塞弗恩·卡利斯·蘇祖基/Severn Cullis Suzuki
When you are little, it's not hard to believe you can change the world. I remember my enthusiasm when, at the age of 12，I addressed the delegates at the Rio Earth Summit.“I am only a child,”I told them.“Yet I know that if all the money spent on war was spent on ending poverty and fnding environmental answers, what a wonderful place this would be. In school you teach us not to fght with others, to work things out, to respect others, to clean up our mess, not to hurt other creatures, to share, not be greedy. Then why do you go out and do the things you tell us not to do?You grownups say you love us, but I challenge you, please, to make your actions refect your words.”
I spoke for six minutes and received a standing ovation. Some of the delegates even cried. I thought that maybe I had reached some of them, that my speech might actually spur action. Now, a decade fromRio, after I've sat through many more conferences, I'm not sure what has been accomplished. My confidence in the people in power and in the power of all individual's voice to reach them has been deeply shaken.
Sure, I've seen some improvements since Rio. In my home city of Vancouver, most people put out their recycling boxes. The grocery and cafe on Fourth Avenue is flourishing. Bikes are popular, and there are a few gas-electric hybrid cars gliding around. But as this new century begins, my twenty-something generation is becoming increasingly disconnected from the natural world. We buy our drinking water in bottles. We eat genetically modifed organisms. We drive the biggest cars ever. At the same time, we are a generation aware of the world—of poverty and social imbalance, the loss of biodiversity, climate change and the consequences of globalization—but many of us feel we have inherited problems too great to do anything about.
When I was little, the world was simple. But as a young adult, I'm learning that as we have to make choices—education, career, lifestyle—life gets more and more complicated. We are beginning to feel pressure to produce and be successful. We are learning a shortsighted way of looking at the future, focusing on four-year government terms and quarterly business reports. We are taught that economic growth is progress, but we aren't taught how to pursue a happy, healthy or sustainable way of living. And we are learning that what we wanted for our future when we were 12 was idealistic and naive.
Today I'm no longer a child, but I'm worried about what kind of environment my children will grow up in. In Johannesburg the delegates will discuss the adoption and implementation of documentsby governments. Yes, important stuff. But they did that at Rio. What this meeting must really be about is responsibility—not only government responsibility but personal responsibility. We are not cleaning up our own mess. We are not facing up to the price of our lifestyles. In Canada we know we are wiping out the salmon of the West Coast, just as we wiped out cod from the East Coast, but we continue overfishing. We keep driving our SUVs in the city, even though we are starting to feel the effects of climate change—a direct result of burning too much fossil fuel.
Real environmental change depends on us. We can't wait for our leaders. We have to focus on what our own responsibilities are and how we can make the change happen.
Before graduating from college a few months ago. I worked with the Yale Student Environmental Coalition to draft a pledge for young people to sign. Called the Recognition of Responsibility, the pledge is a commitment from our generation to be accountable and a challenge to our elders to help us achieve this goal and to lead by example. It includes a list of ways to live more sustainable—simple but fundamental things like reducing household garbage, consuming less, not relying on cars so much, eating locally grown food, carrying a reusable cup and, most important, getting out into nature.
But in the 10 years since Rio, I have learned that addressing our leaders is not enough. As Gandhi said many years ago,“We must become the change we want to see.”I know change is possible, because I am changing, still figuring out what I think. I am still deciding how to live my life. The challenges are great, but if we accept individual responsibility and make sustainable choices, we will rise to the challenges, and we will become part of the positive tide of change.
