你也許只是覺得今年的冬天比往年暖和了一點，但實際上全球變暖的危害遠遠超出你的想象。全球變暖會摧毀珊瑚礁，導(dǎo)致生物滅絕，造成農(nóng)作物歉收，如今新研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，全球變暖還會導(dǎo)致早產(chǎn)和嬰幼兒肥胖，并降低懷孕率。

The climate crisis is damaging the health of foetuses, babies and infants across the world, six new studies have found.

六項新研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，氣候危機正在危害世界各地的胎兒和嬰幼兒健康。

Scientists discovered increased heat was linked to fast weight gain in babies, which increases the risk of obesity in later life. Higher temperatures were also linked to premature birth, which can have lifelong health effects, and to increased hospital admissions of young children.

科學(xué)家發(fā)現(xiàn)，氣溫升高與嬰兒體重迅速增長有關(guān)，還會增加其日后肥胖的風(fēng)險。此外，研究發(fā)現(xiàn)高溫天氣會導(dǎo)致早產(chǎn)和更多幼童住院，而早產(chǎn)對健康的影響會伴隨終生。

The studies, published in a special issue of the journal Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, spanned the globe from the US to Denmark, Israel and Australia.

這些研究發(fā)表在《兒科和圍產(chǎn)期流行病學(xué)》雜志的一期特刊上，研究對象遍及美國、丹麥、以色列、澳大利亞等多個國家。

"From the very beginning, from preconception, through early childhood into adolescence, we’re starting to see important impacts of climate hazards on health,” said Prof Gregory Wellenius, who edited the issue with Amelia Wesselink, both at the Boston University school of public health, in the US.

負(fù)責(zé)編輯這期特刊的格雷戈里·韋勒紐斯教授說：“從孕前到幼兒期再到青春期，氣候災(zāi)害對健康的重大影響從一開始就顯現(xiàn)出來?！?一起編輯這期特刊的還有和韋勒紐斯同在美國波士頓大學(xué)公共衛(wèi)生學(xué)院的阿米莉亞·韋塞林克。

The link between heat and rapid weight gain in the first year of life was found by scientists in Israel. They analysed 200,000 births and found that babies exposed to the highest 20% of night-time temperatures had a 5% higher risk of fast weight gain.

以色列的科學(xué)家發(fā)現(xiàn)了高溫天氣和新生兒體重迅速增長之間的聯(lián)系。他們分析了20萬名新生兒后發(fā)現(xiàn)，那些身處那五分之一“最高夜間氣溫”環(huán)境下的嬰兒，體重迅速增長的風(fēng)險會高出5%。

Globally, 18% of children are now overweight or obese. A possible mechanism for the rapid infant weight gain is that less fat is burned to maintain body temperature when the ambient temperature is higher.

目前全球范圍內(nèi)有18%的兒童超重或肥胖。這可能是因為周圍溫度更高，維持體溫所需燃燒的脂肪減少了，因此嬰幼兒的體重增長就變快了。

Two new studies examined the link between high temperatures and premature birth. The first assessed almost one million pregnant women in New South Wales, Australia, from 2005 to 2014, of whom 3% delivered their babies before 37 weeks.

另外兩項新研究觀察了高溫天氣和早產(chǎn)之間的聯(lián)系。第一項研究對2005年至2014年間澳大利亞新南威爾士州近100萬孕婦的資料進行了分析，其中有3%的孕婦未滿37周就分娩了。

The researchers found that those in the hottest 5% of places in the state in the week before birth had a 16% higher risk of premature birth. Previous research had found a similar effect in the warmer sub-tropical city of Brisbane, but this was the first in a more temperate region of Australia.

研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn)，在產(chǎn)前那周該州氣溫最高的5%的地區(qū)，早產(chǎn)的風(fēng)險增加了16%。先前的研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，氣候炎熱的亞熱帶城市布里斯班也出現(xiàn)早產(chǎn)增多的情況，但這是第一次在澳大利亞的溫帶城市發(fā)現(xiàn)同樣的情況。

The second study analysed 200,000 births from 2007-2011 in Harris County, Texas – which includes Houston – where people are accustomed to heat. The period included Texas’s hottest summer on record in 2011.

第二項研究分析了2007年至2011年間美國得克薩斯州哈里斯郡（包括天氣酷熱的休斯頓在內(nèi)）的20萬例分娩資料，這一時期涵蓋了得州有史以來最熱的2011年夏天。

A quarter of the mothers were exposed to at least one very hot day while pregnant, days when temperature reached the top 1% of historic summer temperatures. The risk of any premature birth was 15% higher the day after these very hot days, the scientists found. But the risk was even higher for especially early births, tripling for babies born before 28 weeks, and was also higher for the most disadvantaged 20% of the mothers.

四分之一的孕婦在懷孕期間至少經(jīng)歷過一個夏日的氣溫達到史上最高的1%。科學(xué)家發(fā)現(xiàn)，在極其炎熱的一天后，早產(chǎn)風(fēng)險增加了15%。但是超早產(chǎn)的風(fēng)險甚至更高，在28周以前出生的早產(chǎn)風(fēng)險增加了兩倍，條件最差的20%的孕婦的早產(chǎn)風(fēng)險也更高。

Hotter temperatures also increased the number of admissions of young children to emergency departments in New York City, another new study found. The scientists looked at 2.5m admissions over eight years and found that a 7C rise in maximum temperature led to a 2.4% increase in admissions in under-fives. Young children lose proportionally more fluids than adults and their ability to regulate their body temperature is immature, the researchers said.

另一項新研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，高溫天氣還增加了紐約市急診科收治的幼童數(shù)量?？茖W(xué)家分析了8年間急診科收治的250萬名幼童患者資料后發(fā)現(xiàn)，當(dāng)最高溫度升高7攝氏度時，看急診的5歲以下幼童數(shù)量增加了2.4%。研究人員指出，高溫天氣下幼童失去的體液比重比成人更高，而且他們調(diào)節(jié)體溫的能力還未發(fā)育成熟。

The burning of fossil fuels drives the climate crisis but also causes air pollution and a new study in Denmark assessed the impact of dirty air on 10,000 couples trying to conceive naturally. It found that increases in particle pollution of a few units during a menstrual cycle led to a decrease in conception of about 8%.

燃燒化石燃料不僅加劇了氣候危機，還導(dǎo)致了空氣污染。丹麥的一項新研究分析了空氣污染對1萬名試圖自然受孕的夫婦的影響。研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，在一次月經(jīng)周期內(nèi)空氣污染顆粒物濃度的增加會導(dǎo)致懷孕率降低約8%。

Wellenius said an important aspect of the studies was that they showed that vulnerable people often suffered the worst effects, for example people of colour and those on low incomes who did not have air conditioning or lived in areas with higher air pollution. “This is absolutely a health equity and justice issue,” he said.

韋勒紐斯表示，很重要的一點是，這些研究都表明弱勢群體往往受到的影響最大，比如有色人種和低收入群體，她們沒有空調(diào)，居住的地區(qū)空氣污染也更嚴(yán)重。韋勒紐斯說：“這完全是衛(wèi)生公平問題?！?/p>

英文來源：衛(wèi)報

翻譯&編輯：丹妮