谁是物种灭绝的罪魁祸首?

We got this question. “I heard recently that world governments have failed to prevent plants and animals from going extinct. Now what?” As background, in the year 2002, the U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity set a goal of slowing the rate of biodiversity loss around the globe by 2010. But a study published in the journal Science in April 2010 showed the failure of world governments to meet that goal. EarthSky spoke to study author Dr. Stuart Butchart of the United Nations Environment Program, and BirdLife International.

我们收到读者的提问：“我最近听说全世界的政府没成功阻止动植物灭绝，那现在该怎么办”。该问题的背景是，2002年联合国生物多样性公约制定了一个目标，即在2010年左右能在全球范围内减缓生物多样性丧失的速度。但是，于2010年4月发表在科学杂志上的研究却表明全球政府都未能完成这一目标。EarthSky采访了该项研究的作者斯图尔特布．布莱德博士，他说联合国环境规划署和国际鸟盟的成员。

Stuart Butchart: Our synthesis provides overwhelming evidence that governments have failed to deliver on their commitments, and the target is not being met. We found that the natural world has continued to be destroyed as fast as ever.

图尔特布．布莱德：我们的综合性研究提供了充分的证据证明政府未能兑现他们的诺言，实现他们的目标。我们发现自然界仍被飞速破坏。

Butchart said that, since 2002, the risk of species extinction has actually increased, not decreased, along with pressures such as habitat destruction and climate change. In October 2010, world leaders will meet in Japan to adopt new targets to halt even greater loss of plant and animal species. Butchart said he hopes the new agreement will highlight the urgency of the situation.

布莱德说，自2002年来，栖息地物毁坏和气候变化的压力增加了物种灭绝的风险，而非减少。2010年10月全球的领导都将聚集在日本制定新的目标来扼制物种遭遇更大损失。布莱德希望新的协议会突显形势的紧迫性。

Stuart Butchart: Our key message is that 2010 will not be the year that environment losses were halted or even slowed. But it must be the year in which governments started taking the issue seriously.

图尔特布．布莱德：我们强调的关键点是2010年不会成为环境耗损减缓或停止的一年，但是政府必须在从这一年开始认真对待这个问题。