美国国家公共电台 NPR--Europeans brace for a rough winter with surging gas prices

Europeans brace¹ for a rough winter with surging gas prices

Transcript²

Europeans face a tough winter as the price of gas – used to generate electricity and heating — soars.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Europeans have a tough winter ahead. Rising inflation is biting into family budgets. The continent's been hit hard by drought. And the price of gas used to generate electricity and heating is just going up and up. Three of our correspondents have been looking into all this and what governments there are trying to do to help. Willem Marx is a reporter based in London. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley joins us this morning from Paris. And NPR's Rob Schmitz is in Berlin. Welcome to all of you.

ROB SCHMITZ, BYLINE³: Good morning.

WILLEM MARX: Hey.

MARTIN: Rob, I want to start with you. Until the war in Ukraine, Germany was the country in Europe that was most dependent on Russian gas. What's the situation there as winter approaches?

SCHMITZ: Yeah. Before Russia's war in Ukraine, Germany depended on Russia for around 55% of its natural gas. But as of this month, Germany has been able to reduce that dependency to less than 10%. And it's done that by buying gas from Norway and the Netherlands, as well as by reducing its own gas use. Now, that's the good news for Germany. The bad news is that the price of gas has quadrupled from a year ago. And starting in October, all Germans will be required to pay more for their home gas use through a new gas levy⁴. And the purpose of that is to ensure that the country's power companies don't go bankrupt. But many Germans are angry about this. We spoke⁵ to retired⁶ teacher Ulrike Steinke at a local market, and she complained about having to pay for this.

ULRIKE STEINKE: (Speaking German).

SCHMITZ: And, Rachel, she's saying here that she understands the energy companies need help, but at the end of the day, she says, they make their profits and line their pockets, while the middle and lower classes lose out. And there's a fierce debate inside of Germany's Parliament at the moment about this very concern.

MARTIN: OK. So let's pivot⁷ a bit. Eleanor, you're in Paris. Are things as bad there as they are in Germany?

ELEANOR BEARDSLEY, BYLINE: Well, no, they're not, because France does not rely as heavily on Russian gas as, say, Germany or Italy. It uses its own nuclear power to provide about 70% of its electricity needs. And the French government has also really stepped in to protect households. It froze gas prices - energy prices last November 2021 for consumers. And the state is so far paying the difference. This is called the tariff⁸ shield. So unlike in Germany and other countries, consumers for now aren't paying more. But of course, that's kicking the can down the road, eventually putting the burden on taxpayers⁹. Still, electricity prices are expected to soar to their highest level ever. And the government has warned that France and Europe will be in trouble if Russia completely cuts off the spigots this winter because Europe will not have enough gas. And the only way to head off such a crisis and forced rationing¹⁰ for businesses, says the government, is to massively conserve¹¹ energy. They're unveiling a plan this week, a sobriety plan for French companies.

But, you know, there's also a realization¹² that it's not just about conserving¹³ energy this winter. The horrible drought, heat and forest fires of the summer have been a wake-up call to Europeans that the destruction of climate change is already here. And that, combined with Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine, has only emphasized the need to get off Russian fossil fuels and transition to other cleaner energies as soon as possible.

MARTIN: OK. So, Willem, the U.K. is no longer in the EU. It doesn't get its gas from Russia. What are energy prices there doing?

MARX: Well, they're tracking the global price, so they're going up. In fact, just over the past week, the U.K. regulators announced unprecedented¹⁴ household price rises of 80%. That will kick in as of October. They're predicted to rise a further 75% by next summer. I talked about the consequence of this with Dan Paskins. He's the director of U.K. impact for the charity Save the Children. Here's what he had to say.

DAN PASKINS: The overall hit on family incomes is bigger than any in the U.K. since records began in terms of what's happening this year and next year. So it's something kind of without precedent¹⁵.

