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JoeLassiter_2016T-_我们需要核能来解决气候变迁问题_
It's easy to forget that last night, one billion people went to sleep without access to electricity . 有件事很容易被人们遗忘—— 就是昨晚仍有10亿人口在就寝前没有电力可以使用。
electricity:n.电力;电流;强烈的紧张情绪;
One billion people. 十亿人口。
Two and a half billion people did not have access to clean cooking fuels or clean heating fuels. 有 25 亿人口没有干净的烹饪燃料 或干净的暖气燃料可用。
Those are the problems in the developing world. 这些是开发中国家的问题。
And it's easy for us not to be empathetic with those people who seem so distanced from us. 而我们似乎也不太同情那些 离我们这么遥远的人们。
empathetic:adj.移情作用的;同感的(等于empathic);
But even in our own world, the developed world, we see the tension of stagnant economies impacting the lives of people around us. 但即使是在我们的世界——发达的世界, 我们仍会看到因为经济不景气 对我们周遭人生活所造成的影响。
tension:n.张力;拉伸;矛盾;紧张局势(或关系,状况);v.绷紧; stagnant:adj.停滞的;不景气的;污浊的;迟钝的; economies:n.经济;经济结构;节约;(economy的复数) impacting:[力]冲击;[力]撞击;[物]碰撞(impact的现在分词);
We see it in whole pieces of the economy , where the people involved have lost hope about the future and despair about the present. 我们可以看到他们受各种景气的影响, 在这样的背景下,人们对未来不抱希望, 对目前现状也相当失望。
economy:n.经济;节约;理财; involved:adj.有关的; v.涉及; (involve的过去式和过去分词) despair:v.绝望;失去希望;丧失信心;n.绝望;
We see that in the Brexit vote. 我们在英国脱欧看到了这种现象。
Brexit:英国退出欧盟;
We see that in the Sanders/Trump campaigns in my own country. 我们在自己国家的总统大选也看到了这种现象。
But even in countries as recently turning the corner towards being in the developed world, in China, we see the difficulty that President Xi has as he begins to un-employ so many people in his coal and mining industries who see no future for themselves. 但即使是最近正要从发展中国家转变成 发达国家的—— 中国, 我们也看到习主席也相当为难, 他也开始在煤矿及采矿产業解雇了很多 看不到自己未来的矿工。
recently:adv.最近;新近;
As we as a society figure out how to manage the problems of the developed world and the problems of the developing world, we have to look at how we move forward and manage the environmental impact of those decisions. 即使我们的社会已经知道如何管理 发达国家的问题 以及发展中国家的问题, 我们仍得仔细想想要如何更进一步的 管理这些决定所带给环境的影响。
We've been working on this problem for 25 years, since Rio, the Kyoto Protocols . 自从里约的《京都议定书》后, 我们已经在这个议题上努力了25年。
Kyoto:n.京都(日本城市); Protocols:n.协议; v.拟定议定书;
Our most recent move is the Paris treaty , and the resulting climate agreements that are being ratified by nations around the world. 我们最近的活动是在巴黎的全球气候大会协议, 最后的协议书 已经被世界各国所签署认可。
treaty:n.条约,协议;谈判; ratified:adj.批准的;vt.批准(ratify的过去式);
I think we can be very hopeful that those agreements, which are bottom-up agreements, where nations have said what they think they can do, are genuine and forthcoming for the vast majority of the parties. 我想,我们都很期待 这些协议,这些由下而上 由各国政府所承诺的协议, 能真正的实现并为所有人带来利益。
bottom-up:adj.[计]自底向上的;从细节到总体的; genuine:adj.真实的,真正的;诚恳的; forthcoming:adj.即将到来的;即将发生(或出版等)的;现成;n.来临; majority:n.大部分:大多数:多数票:成年人:
