Now, when I say this, I don't mean that we are destroying nature

在這裡，我想強調的 並不是我們在破壞

that they will have wanted us to preserve,

後代想讓我們保護的自然

although that is unfortunately also the case.

雖然這也是個不爭的事實

What I mean here is that we've started to define nature in a way

我想說的是

that's so purist and so strict

我們給了大自然一個 既純粹又死板的定義

that under the definition we're creating for ourselves,

在我們為自己創造的定義下

there won't be any nature left for our children

我們的後代長大後不會再擁有

when they're adults.

任何一絲真正的大自然

But there's a fix for this.

但是有解決之道

So let me explain.

聽我娓娓道來

Right now, humans use half of the world

現在人類使用著半個地球

to live, to grow their crops and their timber,

去生活，去種植農作物和木料

to pasture their animals.

去餵飼生畜

If you added up all the human beings,

如果你把所有人類的體重加起來

we would weigh 10 times as much as all the wild mammals put together.

會是野生哺乳動物總重量的十倍還多

We cut roads through the forest.

我們在森林中開闢出道路

We have added little plastic particles to the sand on ocean beaches.

連我們海灘上的沙粒裏 都被混入了塑膠粒

We've changed the chemistry of the soil with our artificial fertilizers.

泥土的成分也被我們 用人工肥料所改變

And of course, we've changed the chemistry of the air.

當然，我們也改變了空氣的成份

So when you take your next breath,

在你吸入一口氣時

you'll be breathing in 42 percent more carbon dioxide

會吸入比 1750 年的空氣 多 42% 的二氧化碳

than if you were breathing in 1750.

總的來說，所有各式各樣的改變

So all of these changes, and many others,

都已經聚集在 「人類世」的指標之下了

have come to be kind of lumped together under this rubric of the "Anthropocene."

「人類世」正是某些地質學家 為倡議我們去接受現在的時代

And this is a term that some geologists are suggesting

所提出的新名詞

we should give to our current epoch,

因為，人類的影響無處不在

given how pervasive human influence has been over it.

現在「人類世」 還只是一個假定的時代

Now, it's still just a proposed epoch, but I think it's a helpful way

但我認為，它有助思考 我們對地球的影響程度

to think about the magnitude of human influence on the planet.

但是，這和大自然有何關係呢?

So where does this put nature?

當一切物質都被人類所操縱時 究竟什麽才算真正的自然呢？

What counts as nature in a world where everything is influenced by humans?

25 年前，環境學作家 比爾‧麥吉本曾經說道

So 25 years ago, environmental writer Bill McKibben said

因為自然應該是與人類無關的一件事

that because nature was a thing apart from man

但現在氣候變化意味著

and because climate change meant

整個地球正一點點被人類所掌控

that every centimeter of the Earth was altered by man,

因而大自然已經消逝

then nature was over.

事實上，他把他的著作命名為 《自然的末日》

In fact, he called his book "The End of Nature."

我不同意他的觀點，非常不同意

I disagree with this. I just disagree with this.

我不同意這種對大自然的定義 因為說到底，我們也是動物

I disagree with this definition of nature, because, fundamentally, we are animals.

對吧？我們在地球上進化

Right? Like, we evolved on this planet

與其他動物共享著同一個地球

in the context of all the other animals with which we share a planet,

同樣還有其它植物，其它微生物

and all the other plants, and all the other microbes.

所以我認為自然

And so I think that nature

並不是不能被人類所使用

is not that which is untouched by humanity, man or woman.

我認為生命繁盛的地方便是自然

I think that nature is anywhere where life thrives,

任何有多種生物聚集在一起的地方

anywhere where there are multiple species together,

有綠意和水源

anywhere that's green and blue and thriving and filled with life

有生命茁壯成長的地方

and growing.

在這種定義下

And under that definition,

事情看起來就不太一樣了

things look a little bit different.

我知道，大自然有一些東西

Now, I understand that there are certain parts of this nature

正試圖以一種特殊的方式 向我們傳達訊息

that speak to us in a special way.

像黃石公園

Places like Yellowstone,

蒙古大草原

or the Mongolian steppe,

大堡礁

or the Great Barrier Reef

非洲塞倫蓋蒂平原

or the Serengeti.

