短语 A amount to B,它的中心意思是,A和B的效果一样.
细致点说,有两层意思(但其实殊途同归,都可以总结为"A等于B")
(1) if figures,sums etc amount to a particular total,they equal that total when they are added together.就是“总计,合计”；
(2)if an attitude,remark,situation etc amounts to something,it has the same effect.可以理解为“相当于、意味着”.比如：
x05Her words amount to a refusal．她的话等于拒绝.
这句话里用的是第(2)个意思.
Yet the correlation alone amounts to scant evidence of the claimed cause-and-effect relationship.
逻辑就是：correlation alone = scant evidence of cause-and-effect relationship
通俗的说就是：要证明“因果关系”,却只拿“相关关系”说事,就跟没说一样.
感觉是在做argument吧……
翻译：仅用此相关关系,并不能为所谓的"因果关系"提供充足的证据.