美国国家公共电台 NPR--European energy prices soar after Russia cuts off a natural gas pipeline to Germany

European energy prices soar after Russia cuts off a natural gas pipeline¹ to Germany

Transcript²

It's a move seen as retaliation³ by the Kremlin for western sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. The energy crisis is not limited to Europe as other countries are also feeling the impact.

A MARTINEZ, HOST:

Throughout Europe, energy prices have soared, and there's talks of rationing⁴ and blackouts. This comes after Russia cut off a key natural gas pipeline to Germany. It's a move seen as retaliation by the Kremlin for Western sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. This energy crisis, though, is not limited to Europe alone. As NPR's Jackie Northam found, countries around the world are also feeling the impact.

JACKIE NORTHAM, BYLINE⁵: Energy markets are highly integrated networks. A disruption in one part of the world, like Europe, is going to have a knock-on effect across the globe.

DANIEL YERGIN: The war in Ukraine has destabilized and is reshaping global energy markets.

NORTHAM: Daniel Yergin is an energy specialist at S&P Global and author of "The New Map: Energy, Climate And The Clash Of Nations." He says before the Ukraine war, oil and gas markets flowed in response to supply and demand. He says now it's become more fragmented and politicized, and it's felt across the board.

YERGIN: You have factories shutting down in Europe. You know, this affects airlines as their prices go up. Seventy percent of the cost of food is energy, whether it's fertilizer, whether it's processing, whether it's transportation. So an energy crisis affects food prices, so this does feed into inflation.

NORTHAM: At the heart of the crisis is Europe. Many countries there decided⁶ to wean themselves off Russian energy after the February invasion of Ukraine. Russia has retaliated⁷, curbing⁸ or cutting off oil and natural gas to many parts of Europe. Henning Gloystein with the Eurasia Group says that's created a race for new sources of energy.

HENNING GLOYSTEIN: Because the Europeans are trying to replace every single fossil fuel source from Russia with anything else, they are hoovering the market for gas, for coal, for oil. And that has driven up the prices for all these products from China to Japan and India.

NORTHAM: Gloystein says the European buying spree has left other countries struggling to get their own critical supplies.

GLOYSTEIN: That is Africa and access to gasoline and diesel⁹. It is Pakistan and access to natural gas. And it is Brazil - access to fertilizer for their agricultural industry. We're focusing on rich countries at the moment, but the hardest pain is happening in poor countries.

NORTHAM: Kristine Berzina with The German Marshall Fund says replacing natural gas in particular will be tough. You just don't turn on the taps to increase production.

KRISTINE BERZINA: The U.S. isn't able to suddenly export a lot more because it takes about two years to construct an export facility for liquefied natural gas. The same is true of Qatar, Nigeria, Australia, elsewhere.

NORTHAM: Even before the war, there was a looming¹⁰ energy crisis, in large part because of years of underinvestment, says Amena Bakr with Energy Intelligence, an industry publication. Speaking from Dubai, she says Western countries should have thought about that before sanctioning Russia.

AMENA BAKR: A lot of people will have the view that Russia is at fault here, but why don't they look at their response from the Western states? The sanctions were just announced without a plan B. They're just scrambling¹¹ right now.

NORTHAM: Daniel Yergin says the energy shortages are forcing countries to do things they didn't expect to or said they wouldn't do.

YERGIN: Japan is starting up more of its nuclear power plants. Germany, which was going to shut down its last three nuclear power plants, is considering keeping them operating. And, of course, people are burning coal as an alternative to Russian gas right now.

NORTHAM: Yergin says things are likely going to get more difficult in the next few months as winter sets in and more energy is needed.

Jackie Northam, NPR News, Washington.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

1 pipeline   

n.管道，管线

参考例句：

• The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
• A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。

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 retaliation   

n.报复，反击

参考例句：

• retaliation against UN workers 对联合国工作人员的报复
• He never said a single word in retaliation. 他从未说过一句反击的话。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 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。

5 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。

6 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

7 retaliated   

v.报复，反击( retaliate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• When he once teased her for her inexperience, she retaliated. 有一次，他讥讽她没有经验，她便反唇相讥。 来自辞典例句
• The terrorists retaliated by killing three policemen. 恐怖分子以杀死三名警察相报复。 来自辞典例句

8 curbing   

n.边石，边石的材料v.限制，克制，抑制( curb的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Progress has been made in curbing inflation. 在控制通货膨胀方面已取得了进展。
• A range of policies have been introduced aimed at curbing inflation. 为了抑制通货膨胀实施了一系列的政策。

9 diesel   

n.柴油发动机，内燃机

参考例句：

• We experimented with diesel engines to drive the pumps.我们试着用柴油机来带动水泵。
• My tractor operates on diesel oil.我的那台拖拉机用柴油开动。

10 looming   

n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近

参考例句：

• The foothills were looming ahead through the haze. 丘陵地带透过薄雾朦胧地出现在眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Then they looked up. Looming above them was Mount Proteome. 接着他们往上看，在其上隐约看到的是蛋白质组山。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 回顾与展望

11 scrambling   

v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞

参考例句：

• Scrambling up her hair, she darted out of the house. 她匆忙扎起头发，冲出房去。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• She is scrambling eggs. 她正在炒蛋。 来自《简明英汉词典》