那些未遭我們破壞前

Places that we think of as kind of Edenic representations

我們視作類似伊甸園的地方

of a nature before we screwed everything up.

在某種程度上，這些地方 不太受到人類生活影響

And in a way, they are less impacted by our day to day activities.

這些地方道路稀少，甚至沒有道路

Many of these places have no roads or few roads,

諸如此類

so on, like such.

但是說到底這些美好的地方 也深受人類影響

But ultimately, even these Edens are deeply influenced by humans.

我們來舉個例子

Now, let's just take North America, for example,

就以現場的北美洲為例

since that's where we're meeting.

從一萬五千年前 人類第一次發現這片土地之時

So between about 15,000 years ago when people first came here,

人類就開始了 與大自然相互影響的過程

they started a process of interacting with the nature

致使大量巨型動物滅絕

that led to the extinction of a big slew of large-bodied animals,

如乳齒象、巨型地獺

from the mastodon to the giant ground sloth,

劍齒虎等

saber-toothed cats,

這些炫酷的動物 已然沒有機會與我們共存

all of these cool animals that unfortunately are no longer with us.

當這些動物滅絕之時

And when those animals went extinct,

生態系統便不再平衡

you know, the ecosystems didn't stand still.

大規模的漣漪效應 使得草原變成了森林

Massive ripple effects changed grasslands into forests,

使得森林中的樹木都轉了型

changed the composition of forest from one tree to another.

所以即使如伊甸園般的地方

So even in these Edens,

即使在這些看似完美的地方

even in these perfect-looking places

似乎提醒著我們有人類之前的樣子

that seem to remind us of a past before humans,

我們看到的其實還是人類化的景觀

we're essentially looking at a humanized landscape.

不只是這些史前的人類 有歷史後的人類、土著居民

Not just these prehistoric humans, but historical humans, indigenous people

直到第一批殖民者出現都是

all the way up until the moment when the first colonizers showed up.

同樣的事情也發生在其他陸域

And the case is the same for the other continents as well.

人類已被強有力且長時間地

Humans have just been involved in nature

捲入自然

in a very influential way for a very long time.

最近，有人跟我說

Now, just recently, someone told me,

但還是有些原始的地方呀

"Oh, but there are still wild places."

我說：「哪裡？哪裡？我想去！」

And I said, "Where? Where? I want to go."

他說：「亞馬遜叢林」

And he said, "The Amazon."

我當時想，喔！ 亞馬遜叢林啊！我剛去過

And I was like, "Oh, the Amazon. I was just there.

那地方美極了 國家地理雜誌派我到

It's awesome. National Geographic sent me to Manú National Park,

位於秘魯亞馬遜叢林的馬努國家公園

which is in the Peruvian Amazon,

但那是一大片未砍伐 沒有路的森林

but it's a big chunk of rainforest, uncleared, no roads,

以國家公園的名目保護著

protected as a national park,

它是世界上生物多樣化極高的公園

one of the most, in fact, biodiverse parks in the world.

但當我划著輕舟 到達那裏時卻看見了人

And when I got in there with my canoe, what did I find, but people.

人們已經在那裏居住了千百年

People have been living there for hundreds and thousands of years.

人們在那裏生活 但他們並不只是在叢林中隨處閒逛

People live there, and they don't just float over the jungle.

他們與那裏的地景 有著一種意義重大的關係

They have a meaningful relationship with the landscape.

他們打獵，耕種

They hunt. They grow crops.

他們歸化作物

They domesticate crops.

他們使用自然資源去建造房屋

They use the natural resources to build their houses,

用茅草做屋頂

to thatch their houses.

甚至把我們認為的野生動物養作寵物

They even make pets out of animals that we consider to be wild animals.

那裏的人

These people are there

以一種意義深遠且可見的方式

and they're interacting with the environment

影響著自然環境

in a way that's really meaningful and that you can see in the environment.

這次旅程我和一名人類學家一起

Now, I was with an anthropologist on this trip,

當我們順河而下時

and he told me, as we were floating down the river,

他對我說：「亞馬遜雨林 沒有人口空隙。」

he said, "There are no demographic voids in the Amazon."

他的這句話著實令我吃了一驚

This statement has really stuck with me,

因為他的意思是 整個亞馬遜也像這樣

because what it means is that the whole Amazon is like this.

到處都是人

There's people everywhere.