The unfortunate thing is that now, as we look at the independent analyses of what those climate treaties are liable to yield , the magnitude of the problem before us becomes clear. 不幸的是, 当我们仔细观察独立分析报告里面 这些气候协定有哪些盲点时, 一大堆问题就会一一浮现眼前。
independent:adj.独立的; n.无党派议员(或候选人等); analyses:n.分析;解析;分解;梗概(analysis的复数形式); treaties:n.条约;协定问题(treaty的复数); liable:adj.有责任的,有义务的;应受罚的;有…倾向的;易…的; yield:n.产量;产出;利润;v.屈服;让步;放弃;提供; magnitude:n.大小;量级;[地震]震级;重要;光度;
This is the United States Energy Information Agency's assessment of what will happen if the countries implement the climate commitments that they've made in Paris between now and 2040. 这是美国能源资讯评估委员会的评估报告, 报告中说明了在巴黎气候大会上那些发表承诺的国家, 如果从现在起到2040年,都执行了他们所说的事 那会有甚么事发生。
United:adj.联合的; v.联合,团结; (unite的过去分词和过去式) assessment:n.评定;估价; implement:v.实施;执行;贯彻;使生效;n.工具; commitments:n.承诺,保证;委托;承担义务;献身;(commitment的复数)
It shows basically CO2 emissions around the world over the next 30 years. 这份报告基本上告诉了我们, 未来30年全球的碳排状况。
basically:adv.主要地,基本上; emissions:n.(光、热、气等的)发出,排放;排放物;散发物;(emission的复数)
There are three things that you need to look at and appreciate . 有三件事,各位要特别注意:
appreciate:v.欣赏;感激;感谢;理解;
One, CO2 emissions are expected to continue to grow for the next 30 years. 第一,未来三十年, 碳排预计仍会持续增长。
In order to control climate, 为了要控制气候,
CO2 emissions have to literally go to zero because it's the cumulative emissions that drive heating on the planet. 碳排几乎必须要达到「零排放」, 因为二氧化碳会积累,它主导了地球的温度。
literally:adv.按字面:字面上:确实地: cumulative:adj.累积的;
This should tell you that we are losing the race to fossil fuels. 这说明了,我们的石化燃料竞赛根本是个错误。
fossil:n.化石;老人;老古董;adj.从地下发掘出来的;化石的;属于旧时代的;陈腐的;
The second thing you should notice is that the bulk of the growth comes from the developing countries, from China, from India, from the rest of the world, 第二,各位要明白: 主要的增长来源是来自开发中国家, 像是,中国、印度,还有其它国家,
bulk:n.大部分;主体;(大)体积;大(量);v.扩展;增大;堆积起来;形成大块;
which includes South Africa and Indonesia and Brazil , as most of these countries move their people into the lower range of lifestyles that we literally take for granted in the developed world. 包括南非、印尼、巴西, 当大部分这些国家把他们的人民 带往了一个更低水准的生活的同时, 在发达国家的我们却认为这是理所当然的必经过程。
Indonesia:n.印尼,印度尼西亚(东南亚岛国); Brazil:n.巴西(拉丁美洲国家); lifestyles:n.生活方式(lifestyle的复数); take for granted:认为…理所当然;
The final thing that you should notice is that each year, about 10 gigatons of carbon are getting added to the planet's atmosphere , and then diffusing into the ocean and into the land. 最后一件各位必须注意的是: 我们每一年, 大约有100亿吨的碳会排入地球的大气层中, 之后溶入到海洋及大地里。
gigatons:n.十亿吨; carbon:n.[化学]碳;碳棒;复写纸;adj.碳的;碳处理的; atmosphere:n.大气;气氛;气压;风格; diffusing:v.散布,传播;漫射(diffuse的现在分词形式);
That's on top of the 550 gigatons that are in place today. 这些会附加到目前存在地球5500亿吨的碳存量上。
