（本节目使用的音频资源于2021年10月底发表。）

由于人类活动和气候变化导致森林退化，世界上最受保护的森林中已有十处成为净碳排放源。

There are 257 forests with Unesco World Heritage status. They cover an area twice the size of Germany and are formally listed, studied and protected for their global scientific and natural significance.

有257处森林被列为联合国教科文组织世界遗产。其总面积是德国的两倍。这些森林因在全球科学和自然方面的重要性被正式列入名单，并成为研究和保护的对象。

This was the first assessment of exactly how much planet-warming gas they absorb from the atmosphere. It showed that collectively, these forests soak up 190 million tonnes of carbon every year. But it also revealed that human activity has turned some of them into net emitters of carbon.

这是第一次评估这些森林从大气中吸收的确切温室气体量。结果显示，它们每年总共吸收1.9亿公吨碳。但另一方面，研究也揭示了人类活动已经使其中一些森林成为净排放源。

Illegal logging, agriculture and increasingly frequent wildfires, driven by climate change over the past two decades, have resulted in ten protected forests releasing more greenhouse gas than they absorb.

非法伐木和农业，再加上过去20年气候变化导致日益频繁的野火，使十个受保护森林释放的温室气体量超过其吸收量。

Just days ahead of the critical UN Climate Conference in Glasgow, the researchers say the world needs to act now to slash the emissions that have turned some of the most protected forests on Earth into sources of planet-warming gas.

就在联合国在格拉斯哥召开重要气候会议的几天前，研究人员指出，需要全世界立即采取行动，大幅削减排放，温室气体排放已将地球上一些最受保护的森林变成了全球变暖气体的来源。

词汇表

significance 重要性，意义
assessment 评估
planet-warming 导致全球变暖的
absorb 吸收
soak up 吸取
net emitters 净排放源（释放量大于吸收量的事物）
logging 伐木
releasing 释放
greenhouse gas 温室气体
slash 大幅削减

阅读理解：请在读完上文后，回答下列问题。

1. How big is the area covered by forests with Unesco World Heritage status?

2. How many tonnes of carbon do these forests absorb every year?

3. What have illegal logging, agriculture and wildfires caused some of the protected forests to do?

4. According to researchers, when should we do something to cut the emissions which the forests are releasing?

答案  

1. How big is the area covered by forests with Unesco World Heritage status?
They cover an area twice the size of Germany.

2. How many tonnes of carbon do these forests absorb every year?
These forests soak up – or absorb – 190 million tonnes of carbon every year.

3. What have illegal logging, agriculture and wildfires caused some of the protected forests to do?
They have caused ten of these protected forests to release more greenhouse gas than they absorb.

4. According to researchers, when should we do something to cut the emissions which the forests are releasing?
Researchers say the world needs to act now to slash the emissions.