MARX: And he pointed¹⁶ out that Save the Children works around the world in some very impoverished¹⁷ places. They're used to seeing these kinds of conditions elsewhere. But the group has not seen this kind of situation in parts of Britain for a very, very long time.

MARTIN: I mean, I don't get how consumers are going to deal with that. What's the plan from the British government?

MARX: Well, part of the problem, Rachel, is there's been kind of a zombie government in place the last couple of months, unwilling¹⁸ to make major spending decisions until a new conservative party leader is put in place to replace the outgoing prime minister, Boris Johnson. The foreign minister, Liz Truss, she's the favorite among the two remaining candidates. She said during the leadership campaign this summer that she'll reduce some extra taxes applied¹⁹ to fuel costs, which were designed to subsidize renewable energy sources. And she'll also reverse a recent rise in the U.K. equivalent of Social Security. But these are, I should emphasize, campaign comments, so she could well change her approach if she takes office. And that's expected to happen next week.

MARTIN: Rob, if you could pull back from Germany a bit, how is the EU thinking about this? I mean, what's the best strategy for the European Union when it comes to weaning itself off Russian energy?

SCHMITZ: They're worried about this. The European Union's energy ministers will hold an emergency meeting on September 9 to talk about this. In July, the EU introduced a plan to cut natural gas by 15% to lessen²⁰ its members' dependence²¹ on Russia. There are concerns that Russia will cut off the flow of gas this coming winter as payback for EU sanctions. We've already seen Russia decrease gas flows and key pipelines²² to Europe. The latest example was this week when it cut off gas to both France and Germany. The industry and trade minister for the Czech Republic said on Twitter that the EU is now in an energy war with Russia, and it needs to take coordinated²³ action to prevent damage.

MARTIN: Eleanor, you were at this conference this week, I understand, with European business leaders. How is the private sector²⁴ thinking about this?

BEARDSLEY: Yeah. Well, of course, they're still concerned about their bottom line and energy costs rising. But this year - you know, I go every year - there was a different tone at this meeting, a real sense of urgency and the importance of European solidarity²⁵ in this war with Russia that includes the energy sector. So business leaders told me the stakes are huge. They said, you know, it's about democracy and sovereignty in Europe. I was actually sitting next to Luis Antunes, the CEO of an energy consulting firm, as the opening speaker of this business forum²⁶, who was Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy - by video link from Kyiv - as he wrapped up and he was given a standing²⁷ ovation²⁸. And you can hear it here.

(APPLAUSE)

LUIS ANTUNES: (Speaking French).

BEARDSLEY: So, yeah, so he said, magnificent. You know, after listening to Zelenskyy, a clearly moved Antunes told me that Ukraine is committed to democracy, human rights and freedom, and Europe must stand by Ukraine. And he said Russia's war and autocratic government actually pose a bigger threat to European companies than rising energy prices do.

MARTIN: NPR's Eleanor Beardsley reporting from Paris, Rob Schmitz in Berlin and reporter Willem Marx in London, thanks to all of you.

BEARDSLEY: Thank you, Rachel.

SCHMITZ: Thank you.

MARX: Thank you.

1 brace   

n. 支柱,曲柄,大括号; v. 绷紧,顶住,(为困难或坏事)做准备

参考例句：

• My daughter has to wear a brace on her teeth. 我的女儿得戴牙套以矫正牙齿。
• You had better brace yourself for some bad news. 有些坏消息,你最好做好准备。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 levy   

n.征收税或其他款项，征收额

参考例句：

• They levy a tax on him.他们向他征税。
• A direct food levy was imposed by the local government.地方政府征收了食品税。

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

7 pivot   

v.在枢轴上转动；装枢轴，枢轴；adj.枢轴的

参考例句：

• She is the central pivot of creation and represents the feminine aspect in all things.她是创造的中心枢轴，表现出万物的女性面貌。
• If a spring is present,the hand wheel will pivot on the spring.如果有弹簧，手轮的枢轴会装在弹簧上。