At the end of 30 years, we will have put 850 gigatons of carbon into the air, and that probably goes a long way towards locking in a 2-4 degree C increase in global mean surface temperatures, locking in ocean acidification and locking in sea level rise. 30年后, 我们的空气中将有8500亿吨的碳, 所以要把地球表面的上升温度 控制在2~4度C内,那可能比登天还难, 还有控制海洋酸化、 控制海平面上升亦是百般困难。
global:adj.全球的;总体的;球形的; acidification:n.[化学]酸化;成酸性;使…发酸; sea level:海平面;
Now, this is a projection made by men by the actions of society, and it's ours to change, not to accept. 这是人类造成的结果、 社会造成的结果、 我们必须改变,不能接受。
projection:n.投射;规划;突出;发射;推测;
But the magnitude of the problem is something we need to appreciate. 但我们还有很多问题要厘清。
Different nations make different energy choices. 不同的国家有不同的能源选择。
It's a function of their natural resources . 取决于他们的天然资源的功能,
resources:n.[计][环境]资源; v.向…提供资金(resource的第三人称单数);
It's a function of their climate. 一种气候的功能。
It's a function of the development path that they've followed as a society. 这是他们社会通往发展道路上的方式。
It's a function of where on the surface of the planet they are. 这条方程式,取决于他们位于地球表面的哪一个位置。
Are they where it's dark a lot of the time, or are they at the mid-latitudes? 他们是否长时间处于黑暗状态 或是他们位于中纬度？
Many, many, many things go into the choices of countries, and they each make a different choice. 有很多方式可以让各国选择, 而每个国家都有不同的选择。
The overwhelming thing that we need to appreciate is the choice that China has made. 有件挡不住的事,我们需要了解, 那就是中国所做出的选择。
overwhelming:adj.势不可挡的; v.压倒; (overwhelm的现在分词)
China has made the choice, and will make the choice, to run on coal. 中国已经做出选择, 他们将选择继续烧煤。
The United States has an alternative . 美国自己有替代方案,
alternative:adj.供选择的;选择性的;交替的;n.二中择一;供替代的选择;
It can run on natural gas as a result of the inventions of fracking and shale gas, which we have here. 可以选择天然气, 因为我们有水力压裂技术 及页岩气的探勘技术。
natural gas:n.天然气; as a result:结果; fracking:n.水力压裂; shale:n.[岩]页岩;泥板岩;
They provide an alternative. 它们提供了替代方案。
The OECD Europe has a choice. 欧洲的经济合作发展组织也做了选择。
It has renewables that it can afford to deploy in Germany because it's rich enough to afford to do it. 德国选择再生能源, 因为他们有钱可以支付做这件事。
renewables:n.可再生能源(renewable的复数); afford:v.给予,提供;买得起; deploy:v.部署;利用;[军事]展开;(使)张开;
The French and the British show interest in nuclear power . 法国及英国对核能发电很有兴趣。
nuclear power:na.核大国;
Eastern Europe, still very heavily committed to natural gas and to coal, and with natural gas that comes from Russia, with all of its entanglements . 东欧对天然气及煤矿仍相当依赖, 提到天然气,就会想到俄罗斯, 它跟周遭国家一直纠缠不清。
Eastern:adj.东方的;向东的;东部的;东方国家的;n.东方人;东正教信徒; committed:adj.坚信的; v.做出错事; (commit的过去分词和过去式) entanglements:n.纠缠;复杂的情况(entanglement的复数);
China has many fewer choices and a much harder row to hoe . 中国的选择比较少, 而且困难重重。
hoe:vt.锄,用锄头;vi.用锄耕地;n.锄头;
If you look at China, and you ask yourself why has coal been important to it, you have to remember what China's done. 如果你仔细观察中国,你也许会问, 为什么煤矿对中国这么重要？ 你必须回想中国的发展轨迹。
China brought people to power, not power to people. 中国带给人民的是权力,而不是电力。
