台長網誌 HKO-Director's Blog
星期三, 2008年 7月 16日
小行星64288號
朋友告訴我，天上有顆「林超英星」，我覺得很意外，剛過去的周末我在國際天文聯會的網站真的找到了有關信息。「林超英星」是64288號小行星，由著名的香港業餘天文學家楊光宇先生於2001年10月18日發現，並蒙他的錯愛冠上我的名字，謹向他致謝。
在國際天文聯會的命名通告中，提到我是香港天文台台長和香港觀鳥會前主席，以及我在氣候變化方面的推廣工作。最後一項，是我目前最牽掛的事。
直到2001年，我仍然不相信人類可以影響氣候，總覺得氣候變化自古以來都時有發生，何必大驚小怪。但是政府間氣候變化專門委員會在2001年發表了一份報告書，融合全球科學家的研究結果，以大量數據確認了近二百年來的氣候變化，又以強而有力的論證確立了人類燃燒煤和石油等放出二氧化碳引致全球變暖的因果關係。我是科學家，在證據面前認識到人類必須為全球氣候變化負責，以及了解到失控的氣候變化可以帶來嚴重後果。
從那時開始，我努力把我所知的告訴大家，希望促進民眾對氣候變化的認識，以及讓大家知道必須做些甚麼去減緩變化的速度，以免人類及眾多生物走上滅絕之路。
為了氣候的未來我到處演講，又組織天文台的同事深入研究香港本身的情況，並向全港廣而告之。我祇是盡了有良心的科學家的一份責任，沒有名利的追求，但是在推廣氣候變化知識的過程中，間中踫上被人揶揄為「一味靠嚇」(廣東口語)，難免有片刻遲疑，還要幹下去嗎?
小行星64288號的出現，讓我知道世上尚有同道中人，因此我不會氣餒。為了防止危害眾生的氣候變化出現，我會繼續努力。
小行星64288號掛上了我的名字之後其實甚麼變化都沒有，依然在它自己原本的軌跡上行走，不過心中冥想自己在它的位置，在黒暗中默默觀察宇宙的動靜，尤其是遠處藍色的小小地球，別有一番體會。人類的出現和滅絶，說到底祇是微光一瞬間。
林超英
Wednesday, 16th July 2008
Minor Planet 64288
I was rather surprised when a friend told me that there was a "star" bearing my name Lamchiuying. Last weekend, I checked the website of the International Astronomical Union and indeed found a record there. Lamchiuying is Minor Planet No. 64288, discovered by Mr W.K.Y. Yeung, a well-known amateur astronomer of Hong Kong, on 18 October 2001. I would like to thank him for kindly assigning my name to this astronomical object.
In the IAU citation regarding the formal naming, it mentions my positions as Director of the Hong Kong Observatory and ex-chairman of the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society, as well as my effort in promoting public awareness of global warming. The last item is what occupies my mind most of the time nowadays.
Up to 2001, I still didn't believe that human beings could change climate. To me, climate had always been changing and there was no particular need to worry about occasional fluctuations. However, the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change published an assessment report in 2001 based on the amalgamation of the research results of scientists all over the world. Data confirmed the significant climate change in the last 200 years. A strong case was presented establishing the causal relationship between carbon dioxide emitted by human beings burning coal and petroleum and the observed global warming. I am a scientist. Seeing the solid evidence, I appreciate that human beings are responsible for climate change and further realize that un-controlled climate change would have serious consequences.
From then onwards, I try my best to tell people what I know about. I hope that people would know better what climate change is. I tell people what we must do to reduce the rate of climate change, so as to avoid getting human beings and numerous other living species onto the road to extinction.
Hoping for a viable climate in the future, I gave talks everywhere. I asked colleagues of the Observatory to study how Hong Kong climate would change and then publicize the results for people's information. However, as I worked to promote public awareness of climate change, from time to time, I was labelled an "alarmist". At those moments, I do wonder whether I should continue my effort.
The arrival of Minor Planet 64288 is a timely reminder to me that other people on Earth do share my concern. Thus I am not going to give up my campaign. I shall persevere in my effort to prevent climate from becoming hazardous to living things on Earth.
Minor Planet 64288, with or without my name, remains its own self moving on its original orbit. However, for me, I could now imagine myself at its position watching silently in darkness the evolving universe and in particular the tiny blue Earth in the distance. It offers a totally perspective. The emergence and extinction of the human race would be but a faint, miniscule flash.
LAM Chiu Ying
