2011四级备考热点：“低碳生活”英语表达
低碳生活已经成为时下考试的热点，掌握相关说法，对于四级考试无疑是非常重要的。
联合国气候变化框架公约》第15次缔约方会议暨《京都议定书》第五次缔约方会议(联合国气候变化大会，UN Climate Change Conference)于12月7日在丹麦首都哥本哈根的召开使“低碳”顿时成为闪亮登场，成为媒体高频词语，同时也成为今年最受关注的流行词语。与此同时，以“低碳经济”为先导，“碳足迹”、“低碳技术”、“低碳发展”、“低碳生活方式”、“低碳社会”、“低碳城市”、“低碳世界”等一系列新概念、新政策应运而生，成为人们耳熟能详的流行语。关注热点实事不仅是一种积累例子的有效手段而且是练习阅读的绝佳方法。下面我们来看一下专家解读“低碳生活”。
从社会语言学角度来说，流行语不仅仅是语言符号，它们是社会变化发展的缩影，从特定角度表达着人们的价值观念和文化心态，真实地映照出社会现象和时代的变迁。流行语中有为数不少的一部分属于外来语。改革开放以来，随着中西文化多方位、多渠道的接触与交流，反映当代西方文化的名词术语更是大量涌入中华文化和汉语中，成为人们日常生活中的常用词汇，有相当一部分曾经是各个阶段的流行语， 如“次贷危机”就是subprime loan/lengding/mortgage/mortgage loan crisis等。
既然一部分流行语属于外来语，那么，从英语学习的角度来说，掌握这些最新流行语无疑有利于我们提高英语表达能力。为此，本文特收集整理一些与“低碳经济”密切相关的英语词语，附录相关例句，以方便广大的英语学习者掌握一些最新的相关表达。
1. 低碳经济，即low-carbon economy。网络百科全书维基百科收录有low-carbon economy词条，其篇首第一句话如下：A Low-Carbon Economy (LCE) or Low-Fossil-Fuel Economy (LFFE) is a concept that refers to an economy which has a minimal output of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions into the biosphere, but specifically refers to the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide.值得说明的是，虽然目前网络搜索结果显示，“低碳”的英文有的写成low carbon，有的写成low-carbon，但总体上说还是使用连字符号的居多，如美联社12月7日关于哥本哈根联合国气候变化大会召开的新闻报道中有这么一句话：On the sidelines, climate activists competed for attention to their campaigns on deforestation, clean energy and low-carbon growth。
2. 碳足迹，即carbon footprint。简单地说，碳足迹是用来衡量我们在日常生活中消耗的二氧化碳的一种方式。无论是开车上班、乘飞机旅行，还是使用电灯、电脑，我们都消耗石油、煤和天然气等化石燃料。这些化石燃料在燃烧时，会排放出诸如二氧化碳之类导致地球变暖的温室气体。对于carbon footprint，维基百科有如下定义：A carbon footprint is "the total set of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caused by an organization, event or product". For simplicity of reporting, it is often expressed in terms of the amount of carbon dioxide, or its equivalent of other GHGs, emitted. 相关表达见如下例句：A new purpose-built office complex that will offer eco-friendly accommodation across 66,250 square feet is under construction in Wales. It is reported that the Cardiff Waterside project, entitled 3 Assembly Square, forms part of a £140 million construction project and will aim to offer business in the area an environment that has a lower carbon footprint than traditional office space. 上述句子的背景是，英国政府成立了一个The Low Carbon Building Programme (LCBP)，即低碳建筑计划，维基百科解释说，LCBP is a Government programme in the United Kingdom administered by BERR (formerly the DTI). It offers grants towards the cost of installing domestic microgeneration technologies and larger scale distributed generation installations for public buildings and businesses, provided energy conservation standards are also met.
