地球变得越来越热，我们很快就要佩戴空调了

地球变得越来越热，我们很快就要佩戴空调了

Imagine a planet with an environment so harsh that humans wear climate-controlled suits to get around.

想象一下这样一个星球，它的环境是如此的恶劣，以至于人类穿着气候控制的衣服四处走动。

Now imagine that planet is Earth.

现在想象这颗行星是地球。

There's little doubt our home world is taking a turn for the torrid, making it harder and harder to live here.

毫无疑问，我们的家园正在经历一场风暴，让我们越来越难以在这里生活。

"Each of the last three decades has been successively warmer at the Earth's surface than any preceding decade since 1850," notes a landmark 2013 report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

政府间气候变化专门委员会(IPCC) 2013年发布的一份具有里程碑意义的报告指出:“过去30年里，地球表面的温度都是1850年以来最高的。”

When it comes to the Embr Wave, being cool is a state of mind. (Photo: Still from YouTube/Embr Labs)

And there's no doubt heat kills. Every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 600 people die in the U.S. alone from severe heat.

毫无疑问，高温会致人死亡。根据美国疾病控制与预防中心的数据，仅在美国，每年就有600多人死于酷暑。

It's no wonder we spend so much of our summers huddled in our climate-controlled colonies — offices and homes where we can breathe a little easier. And ironically, that reliance on air conditioning — and the fossil fuel plants that power it — only heats up our atmosphere more.

难怪我们夏天的大部分时间都挤在气候控制的殖民地里——办公室和家里，在那里我们可以呼吸得更轻松一些。具有讽刺意味的是，对空调的依赖——以及为其提供动力的化石燃料工厂——只会让我们的大气层变得更热。

But we do have to go outside sometimes. Only soon, we may have to suit up for it.

但是有时候我们确实得出去走走。只是很快，我们可能就得穿上它。

Fortunately, the designs for wearable air conditioning — yes, companies are already developing the technology — don't suggest we'll be waddling around in Apollo 11-style moon suits.

幸运的是，可穿戴空调的设计——是的，公司已经在开发这项技术——并不意味着我们将穿着阿波罗11号风格的月球服到处闲逛。

Instead, the focus is more on wearables. Sony, for example, crowdfunded a devicethat fits seamlessly under clothes to cool the skin.

相反，该公司更关注可穿戴设备。例如，索尼就众筹了一款设备，它可以无缝地嵌入衣服里，让皮肤降温。

Think of it like an ice cube pressed up against the skin; or reversed, a hot pocket.

把它想象成紧贴在皮肤上的冰块;或者反过来，一个热口袋。

Increasingly hot summers have led to an increased reliance on air conditioners. (Photo: Alex Marakhovets/Shutterstock)

Other devices, like already available Embr Wave, don't target the body so much as the mind. The device, developed by MIT scientists, doesn't lower body temperature at all. Rather, it tricks us into thinking we're cooler.

其他设备，比如已经可用的Embr波，并不针对身体，而是针对大脑。这种由麻省理工学院科学家开发的设备根本不会降低体温。相反，它让我们觉得自己更酷。

Indeed, a study from UC Berkeley's Center for the Built Environment found that people feel as much as 5 degrees cooler with an Embr Wave strapped on.

事实上，加州大学伯克利分校建筑环境中心的一项研究发现，绑上Embr波后，人们的体温会降低5度。

Imagine running around during a heat wave telling everyone how great you feel — until you pass out. But devices like the Embr Wave may have the simplest solution to the problem of how awful humidity makes us feel.

想象一下在热浪中跑来跑去，告诉每个人你有多棒，直到你昏倒。但是像Embr波这样的设备可能有最简单的方法来解决湿度让我们感觉有多糟糕的问题。

Perhaps more importantly, personal air conditioning — regardless of the technology behind it — is significantly more efficient than traditional building units. We may finally ease up on the monolithic system of compressors, condensers and refrigerants typically set too cold for many in the office.

或许更重要的是，个人空调——不管其背后的技术如何——比传统建筑单元的效率要高得多。我们可能最终会放松由压缩机、冷凝器和制冷剂组成的整体系统，这些设备通常对办公室里的许多人来说都太冷了。

Targeting a very specific area — your body, rather than the space around you — wearables sip so little energy, we may even slip into them at home. And maybe, finally, give our planet a reason to breathe a little easier.

可穿戴设备瞄准的是一个非常特定的区域——你的身体，而不是你周围的空间——消耗的能量如此之少，我们甚至可能会在家里溜进去。也许，最后，给我们的星球一个理由，让我们呼吸得更轻松一些。