纽约时报 对煤炭欲罢不能 地球已经岌岌可危(1)

Coal endangers a planet unable to stop using it

对煤炭欲罢不能 地球已经岌岌可危

By Somini Sengupta

文/索米尼· 森古普塔

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HANOI, Vietnam — Coal, the fuel that powered the industrial age, has led the planet to the brink¹ of catastrophic climate change.

越南，河内电——煤炭，这一曾经驱动了工业时代的燃料，已经将地球推到了爆发灾难性气候变化的边缘。

Scientists have repeatedly warned of its looming² dangers, most recently on Friday,

科学家们一再警醒人们正在逼近的气候危险，最近一次是在星期五，

when a major scientific report issued by 13 United States government agencies warned

当天，美国13个政府机构发布的一项重大科学报告警告说，

that the damage from climate change could knock as much as 10 percent off the size of the American economy by century’s end

如果不采取重大措施控制气候变暖的话，

if significant steps aren’t taken to rein³ in warming.

到本世纪末，气候变化造成的破坏就可能足以让美国的经济规模缩小10％。

An October report from the United Nations’ scientific panel on global warming

联合国全球变暖科学小组10月份的一份报告

found that avoiding the worst devastation⁴ would require a radical⁵ transformation⁶ of the world economy in just a few years.

发现，要避免最严重的破坏发生，我们就得在短短几年的时间之内让世界经济彻底转型。

Central to that transformation: Getting out of coal, and fast.

而这一转型的关键就在于：摆脱煤炭，而且动作要快。

And yet, three years after the Paris agreement, when world leaders promised action, coal shows no sign of disappearing.

然而，《巴黎协定》签署三年后，世界各国领导人都已承诺采取行动，煤炭却丝毫没有消失的迹象。

While coal use looks certain to eventually wane⁷ worldwide, according to the latest assessment⁸ by the International Energy Agency,

尽管全球煤炭使用量最终肯定会减少，根据国际能源署的最新评估，

it is not on track to happen anywhere fast enough to avert⁹ the worst effects of climate change.

但这一变化并不会及时并且足够迅速到能让我们免于气候变化引起的最为糟糕的后果。

Last year, in fact, global production and consumption increased after two years of decline.

事实上，去年，刚下降了两年的全球煤炭生产量和消耗量就又回升了。

Cheap, plentiful¹⁰ and the most polluting of fossil fuels, coal remains¹¹ the single largest source of energy to generate electricity worldwide.

作为一种廉价，储量丰富但污染也最为严重的化石燃料，煤炭目前仍然是全球发电使用的唯一一种主要能源。

This, even as renewables like solar and wind power are rapidly becoming more affordable¹².

与此同时，太阳能和风能等可再生能源正在迅速地变得越来越便宜。

Soon, coal could make no financial sense for its backers.

很快，对那些支持使用煤炭的人来说，煤炭将完全失去其经济价值。

So, why is coal so hard to quit?

那么，煤炭为何还是如此难以戒除呢？

Because coal is a powerful incumbent¹³.

因为煤炭是一个非常强大的现任。

It’s there by the millions of tons under the ground.

地下有着数百万吨的煤炭储量。

Powerful companies, backed by powerful governments, often in the form of subsidies¹⁴, are in a rush to grow their markets before it is too late.

强大的公司，在强大的政府的支持下，这种支持往往是补贴的形式存在，都急于在为时已晚之前扩大自己的市场。

Banks still profit from it.

银行仍在从煤炭中获利。

Big national electricity grids¹⁵ were designed for it.

大型国家电网也应运而生。

Coal plants can be a surefire way for politicians to deliver cheap electricity and retain their own power.

对政治家们来说，依靠煤炭厂提供廉价的电力，进而稳固自己的权势这招可谓万无一失。

In some countries, it has been a glistening¹⁶ source of graft¹⁷.

在某些国家，煤炭一直是耀眼的贪污之本。

And even while renewables are spreading fast, they still have limits:

尽管可再生能源正在快速地普及，这类能源还是有其局限性：

Wind and solar power flow when the breeze blows and the sun shines, and that requires traditional electricity grids to be retooled¹⁸.

只有有风吹过或者有阳光照耀时才能转化风能和太阳能，这就需要更换掉传统的电网。

1 brink   

n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿

参考例句：

• The tree grew on the brink of the cliff.那棵树生长在峭壁的边缘。
• The two countries were poised on the brink of war.这两个国家处于交战的边缘。

2 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

3 rein   

n.疆绳，统治，支配；vt.以僵绳控制，统治

参考例句：

• The horse answered to the slightest pull on the rein.只要缰绳轻轻一拉,马就作出反应。
• He never drew rein for a moment till he reached the river.他一刻不停地一直跑到河边。

4 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》

5 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

6 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。

7 wane   

n.衰微，亏缺，变弱；v.变小，亏缺，呈下弦

参考例句：

• The moon is on the wane.月亮渐亏。
• Her enthusiasm for him was beginning to wane.她对他的热情在开始减退。

8 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

9 avert   

v.防止，避免；转移(目光、注意力等)

参考例句：

• He managed to avert suspicion.他设法避嫌。
• I would do what I could to avert it.我会尽力去避免发生这种情况。

10 plentiful   

adj.富裕的，丰富的

参考例句：

• Their family has a plentiful harvest this year.他们家今年又丰收了。
• Rainfall is plentiful in the area.这个地区雨量充足。

11 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

12 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

13 incumbent   

adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的

参考例句：

• He defeated the incumbent governor by a large plurality.他以压倒多数票击败了现任州长。
• It is incumbent upon you to warn them.你有责任警告他们。

14 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 grids   

n.格子( grid的名词复数 )；地图上的坐标方格；（输电线路、天然气管道等的）系统网络；（汽车比赛）赛车起跑线

参考例句：

• Typical framed structures are beams, grids, plane and space frames or trusses. 典型构架结构为梁、格栅、平面的和空间的框架或桁架。 来自辞典例句
• The machines deliver trimmed grids for use or stock. 这种机器铸出修整过的板栅，以供使用或储存。 来自辞典例句

16 glistening   

adj.闪耀的，反光的v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Her eyes were glistening with tears. 她眼里闪着晶莹的泪花。
• Her eyes were glistening with tears. 她眼睛中的泪水闪着柔和的光。 来自《用法词典》

17 graft   

n.移植，嫁接，艰苦工作，贪污；v.移植，嫁接

参考例句：

• I am having a skin graft on my arm soon.我马上就要接受手臂的皮肤移植手术。
• The minister became rich through graft.这位部长透过贪污受贿致富。

18 retooled   

v.（给…）更换工具， （给…）更换机械设备( retool的过去式和过去分词 )；改组，革新

参考例句：

• The company will be retooled after the incorporation. 合并之后的公司要进行重组。 来自辞典例句
• Each time the product changes, the machines have to be retooled. 每次更换产品，就得重新装备机器。 来自辞典例句