Where does all the carbon we release go?

我們釋放的碳都去哪裡了？

Carbon works in a natural cycle, present in all living things:

碳在自然循環中發揮作用，存在於所有生物中。

in the soil, in the oceans, in the atmosphere

在土壤、海洋、大氣中。

and in rocks deep underground.

和地下深處的岩石中。

When plants and other living things die,

當植物和其他生物死亡時。

much of their stored carbon makes its way back to the atmosphere

它們儲存的大部分碳又回到了大氣層中。

until new plants grow and reabsorb the carbon.

直到新的植物生長並重新吸收碳。

But over millions of years,

但經過數百萬年的時間。

some of the carbon stored in ancient trees and sea life becomes rock

一些儲存在古樹和海洋生物中的碳變成了岩石。

and some becomes fossil fuels:

而有些則成為化石燃料。

coal, oil and natural gas.

煤炭、石油和天然氣；

Natural events like volcanic eruptions

火山爆發等自然事件

release some of the carbon trapped in rock.

釋放出部分被困在岩石中的碳。

And human activities, like burning fossil fuels,

而人類的活動，比如燃燒化石燃料。

also release some of that prehistoric carbon.

也會釋放一些史前碳。

Today, humans release around 60 times more carbon

今天，人類釋放的碳約為原來的60倍

than all the volcanoes on the planet each year.

比地球上所有的火山每年。

That overloads Earth's carbon cycle

這使地球的碳循環超載

and builds up in the atmosphere

並在大氣中積聚

and oceans.

和海洋。

Planting more trees will help, but trees alone can't get us to net zero.

種植更多的樹木會有幫助，但僅靠樹木不能讓我們達到零淨值。

There's only one sure way to stop global warming.

阻止全球變暖只有一個可靠的方法。

We must stop releasing this excess carbon into our air.

我們必須停止向空氣中釋放這些多餘的碳。

[Countdown

[倒計時

Take action on climate change at Countdown.ted.com]

應對氣候變化，行動起來，就在Countdown.ted.com】。]