气体被控制住
Or is there?
又或者?
Although the burning of fossil fuels is often viewed as the biggest environmental threat,
虽然石油的燃烧经常被视为最大的环境威胁
here in the Pacific, there are more pressing concerns.
在太平洋这里 却有更紧迫的令人担心的事情
The fish may disappear long before the impact of climate change really takes hold.
鱼类可能早于气候变化的影响 得到实际控制之前就已经消失
