TED演讲 :石油真正的代价(2)

 And I think particularly now,  我认为尤其是目前

as we see ourselves in a time of environmental crisis,  我们明白人类身处环境危机时代

we can learn so much from these people  我们可从这些族群身上学到许多东西

who have lived so sustainably in this ecosystem¹  他们在这片生态系统中

for over 10,000 years.  生活了1万多年

In the heart of this ecosystem is the very antithesis  这片生态系统蕴含的核心价值

of all of these values that we've been talking about,  与我们目前追求的目标大相径庭

and I think these are some of the core values  我认为其中某些核心价值

that make us proud to be Canadians.  令身为加拿大人的我们引以为傲

This is the Alberta tar² sands,  这是阿尔伯塔省油砂矿

the largest oil reserves on the planet  它是世上石油蕴藏量最丰富的地区

outside of Saudi Arabia.  除了沙特阿拉伯之外

Trapped underneath³ the boreal forest  在北方森林

and wetlands of northern Alberta  及北阿尔伯塔省湿地下方

are these vast reserves of this sticky, tar-like bitumen⁴.  蕴藏着大量粘稠、似焦油的沥青

And the mining and the exploitation of that  挖掘及开采这些矿脉的举动

is creating devastation⁵ on a scale that the planet has never seen before.  对地球造成史无前例的破坏

I want to try to convey some sort of a sense of the size of this.  我试着说明这些破坏的规模

If you look at that truck there,  以图中的卡车为例

it is the largest truck of its kind of the planet.  它是同类卡车中最大的一种

It is a 400-ton-capacity dump truck  承载量达400吨的砂石车

and its dimensions are 45 feet long  规格为45英呎长

by 35 feet wide and 25 feet high.  35英呎宽、25英呎高

If I stand beside that truck,  如果站在卡车旁

my head comes to around the bottom  我的头部大约只到

of the yellow part of that hubcap.  黄色轮框盖底部

Within the dimensions of that truck,  在这辆卡车体积范围内

you could build a 3,000-square-foot two-story home  你可轻易建造一栋 面积3000平方英呎、两层楼高的房子

quite easily. I did the math.  我曾经计算过

So instead of thinking of that as a truck,  因此，与其将它视为一辆卡车

think of that as a 3,000-square-foot home.  不如将它视为一栋 面积3000平方英呎的房子

That's not a bad size home.  一栋不小的房子

And line those trucks/homes back and forth⁶  这些卡车在这片区域中来回奔驰

across there from the bottom  从底部

all the way to the top.  直到顶端

And then think of how large that very small section of one mine is.  想象一下这片区域的大小，这仅是矿场的一小部分

Now, you can apply that same kind of thinking  现在，你可将同样想法运用到

here as well.  这片区域

Now, here you see -- of course, as you go further on,  如图所示－当然，当你将视线拉远

these trucks become like a pixel.  这些卡车彷佛图中的小点

Again, imagine those all back and forth there.  同样地，想象一下这片区域

How large is that one portion of a mine?  占整个矿场多大部分？

That would be a huge, vast metropolitan⁷ area,  相当于幅员广大的都会区

probably much larger than the city of Victoria.  或许比维多利亚城大得多

And this is just one of a number of mines,  这只是众多矿场之一

10 mines so far right now.  目前共有10个矿场

This is one section of one mining complex,  这只是其中一个矿场的一部分

and there are about another 40 or 50 in the approval process.  目前大约有四、五十个矿场正进行审核

No tar sands mine has actually ever been denied approval,  事实上不曾有任何油砂矿无法通过审核

so it is essentially⁸ a rubber stamp.  因此基本上只是走走过场

The other method of extraction is what's called the in-situ.  另一种开采方式叫做“就地钻探”

And here, massive amounts of water  如图所示，大量水

are super-heated and pumped through the ground,  经高温加热后泵入地底

through these vasts networks of pipelines,  通过管线

seismic⁹ lines, drill paths, compressor stations.  震测线、钻探途径及压缩站组成的庞大网络

And even though this looks maybe not quite as repugnant  尽管看起来或许不如露天采矿场般

as the mines, it's even more damaging in some ways.  那么令人怵目惊心 但以某种程度来说，却造成更大破坏

It impacts and fragments a larger part of the wilderness,  它使更大片原野受到影响、支离破碎

where there is 90 percent reduction of key species,  导致关键物种减少90％

like woodland caribou¹⁰ and grizzly¹¹ bears,  例如北美驯鹿和灰熊

and it consumes even more energy, more water,  消耗更多能源及水源

and produces at least as much greenhouse gas.  产生至少与前者相当的温室气体

So these in-situ developments are at least as  因此就地钻探对生态的破坏至少

ecologically damaging as the mines.  与露天采矿不相上下

1 ecosystem   

n.生态系统

参考例句：

• This destroyed the ecosystem of the island.这样破坏了岛上的生态系统。
• We all have an interest in maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem.维持生态系统的完整是我们共同的利益。

2 tar   

n.柏油，焦油；vt.涂或浇柏油/焦油于

参考例句：

• The roof was covered with tar.屋顶涂抹了一层沥青。
• We use tar to make roads.我们用沥青铺路。

3 underneath   

adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面

参考例句：

• Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
• She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣，里面套着一条连衣裙。

4 bitumen   

n.沥青

参考例句：

• Bitumen paper can be burnt to gain energy.沥青纸可以焚烧以获得能量。
• In fact,a speciality crude is suitable only for bitumen production.事实上，这种特性的原油只适宜于生产沥青。

5 devastation   

n.毁坏；荒废；极度震惊或悲伤

参考例句：

• The bomb caused widespread devastation. 炸弹造成大面积破坏。
• There was devastation on every side. 到处都是破坏的创伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

7 metropolitan   

adj.大城市的，大都会的

参考例句：

• Metropolitan buildings become taller than ever.大城市的建筑变得比以前更高。
• Metropolitan residents are used to fast rhythm.大都市的居民习惯于快节奏。

8 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

9 seismic   

a.地震的，地震强度的

参考例句：

• Earthquakes produce two types of seismic waves.地震产生两种地震波。
• The latest seismic activity was also felt in northern Kenya.肯尼亚北部也感觉到了最近的地震活动。

10 caribou   

n.北美驯鹿

参考例句：

• Afar off he heard the squawking of caribou calves.他听到远处有一群小驯鹿尖叫的声音。
• The Eskimos played soccer on ice and used balls filled with caribou hair and grass.爱斯基摩人在冰上踢球，他们用的是驯鹿的毛发和草填充成的球。

11 grizzly   

adj.略为灰色的，呈灰色的；n.灰色大熊

参考例句：

• This grizzly liked people.这只灰熊却喜欢人。
• Grizzly bears are not generally social creatures.一般说来，灰熊不是社交型动物。