In the Japanese village of Kamimomi, a small group of farmers began gathering their rice in extreme heat, two weeks earlier than usual. 

在日本的上莫米村，一小群农民开始在酷暑中收割稻谷，比平时提前了两周。 

Kamimomi is in Japan’s western Okayama prefecture. The area is called "the Land of Sunshine" because of its good weather. But farmers working in the mountainside rice fields say climate change is hurting the harvest of rice. 

上莫米位于日本西部的冈山县。该地区气候宜人，被称为“阳光之国”。但在山腰稻田劳作的农民表示，气候变化正在损害水稻的收成。 

Joji Terasaka farms in Okayama. He said last year a hot period dried up the rice. He added, "I am worried about that this year because it will be just as hot." 

冈山寺坂丈二农场。他说去年炎热的天气使稻米干涸。他补充道：“我很担心今年，因为今年也会一样热。” 

This year Japan had its hottest July on record. The Japan weather agency said temperatures were 2.16 degrees Celsius higher than average. Worldwide, there has been a 1.2-degree Celsius rise in average temperature since 1850. 

今年日本经历了有记录以来最热的七月。日本气象厅表示，气温比平均水平高出 2.16 摄氏度。自 1850 年以来，全球平均气温上升了 1.2 摄氏度。 

Scientists agreed that warming needs to be limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius to prevent the worst effects of climate change. 

科学家们一致认为，升温需要限制在 1.5 摄氏度以内，以防止气候变化造成最严重的影响。

Last year, Japan had a poor rice harvest nationwide because of unusually hot weather. 

去年，由于天气异常炎热，日本全国稻谷歉收。 

Officials say the drop in harvest in Japan was partly responsible for a shortage of rice this summer. The low supply of rice in markets forced sellers to limit each buyer to one rice bag. 

官员们表示，日本收成下降是今年夏季大米短缺的部分原因。市场上大米供应不足，迫使卖家限制每个买家只能购买一袋大米。

Yuji Masutomi is a researcher at the National Institute for Environmental Studies in Tsukuba, north of Tokyo. He said, "Perhaps people think that an increase of one degree Celsius in average temperature isn't much. But it's quite a big change for plants and crops." 

Yuji Masutomi 是东京北部筑波国立环境研究所的研究员。他说：“也许人们认为平均气温升高一摄氏度并不算多，但对于植物和农作物来说却是一个很大的变化。” 

Masutomi said the rising temperatures also hurt the quality of the grain. Last year, the farming ministry noted that at least one-fifth of rice farms have reported a drop in quality from rising temperatures. "Not only is the appearance not good; people say the taste drops too," Masutomi said. 

Masutomi说，气温上升也损害了谷物的质量。去年，农业部指出，至少五分之一的稻田报告称，由于气温升高，稻米品质下降。“不仅外观不好，人们都说味道也下降了，”增富说。 

Another problem the farmers in Kamimomi face is working under high heat. The average age of agricultural workers in Japan is nearly 69, among the oldest in the world. Older people are especially likely to suffer from the heat. For half of the year, farmers work in the heat to produce rice. 

上莫米农民面临的另一个问题是在高温下工作。日本农业工人的平均年龄接近69岁，是世界上最长寿的国家之一。老年人尤其容易受到高温的影响。半年的时间里，农民们冒着酷暑辛苦生产水稻。 

To deal with climate change, the government is urging the use of heat-resistant varieties of rice. One strain, developed by a research center near Tokyo, is called Sai no Kizuna. 

为了应对气候变化，政府正在敦促使用耐热稻米品种。其中一种菌株是由东京附近的一个研究中心开发的，称为“Sai no Kizuna”。 

Naoto Ohoka manages rice breeding at Saitama's Agricultural Technology Research Center. Ohoka said, "Last year and this year have been extremely hot, but even in those conditions, Sai no Kizuna maintained a certain level of quality.” 

大霍直人 (Naoto Ohoka) 在埼玉县农业技术研究中心负责水稻育种工作。大霍卡说：“去年和今年都非常炎热，但即使在这样的条件下，彩之绊也保持了一定的质量水平。

”Sai no Kizuna was developed in 2012 to better survive high heat, wind and certain pests and diseases. Masutomi recommends that similar varieties of rice should be introduced across Japan by the 2040s. 

Sai no Kizuna 于 2012 年开发，旨在更好地抵抗高温、大风和某些病虫害。Masutomi 建议到 2040 年代在日本各地引入类似的稻米品种。 

But it can take up to 10 years to develop a new strain. After it is approved for the market, farmers must then decide to grow it. 

但开发新菌株可能需要长达 10 年的时间。在批准上市后，农民必须决定种植它。 

The most widely grown strain of rice is Koshihikari, which does not do well in high heat. Even so, older farmers have not always been willing to change to other varieties. Farming ministry data show that heat-resistant varieties grow in only around 15 percent of Japanese rice fields. 

种植最广泛的水稻品种是越光水稻，它在高温下生长不佳。即便如此，老年农民并不总是愿意改种其他品种。农林水产省的数据显示，日本仅有 15% 左右的稻田种植耐热品种。