當你還是個孩子的時候，你很容易相信自己能夠改變世界。我清楚地記得自己12歲時在裏約地球峰會上對代表們講話時的熱情。我對他們說：“我不過是個孩子，可是我明白，假如將戰爭上的所有花費用來消除貧困和解決環境問題的話，這個世界將會變得多麽美好啊。在學校裏，你們教我們不要和別人打鬥，要商量著辦事，要尊重他人，要將我們弄髒的地方清理幹淨，不傷害生物，要與人分享，不貪婪。那你們為什麽去做那些你們不允許我們做的事情？你們成年人口口聲聲地說愛我們，那我要求你們，請你們做到表裏如一！”
那時我講了整整六分鍾，大家起立熱烈鼓掌歡呼。有的代表甚至被感動得哭了。那一刻，我認為自己或許打動了一些人，我的演說也許真的會引發一場行動。如今，距離裏約峰會已經十年了，我耐心地出席了很多其他會議，可是我不能保證有什麽成果。對於當權者，對於個人說服當權者的能力，我的信心已經大大地受挫了。
確實，裏約峰會結束以後，我看到了一些改變。在我的家鄉溫哥華，大部分人家擺出了可供再生利用物品的垃圾筒。第四大道上的食品雜貨店和咖啡屋辦得紅紅火火。自行車大受歡迎，街上還有幾輛汽電兩用車緩緩駛過。不過，新世紀伊始，像我這樣20多歲的一代人卻逐漸與自然界背道而馳了。我喝著買來的瓶裝水，吃著轉基因食品。我們開的車越來越大。與此同時，我們這一代人認識到了全球性的問題：貧窮、社會失衡、生物多樣性的喪失、氣候變化、全球化的惡果，但是我們很多人感到麵臨的問題重大得毫無解決辦法。
在我小的時候，世界很簡單。然而，作為一個成年人，我才慢慢意識到生活越來越複雜，我們不得不在教育、事業和生活方式上作出選擇。我們開始感受到壓力，要製造財富，獲得成功。我們學到的是用一種目光短淺的方式來看待未來，隻局限在每四年一換的政府任期和季度財經報道上。我們所學到的就是：經濟增長即進步，然而沒有人告訴我們，如何才能擁有快樂、健康和可持續的生活方式。時至今日，我們才逐漸意識到：我們在12歲時想要擁有的未來隻是理想主義，太天真了。
現在的我已不再是個孩子了，然而我為我的孩子將會在怎樣的環境裏成長而憂慮。在約翰內斯堡，代表們將會討論由各個國家政府通過和履行的一些文件。的確，這非常重要。可是他們在裏約熱內盧也是這樣做的。召開這次會議的真正意圖是要明確責任——不單單是政府的責任，還有個人的責任。我們沒有把我們弄髒的地方整理幹淨。我們沒有承擔我們的生活方式所要付出的代價。在加拿大的西海岸，我們明白我們正在滅絕鮭魚，正如我們已把東海岸的鱈魚消滅光了一樣，可是我們依舊在過量捕殺鮭魚。我們依然在城市裏開著跑車，盡管我們已經感覺到氣候變化的影響——這正是燃燒了太多化石燃料所導致的直接結果。
真正改變環境要依靠我們自己。我們不能坐等上級了。我們需要把注意力集中在我們自己的責任以及改善環境的辦法上。
在幾個月前，我臨畢業時，曾經同耶魯學生環境聯合會共同起草了一份保證書，這是為年輕人準備的。這份名為“承認責任”的保證書，旨在讓我們的同輩承擔起應負的責任，與此同時，向我們的長輩發起挑戰，讓他們幫助我們達到這個目的，並且作出示範。這份保證書上包含了一係列更為可持續的生活方式——簡便卻基本的事情，如減少生活垃圾、減少消費、不要過多依賴汽車、吃本地生長的食物、攜帶可循環利用的杯子，最為重要的是：走進大自然的懷抱。
然而自裏約峰會後的十年來，我明白向領導人呼籲是不夠的。正如甘地多年前所說：“我們必須成為我們期望看到的變化的一部分。”我明白變化是可能的，因為我正在改變，並且正在研究新的想法。我還在選擇如何過好我的生活。挑戰是巨大的，可是假如我們承擔起個人責任並且選擇可持續的生活方式，我們就能麵對挑戰，成為積極改變潮流的一部分。
心靈小語
行動是果實，言語隻是樹葉而已。
W詞匯筆記
enthusiasm[in'θju:zi?z?m]n.熱心；熱忱
例 Enthusiasm is a great force.
熱心是一種很大的動力。
delegate['deliɡeit]n.代表
例 Containing protein delegate food is soja and bean products.
含蛋白質的代表食物是大豆及豆製品。
ovation[?u'vei??n]n.熱烈歡迎；喝彩
例 When the orchestra conductor appeared on stage, he received a standing ovation.
那位樂團指揮出現在舞台時，得到全場起立喝彩。
grocery['ɡr?us?ri]n.食品雜貨店
例 Most of these ingredients can be found at your local grocery.
這些原料大部分都能在當地的雜貨店裏買到。
S小試身手
當你還是個孩子的時候，你很容易相信自己能夠改變世界。
譯________________________________________
作為一個成年人，我才慢慢意識到生活越來越複雜。
譯________________________________________
挑戰是巨大的，可是假如我們承擔起個人責任並且選擇可持續的生活方式，我們就能麵對挑戰，成為積極改變潮流的一部分。
譯________________________________________
P短語家族
It includes a list of ways to live more sustainable—simple but fundamental things like reducing household garbage, consuming less, not relying on cars so much, eating locally grown food, carrying a reusable cup and, most important, getting out into nature.
rely on：依靠；依賴
造________________________________________
I know change is possible, because I am changing, still figuring out what I think.
figure out：算出；想出；解決
造________________________________________