In 2016, a terrible El Nio event hit Kim Cobb’s study site, killing 85% of her coral. During her first dive afterward, “I was crying in my mask,” says Cobb. “It’s one thing to read papers about coral bleaching(珊瑚白化), but when it happens to a place where you know every dive like the back of your hand, it’s something different.”
So, she started to do a strict accounting of her personal carbon footprint that she is responsible for emitting(排放), finding that air travel accounted for 85% of her carbon footprint in 2017. She promised that 2018 would be different.
Cobb is one of a small but growing minority of academics who are cutting back on their air travel because of climate change. She started to ask conference and institutional representatives who invited her to speak whether she could do so remotely; about three-quarters of the time, they agreed. When the answer was no, she declined the invitation. That approach brought Cobb’s 2018 air travel down by 75%, and she planned to continue the practice.
However, some people disagree with her approach. Some senior scientists told her the “flying less movement” is harmful because it distracts(转移) from the message that global emissions can only be controlled through collective government action.
Reducing air travel can also be a disproportionate sacrifice for junior scientists, who benefit from networking and sharing their work at conferences. Cobb agrees. “If you’re an early-career researcher and you’re traveling very little, I think it’s hard to build awareness of your work,” she says. “You have to be standing around the coffee break to chat, and you can’t do that if you’re not there.”
It’s the senior scientists like herself who should reduce air travel. That could have the biggest effect on the problem: A study published online last month calculated that, at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, full professors are responsible for three times as many flight-related emissions as graduate students and postdocs.
1.What made Cobb pay attention to her carbon footprint?
A. Coral bleaching she read in papers.B. Failing to save coral during her dive.
C. The death of the coral in her study site.D. Her awareness of her too much air travel.
答案：C
2.How is Cobb’s way to reduce carbon footprints?
A. Disappointing.B. Satisfying.
C. Modern.D. Time-saving.
答案： B
3.Why do some people oppose Cobb’s approach?
A. It prevents senior scientists developing.B. It brings inconvenience to people in life.
C. It is misleading in solving global emissions.D. It makes it hard for people to realize climate change.
答案：C