3. 低碳技术，即low-carbon technology，这是发展低碳经济，倡导低碳生活的关键之关键，相关例句如下：The Carbon Trust today launched a new 10m pounds low carbon technology investment joint venture to help UK companies develop new low carbon technologies in China. The new joint venture is a partnership with the Carbon Trust and the China Energy Conservation Investment Corporation (CECIC) to develop and deploy low carbon technologies in China.专家指出，低碳技术将成为国家核心竞争力的一个标志——谁掌握了先进的低碳技术，谁就拥有了核心竞争力。低碳技术的面很广，大的技术类型包括节能技术、无碳和低碳能源技术、二氧化碳捕捉与埋存技术，还包括人类可以利用、可以展望到的低碳技术，如核能、风能、太阳能、生物质能、二氧化碳捕捉埋存等相关技术，其中的关键词就是低碳能源(low-carbon energy)，如The world will need to spend an additional $10.5 trillion in the next two decades on energy efficiency and low-carbon energy to avoid runaway climate change, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA)。
4. 低碳发展，即low-carbon development/growth，经济发展的一种全新概念与模式。请看如下句子：China has issued a report saying the country is expected to realize by 2050 a low carbon development, featuring low energy demand and carbon dioxide output.
5. 低碳生活方式，即low-carbon lifestyle，检索发现，这一词语已成为网络新宠，这是因为我国的大都市已经诞生了“低碳一族”，他们每天使用传统的发条闹钟，取代电子闹钟;在午休和下班后关掉电脑和平板显示器;一旦不用电灯、空调，随手关掉;手机一旦充电完成，立即拔掉充电插头;选择晾晒衣物，避免使用滚筒式干衣机;用在附近公园中的慢跑取代在跑步机上的45分钟锻炼;用节能灯替换60瓦的灯泡;不开汽车改骑自行车……简而言之，“低碳生活”方式可以理解为减低二氧化碳的排放，就是低能量、低消耗、低开支的生活方式。而“低碳一族”正以自己生活细节的改变证明：气候变化已经不再只是环保主义者、政府官员和专家学者关心的问题，而是与我们每个人息息相关。在提倡健康生活已成潮流的今天，“低碳生活”不再只是一种理想，更是一种值得期待的新的生活方式!相关英语表达见如下例句：(1)A one-year carbon emission reduction program proposed by China's Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) was started here Wednesday, on World Earth Day, to encourage citizens nationwide to adjust their lifestyle and live a "low-carbon" lifestyle. A low-carbon lifestyle covers many aspects of modern life, such as transportation, home heating, and holiday travel, which can be conducted in a way that gives the maximum reduction of personal carbon emissions. /(2)As the Copenhagen Climate Conference is drawing near, more and more debate about low-carbon lifestyle come forth. /(3)Just this year, the low-carbon lifestyle, or Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS), suddenly became trendy in China, particularly among young urbanites, Lin said. 与“低碳生活方式”相关的说法还有“低碳生活”，即low-carbon life，相关搭配就是lead a low-carbon life，如http://www.lowcarbonlife.net/网站就专门介绍各种低碳生活的小贴士。因为“低碳经济”提出的大背景是全球气候变暖对人类生存和发展的严峻挑战，因此，“低碳生活方式”还可以表达为 climate-friendly lifestyles，见http://www.edf.org/page.cfm?tagID=20927网站，该网站介绍了低碳生活的三大贴士(Tips for a Healthy, Low-Carbon Life)，有兴趣的读者不妨一读。
根据上述概念，我们不难理解，一个提倡导低碳经济的社会就是“低碳社会”(low-carbon society)，同理就有“低碳社区”，“低碳城市”和“低碳世界”，即low carbon community, low-carbon city和low-carbon world。因为在资源日益短缺、生态环境受到挑战的今天，发展低碳经济、倡导低碳生活、建设低碳城市正在成为国际上普遍认同的经济社会发展模式。其他说法还有“低碳开发区”，即low carbon development zone，如下述例句：One example of this is the Low Carbon Development Zones being discussed by the EU and China. The Zones, piloted in a small number of Chinese cities and provinces, could both support China’s transition to a low carbon economy and accelerate the development and deployment of low carbon goods, technologies and services to EU, Chinese and global markets.
显而易见，在全球暖化(global warming)导致的气候变化(climate change)的威胁之下，全球正直面低碳挑战(low-carbon challenge)，因此，发展低碳经济，减少碳排放(carbon emission reduction)，倡导低碳生活方式不但势在必行，而且是我们每一个地球人都必须重视和行动起来的头等大事。