High Life

16 品 From the editor Coffin at the door N o matter which part of the world we live in, chances are we are all feeling the impact of climate change. In Macau, two huge typhoons have hit us recently and we are beginning to realize that, unfortunately, super typhoons will become anormin theyears to come. These pastmonths, restaurants I frequent have stopped serving drinks with straws. We are definitely seeing some changes designed to protect our environment, but are they enough? During summer in Hong Kong and Macau, I notice a huge disparity between the temperature inside the buildings and that outside on the street. Air conditioners are blasting to the point that people feel like they are in a refrigerator. I once asked a friend in Hong Kong why the temperature indoors had to be kept so low. He answered, “Don’t you see all these guys in suits inside their office buildings? They want to look good! Of course it has to be cold or else theywill be sweating like they have been in the pool! Also, haven’t you heard of the summer leather trend? It’s very fashionable right now.” Are you kidding?Wearing leather when it’s 33 degrees Celsius outside in the height of summer? If people don’t acknowledge the urgency of the world’s climate change situation and commit to some serious lifestyle changes, it is almost certain we will face grave consequences. In Chinese, there is a saying: “You won't weep until you see the coffin.” To those of us who are dealing with flooding, typhoons and all that is induced by climate change, the coffin is already at our door, but the sad truth is that many are disregarding its existence. Irene Sam Editor-in-Chief 执迷不悟 无 论生活在世界哪个角落，我们都或多或少能够感受 到气候变化所带来的的影响。近期，澳门已遭两场 强台风袭；并且我们也逐渐意识到，超级台风将成为未来 几年的常态。过去几个月，我常去的餐厅已陆续停止提供 吸管。我们确实看到了一些环保方面的努力，但这些是否 足矣？ 夏季在港澳，我注意到室内室外的温差惊人。空调在 高速运转，以至于让人感觉如同置身冰箱。我曾问过香港 的一位友人，为什么室内温度必须这么低。他回答说：“你 没看到办公楼里那些身着西装革履的人吗？他们想要更加 体面！温度自然要够低，否则他们看起来会像刚从泳池中 出来一样！还有，你没听说过夏季皮革潮流吗？现在非常 流行。” 这是玩笑之言吗？盛夏33摄氏度穿皮革？如果人们不 意识到全球气候变化形势的紧迫性并在生活方式上做出一 些改变，那几乎可以肯定，我们将面临严重后果。 常言道，不见棺材不落泪。洪水、台风等等，无不与 气候变化相关，棺材已候在门外。但令人遗憾的是，不少 人仍无视它的存在。 沈爱莲 主编 编者寄语