施心远主编《听力教程》3 - （第2版）Unit - 8答案(5)

In a paper published this week in the journal Science, co-author Steve Pyne and colleagues say there's currently no systematic, scientific way to study fire.

Pyne and nearly two dozen other researchers compiled current data on fire's impact on global warming to underscore the need for a new fire discipline. The scientists report that all fires combined—from the intentional blazes farmers use to clear forest to the accidental wildfires sparked by both man and nature—release an amount of carbon dioxide equal to half the CO2 emissions from the burning of fossil fuels. They say that fires also pump other potentially climate-changing pollutants into the atmosphere, including methane gas, aerosols and soot.

Pyne adds that changes in climate could exacerbate the hot, dry conditions that trigger wildfires. The prospect of larger and more deadly fires around the world makes it imperative that new ways be found to help better understand and manage those fires, according to the study's lead author, Jennifer Balch, a researcher with the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis in Santa Barbara, California.