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Carbon dioxide, methane and other gases trap some of this energy, which makes the earth warm and habitable. The atmosphere of the earth serves as a kind of greenhouse which uses some of the heat from the sun to warm the planet. It also makes it possible for there to be life on earth. The remainder of the solar energy bounces back into space.
二氧化碳、甲烷和其他气体会封锁其中的一些能量，使地球变暖，适合人类居住。地球的大气像一个温室，能吸收太阳的一些热量，使地球变暖。这也使得地球上生命的存在成为可能。剩下的太阳能被反射回太空。
Thus, there has been the right amount of heat to sustain life as we have known it.
这样，正如我们所知道的那样，地球上就有了适量的热量来维系生命。
However, the Industrial Revolution, which saw the use of fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) in huge and ever-growing quantities, has been responsible for changing this delicate balance. When burned—in factories, houses, automobiles, generating stations, etc.—fossil fuels emit carbon dioxide (CO2) and certain other gases into the atmosphere. These, in turn, trap more solar energy. Over a period of time, the accumulated CO2 has been sufficient to cause serious warming of the planet, upsetting the balance.
然而，工业革命后人们开始越来越大量地使用化石燃料（煤、石油和天然气），打破了这种微妙的平衡。化石燃料在工厂、房屋、汽车和电站等地燃烧时，会把二氧化碳和某些其他气体排放到大气中。而这些气体则会留住更多的太阳能。经过一段时间，累积的二氧化碳就足以使全球气候严重变暖，扰乱气候平衡。
The damage was not immediate. It took time for the gases to accumulate to a harmful extent, but for the last 60 or 70 years, the trend toward global warming was becoming apparent. However, in the last 2 decades, the speed of change has increased dramatically, and is continuing to change even more rapidly.
危害不会立即发生，气体需要经过一段时间才能积累到有害程度。但是，在过去的六七十年间，全球变暖的趋势越来越明显。然而，在最近的20年间，这种变化速度急剧加快，甚至还在继续加快。