It didn't do rural electrification . 他们不发展农村电力。
rural:adj.农村的,乡下的;田园的,有乡村风味的; electrification:n.电气化;带电;充电;
It urbanized . 他们全力发展城市化。
urbanized:adj.城市化的;v.使城市化(urbanize的过去式);
It urbanized by taking low-cost labor and low-cost energy, creating export industries that could fund a tremendous amount of growth. 低成本的劳力及低成本的能源,促成了都市化的发展, 造成出口产業的 大幅度成长。
low-cost:adj.廉价的;价格便宜的; export:n.出口;[无线电]呼叫;出口货;输出额;v.出口;排出;adj.输出的; fund:n.基金;资金;存款;v.投资;资助; tremendous:adj.极大的,巨大的;惊人的;极好的;
If we look at China's path, all of us know that prosperity in China has dramatically increased. 如果各位观察中国的发展轨迹, 大家都知道,中国的繁榮成长地相当快速。
prosperity:n.繁荣,成功; dramatically:adv.戏剧地;引人注目地;adv.显著地,剧烈地;
In 1980, 80 percent of China's population lived below the extreme poverty level, below the level of having $1.90 per person per day. 在1980年代,有将近80%的中国人 生活在极度贫穷线以下。 平均每人每天赚的竟低于1.9美金的水准。
extreme:adj.极端的;极度的;偏激的;尽头的;n.极端;末端;最大程度;极端的事物; poverty:n.贫困;困难;缺少;低劣;
By the year 2000, only 20 percent of China's population lived below the extreme poverty level — a remarkable feat , admittedly , with some costs in civil liberties that would be tough to accept in the Western world. 但到了2000年,只剩下20%的中国人 生活在极度贫穷线之下—— 相当了不起的政绩, 诚然,这是牺牲了一些人民的自由换来的, 这在西方世界里是不可能被接受的。
remarkable:adj.卓越的;非凡的;值得注意的; feat:n.功绩,壮举;技艺表演;adj.合适的;灵巧的; admittedly:adv.公认地;无可否认地;明白地; civil:adj.公民的;民间的;文职的;有礼貌的;根据民法的; liberties:n.自由(liberty的复数);
But the impact of all that wealth allowed people to get massively better nutrition . 但这样的财富增长 让人民大量获得了更好的营养。
wealth:n.财富;大量;富有; massively:adv.大量地;沉重地;庄严地; nutrition:n.营养,营养学;营养品;
It allowed water pipes to be placed. 地下水管得以建设、
It allowed sewage pipes to be placed, dramatic decrease in diarrheal diseases , at the cost of some outdoor air pollution. 卫生下水道得以建设、 大量减少了腹泻的疾病, 而这些却是用空气汙染换来的。
sewage:n.污水;下水道;污物; decrease:v.降低;减少;缩小;减弱;n.减少;减小量;所减少的总量;减缩位置; diarrheal:adj.腹泻的; diseases:n.[医]病(disease的复数);[医]疾病;[植保]病害;疾病种类; at the cost of:以…为代价; outdoor:adj.户外的;露天的;
But in 1980, and even today, the number one killer in China is indoor air pollution, because people do not have access to clean cooking and heating fuels. 但在1980年代,甚至到目前为止, 中国的头号杀手,竟是室内的空气汙染, 因为人民没有干净的烹饪及暖气燃料可用。
indoor:adj.(在)室内的;在户内进行的;在室内用的;
In fact, in 2040, it's still estimated that 200 million people in China will not have access to clean cooking fuels. 事实上,在2040年, 预估仍有二亿的中国人口 没有干净的烹饪燃料可用。
estimated:adj.估计的;预计的;估算的;
They have a remarkable path to follow. 他们仍有相当艰辛的一段路要走。
India also needs to meet the needs of its own people, and it's going to do that by burning coal. 印度也需要满足人民的需求, 他们也准备用燃煤的方式来进行。
When we look at the EIA's projections of coal burning in India, 当我们仔细观察印度燃煤的环境影响评估,就会发现
projections:n.预测;设想;投影;投影图;(projection的复数)
India will supply nearly four times as much of its energy from coal as it will from renewables. 印度未来对燃煤的需求 是再生能源的四倍。