並且很多熱帶雨林也一樣

And many other tropical forests are the same,

甚至不僅是熱帶雨林

and not just tropical forests.

人們過去已經影響了生態系統

People have influenced ecosystems in the past,

並且還在繼續

and they continue to influence them in the present,

甚至在難以發覺的地方

even in places where they're harder to notice.

所以，如果我們在定義什麼是自然時

So, if all of the definitions of nature that we might want to use

排除人類的涉足

that involve it being untouched by humanity

人類的存在

or not having people in it,

如果依據我們的定義 根本無法找尋到任何真正的自然

if all of those actually give us a result where we don't have any nature,

那麼這些定義便可能是錯誤的

then maybe they're the wrong definitions.

也許我們應該以有多少生物種類存在

Maybe we should define it by the presence of multiple species,

生命是否繁榮而定義

by the presence of a thriving life.

如果現在，我們照這個思路前進

Now, if we do it that way,

我們會發現什麼呢

what do we get?

奇蹟般地

Well, it's this kind of miracle.

立刻，我們便被大自然所包圍

All of a sudden, there's nature all around us.

剎那，我們便看到了帝王蝶幼蟲

All of a sudden, we see this Monarch caterpillar

咀嚼著葉子

munching on this plant,

於是，我們發現大自然就在此

and we realize that there it is,

大自然就在查塔諾加市這片空地中

and it's in this empty lot in Chattanooga.

看看這空地

And look at this empty lot.

我是說，那裏可能會有

I mean, there's, like, probably,

至少十多種植物生長著

a dozen, minimum, plant species growing there,

維持著各種昆蟲的生命

supporting all kinds of insect life,

那是一片完全沒有整理的空地 一片完全的荒地

and this is a completely unmanaged space, a completely wild space.

這就是自然的野性，就在我們眼前

This is a kind of wild nature right under our nose,

我們卻從未察覺

that we don't even notice.

這兒還有個有趣的悖論

And there's an interesting little paradox, too.

那麼這種大自然

So this nature,

這種出現在我們的城市、郊區、農場

this kind of wild, untended part

荒蕪、無人管理的大自然

of our urban, peri-urban, suburban agricultural existence

無人在意的地方

that flies under the radar,

可以說是一個 比國家公園更野生的環境

it's arguably more wild than a national park,

因為在 21 世紀下

because national parks are very carefully managed

國家公園被人類細心的管理著

in the 21st century.

離我最近的俄勒岡州南部的 火山口湖國家公園

Crater Lake in southern Oregon, which is my closest national park,

是個美好的例子 風景就像從過去延續下來似的

is a beautiful example of a landscape that seems to be coming out of the past.

但人們細心地管理著那裏

But they're managing it carefully.

但他們現在正面臨著一大問題 高山白皮松都枯了

One of the issues they have now is white bark pine die-off.

高山白皮松美麗而富有魅力

White bark pine is a beautiful, charismatic --

我說它是一種富有魅力的大型植物群

I'll say it's a charismatic megaflora

生長在高海拔地帶

that grows up at high altitude --

現在枯死的原因是染上疾病

and it's got all these problems right now with disease.

銹病傳染進來

There's a blister rust that was introduced,

小蠹蟲

bark beetle.

為了解決這個問題

So to deal with this, the park service has been planting

公園管理局開始在公園種植 抗銹病的白皮松幼苗

rust-resistant white bark pine seedlings in the park,

他們甚至種在野地

even in areas that they are otherwise managing as wilderness.

我在上次登山時看到

And they're also putting out beetle repellent in key areas

他們在一些關鍵地區噴灑殺蟲劑

as I saw last time I went hiking there.

這種事情比你想像的要平常得多

And this kind of thing is really much more common than you would think.

國家公園是被嚴格監管的

National parks are heavily managed.

野生動物的族類和數量也受嚴格限制

The wildlife is kept to a certain population size and structure.

野火要撲滅

Fires are suppressed.

又要起火控管森林

Fires are started.

外來物種被移走

Non-native species are removed.

並且重新引入本土物種

Native species are reintroduced.

事實上，我看了看

And in fact, I took a look,

班芙國家公園也做了這些事情

and Banff National Park is doing all of the things I just listed:

滅火、起火

suppressing fire, having fire,

把狼帶上無線追蹤項圈 再引入野牛

radio-collaring wolves, reintroducing bison.

