又中又英 | A point of no return | 褚簡寧

　　My extended stay in Taipei has run its course. The phrase "run its course" means something that started, went through its natural course, and finished on its own, just like a fever. I had many extended stays in Taiwan to find something new after returning to the US from Hong Kong in 2021. I will return to Hong Kong next month for an extended stay before returning to the US. Taipei has extremely hot summers, but this summer feels even hotter. The temperature reaches around 35 degrees or higher unless there is heavy rain.

　　I wonder if it's possible to fry an egg on a parked car’s roof at high noon on an extremely hot day! High noon means exactly twelve o'clock when the sun is at the highest point in the sky. Hong Kong used to get slightly cooler by September during my younger days. But those days are dead and buried, which means they are in the past and cannot happen again. Climate change has caused extreme weather such as heat waves and powerful storms. This summer’s heatwaves in Europe and constant rainstorms in Hong Kong are warnings that climate change is reaching a point of no return.

　　This means reaching a point when turning back or reversing something is no longer possible. Scientists believe it is not too late to reverse climate change but some changes, such as heat waves, are here to stay. They say countries must reduce greenhouse gas emissions by using cleaner fuels before it is too late to stop climate change. But politicians in some countries are still ignoring climate change. I hope climate change won’t ruin my extended Hong Kong stay！

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　　我延長逗留於台北已run its course－－短語 run its course是指某事開始後自然發展至結束，就像發燒一樣。我自2021年從香港回到美國後，已多次長留於台灣，探索新事物。下個月回美之前，我會回到香港住一段時間。台北的夏天非常酷熱，但這個夏天感覺更熱，氣溫可達35度或以上，除非是下大雨。

　　我很好奇，在酷熱天氣的正午（high noon），是否足以在停泊路邊的車頂蓋上煎一隻蛋！High noon是指中午12時，日正當中的時份。我年輕的時候，香港到了九月會稍微涼快一點，不過那些日子都是dead and buried，意即它們都已過去了，不能復再。氣候變化已帶來極端天氣例如熱浪和強烈的風暴。這個夏天在歐洲的熱浪與香港持續的暴風雨，都是氣候變化正達至a point of no return的警示。

　　它的意思是，事情已到了沒有退路，無法挽回的地步。科學家認為，要逆轉氣候變化還未太遲，但某些變化如熱浪，則會成為常態。他們說，在制止氣候變化為時已晚之前，各國必須使用更潔淨的燃油去減少溫室氣體排放。然而，一些國家的政客仍然漠視氣候變化。我希望氣候變化不會毀掉我在香港逗留的日子吧！

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Michael Chugani褚簡寧
中譯：七刻