It's not because they don't know the alternatives; it's because rich countries can do what they choose, poor countries do what they must. 并不是因为他们不知道替代能源方案; 是因为富裕国家可以自由选择, 而贫穷国家只能被迫选择。
So what can we do to stop coal's emissions in time? 所以,我们要如何及时的停止燃煤的排放？
What can we do that changes this forecast that's in front of us? 我们有没有办法可以改善眼前的预测结果？
forecast:n.预测;预报;v.预测;预报;
Because it's a forecast that we can change if we have the will to do it. 因为只要我们有意愿改变,我们一定办的到。
First of all , we have to think about the magnitude of the problem. 首先,我们必须从大方向来思考。
First of all:adv.首先;
Between now and 2040, 800 to 1,600 new coal plants are going to be built around the world. 从现在开始到2040年, 全世界即将有800~1600座燃煤发电厂被建造出来。
This week, between one and three one-gigawatt coal plants are being turned on around the world. 光这个礼拜,世界上就有1~3座 十亿瓦特的燃煤发电厂开始运转。
That's happening regardless of what we want, because the people that rule their countries, assessing the interests of their citizens, have decided it's in the interest of their citizens to do that. 不管我们想不想,这件事就是会发生, 因为为了人民着想, 当权者在权衡利益之后, 就已经决定要怎么做了。
regardless:adj.不管的; v.不顾后果地; assessing:v.评估,评定(性质、质量);估算,估定;(assess的现在分词) in the interest of:adv.为了;为了...的利益;
And that's going to happen unless they have a better alternative. 除非有更好的替代方案,不然事情挡都挡不住。
And every 100 of those plants will use up between one percent and three percent of the Earth's climate budget . 而每100座燃煤发电厂 将会耗损1~3%的 地球气候容忍量。
budget:n.预算,预算费;v.安排,预定;把…编入预算;adj.廉价的;
So every day that you go home thinking that you should do something about global warming , at the end of that week, remember: somebody fired up a coal plant that's going to run for 50 years and take away your ability to change it. 所以当你每天回家思考如何在全球暖化议题上有所贡献时, 记得,在每周结束前: 已经又有人将要开启壹座运行50年的发电站 而这些人就是夺走你想改变这一切能力的人。
global warming:n.全球(气候)变暖;地球大气层变暖;
What we've forgotten is something that Vinod Khosla used to talk about, a man of Indian ethnicity but an American venture capitalist . 我们可能已经忘记,维诺德·柯斯拉曾说过的, 他是印度裔,但他是一位美国籍的风险投资家,
ethnicity:n.种族划分; venture:v.敢于;冒险;投机;n.企业;风险;冒险; capitalist:n.资本家;资本主义者;adj.资本主义的;资本家的;
And he said, back in the early 2000s, that if you needed to get China and India off of fossil fuels, you had to create a technology that passed the "Chindia test," 他说,回想2000年初期, 如果你想要让中国和印度不使用石化燃料, 那你得创造出一种可以通过「Chindia测试」的科技,
technology:n.技术;工艺;术语;
'"Chindia" being the appending of the two words. Chindia是中国和印度的缩写。
appending:adj.附加的;v.附加;挂上(append的ing形式);
It had to be first of all viable , meaning that technically, they could implement it in their country, and that it would be accepted by the people in the country. 这是他们的首要考量, 意思就是,这项技术,可以运用在他们的国家, 且可以被他们的人民接受。
viable:adj.可行的;能养活的;能生育的;
Two, it had to be a technology that was scalable , 第二,这项技术必须能被规模化,
scalable:adj.可攀登的;可去鳞的;可称量的;