要花很多功夫才能使這些地方 看似野生自然

It takes a lot of work to make these places look untouched.

（笑聲）

(Laughter)

（掌聲）

(Applause)

更諷刺的是我們最喜歡的這些地方

And in a further irony, these places that we love the most

有時候是我們愛得太過頭的地方

are the places that we love a little too hard, sometimes.

很多人愛去那裏

A lot of us like to go there,

只因我們在不斷變化的地球

and because we're managing them to be stable

試圖讓這些地方保持穩定

in the face of a changing planet,

使這些環境變得越來越脆弱

they often are becoming more fragile over time.

這代表著那裏將變成

Which means that they're the absolute worst places

帶你的孩子去度假最糟糕的地方

to take your children on vacation,

因為你什麼都不能做

because you can't do anything there.

你不可以爬樹

You can't climb the trees.

你不可以釣魚

You can't fish the fish.

你不可以在渺無人煙處點燃營火

You can't make a campfire out in the middle of nowhere.

你不可以帶松果回家

You can't take home the pinecones.

規則和限制數不勝數

There are so many rules and restrictions

而從孩子們的角度來看

that from a child's point of view,

這是最最糟糕的「自然」

this is, like, the worst nature ever.

因為孩子們才不想

Because children don't want to hike

長途跋涉五小時翻過一道山嶺

through a beautiful landscape for five hours

然後一覽景色

and then look at a beautiful view.

那大概是大人想做的事

That's maybe what we want to do as adults,

但小孩子只想在隨意一處席地而坐

but what kids want to do is hunker down in one spot

搞東搞西，胡亂拼堆

and just tinker with it, just work with it,

撿個東西，搭棟房子 建個堡壘，諸如此類

just pick it up, build a house, build a fort, do something like that.

另外，那些像伊甸園的地方

Additionally, these sort of Edenic places

通常也離我們住的地方很遠

are often distant from where people live.

去那些地方花費很高，也並不容易

And they're expensive to get to. They're hard to visit.

所以唯有精英才可以去那些地方

So this means that they're only available to the elites,

這是問題的癥結所在

and that's a real problem.

美國自然保育協會 對年輕人做了一項調查

The Nature Conservancy did a survey of young people,

採訪的人問到： 「你們有多常到戶外？」

and they asked them, how often do you spend time outdoors?

只有五分之二的人

And only two out of five spent time outdoors

至少一週一次去戶外

at least once a week.

其餘的都只待在室內

The other three out of five were just staying inside.

當調查人員問及原因 為什麼他們不出去的時候

And when they asked them why, what are the barriers to going outside,

61% 的人回答

the response of 61 percent was,

我家附近沒有自然景觀

"There are no natural areas near my home."

這真不可思議！ 這絕對是大錯特錯的！

And this is crazy. This is just patently false.

在美國，71% 的人

I mean, 71 percent of people in the US

住所徒步十分鐘內都能到市區公園

live within a 10-minute walk of a city park.

我相信這樣的比例 在其他國家也差不多

And I'm sure the figures are similar in other countries.

而且這還不計你房子的後花園

And that doesn't even count your back garden,

都市人造河川、空地

the urban creek, the empty lot.

每個人都住在自然旁邊

Everybody lives near nature.

每個小孩都住在自然旁邊

Every kid lives near nature.

我們只是不知為何 對那些自然之景視而不見

We've just somehow forgotten how to see it.

我們花太多時間 看大衛·艾登堡祿的紀錄片

We've spent too much time watching David Attenborough documentaries

覺得片中的大自然十分誘人

where the nature is really sexy --

（笑聲）

(Laughter)

但是我們卻忘了看看門外的大自然

and we've forgotten how to see the nature that is literally right outside our door,

行道樹的自然之景

the nature of the street tree.

舉一個例子：費城

So here's an example: Philadelphia.

這條架高的鐵道很酷

There's this cool elevated railway

但已經被棄置了

that you can see from the ground, that's been abandoned.

這聽來像曼哈頓城 高線公園故事的開端

Now, this may sound like the beginning of the High Line story in Manhattan,

二者十分相似 儘管前者還沒發展成公園

and it's very similar, except they haven't developed this into a park yet,