又中又英 | A point of no return | 褚简宁

　　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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　　我延长逗留于台北已run its course－－短语 run its course是指某事开始后自然发展至结束，就像发烧一样。我自2021年从香港回到美国后，已多次长留于台湾，探索新事物。下个月回美之前，我会回到香港住一段时间。台北的夏天非常酷热，但这个夏天感觉更热，气温可达35度或以上，除非是下大雨。

　　我很好奇，在酷热天气的正午（high noon），是否足以在停泊路边的车顶盖上煎一只蛋！High noon是指中午12时，日正当中的时份。我年轻的时候，香港到了九月会稍微凉快一点，不过那些日子都是dead and buried，意即它们都已过去了，不能复再。气候变化已带来极端天气例如热浪和强烈的风暴。这个夏天在欧洲的热浪与香港持续的暴风雨，都是气候变化正达至a point of no return的警示。

　　它的意思是，事情已到了没有退路，无法挽回的地步。科学家认为，要逆转气候变化还未太迟，但某些变化如热浪，则会成为常态。他们说，在制止气候变化为时已晚之前，各国必须使用更洁净的燃油去减少温室气体排放。然而，一些国家的政客仍然漠视气候变化。我希望气候变化不会毁掉我在香港逗留的日子吧！

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Michael Chugani褚简宁
中译：七刻