8 tariff   

n.关税，税率；(旅馆、饭店等)价目表，收费表

参考例句：

• There is a very high tariff on jewelry.宝石类的关税率很高。
• The government is going to lower the tariff on importing cars.政府打算降低进口汽车的关税。

9 taxpayers   

纳税人，纳税的机构( taxpayer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Finance for education comes from taxpayers. 教育经费来自纳税人。
• She was declaiming against the waste of the taxpayers' money. 她慷慨陈词猛烈抨击对纳税人金钱的浪费。

10 rationing   

n.定量供应

参考例句：

• Wartime austerities included food rationing and shortage of fuel. 战时的艰苦包括食物配给和燃料短缺。
• Food rationing was abolished in that country long ago. 那个国家早就取消了粮食配给制。

11 conserve   

vt.保存，保护，节约，节省，守恒，不灭

参考例句：

• He writes on both sides of the sheet to conserve paper.他在纸张的两面都写字以节省用纸。
• Conserve your energy,you'll need it!保存你的精力，你会用得着的！

12 realization   

n.实现；认识到，深刻了解

参考例句：

• We shall gladly lend every effort in our power toward its realization.我们将乐意为它的实现而竭尽全力。
• He came to the realization that he would never make a good teacher.他逐渐认识到自己永远不会成为好老师。

13 conserving   

v.保护，保藏，保存( conserve的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Contour planning with or without terracing is effective in conserving both soil and moisture. 顺等高线栽植，无论做或不做梯田对于保持水土都能有效。 来自辞典例句
• Economic savings, consistent with a conserving society and the public philosophy. 经济节约，符合创建节约型社会的公共理念。 来自互联网

14 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

15 precedent   

n.先例，前例；惯例；adj.在前的，在先的

参考例句：

• Is there a precedent for what you want me to do?你要我做的事有前例可援吗？
• This is a wonderful achievement without precedent in Chinese history.这是中国历史上亘古未有的奇绩。

16 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

17 impoverished   

adj.穷困的，无力的，用尽了的v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化

参考例句：

• the impoverished areas of the city 这个城市的贫民区
• They were impoverished by a prolonged spell of unemployment. 他们因长期失业而一贫如洗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 unwilling   

adj.不情愿的

参考例句：

• The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
• His tightfisted employer was unwilling to give him a raise.他那吝啬的雇主不肯给他加薪。

19 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

20 lessen   

vt.减少，减轻；缩小

参考例句：

• Regular exercise can help to lessen the pain.经常运动有助于减轻痛感。
• They've made great effort to lessen the noise of planes.他们尽力减小飞机的噪音。

21 dependence   

n.依靠，依赖；信任，信赖；隶属

参考例句：

• Doctors keep trying to break her dependence of the drug.医生们尽力使她戒除毒瘾。
• He was freed from financial dependence on his parents.他在经济上摆脱了对父母的依赖。

22 pipelines   

管道( pipeline的名词复数 )； 输油管道； 在考虑（或规划、准备） 中； 在酿中

参考例句：

• The oil is carried to the oil refinery by pipelines. 石油通过输油管输送到炼油厂。
• The oil carried in pipelines. 石油用管道输送。

23 coordinated   

adj.协调的

参考例句：

• The sound has to be coordinated with the picture. 声音必须和画面协调一致。
• The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

24 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

25 solidarity   

n.团结；休戚相关

参考例句：

• They must preserve their solidarity.他们必须维护他们的团结。
• The solidarity among China's various nationalities is as firm as a rock.中国各族人民之间的团结坚如磐石。

26 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

27 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

28 ovation   

n.欢呼，热烈欢迎，热烈鼓掌

参考例句：

• The hero received a great ovation from the crowd. 那位英雄受到人群的热烈欢迎。
• The show won a standing ovation. 这场演出赢得全场起立鼓掌。