2019年经济学人 煤炭与气候变化(2)

 

There are several reasons for this, but one stands out: government support. In India state-owned companies invest more than $6bn in coal mining and coal-fired power each year; statebacked banks provide some $10.6bn in financing. Indonesia doles¹ out more than $2bn annually² for consumption of coalfired power. Japan and South Korea finance coal projects outside their borders, too.

原因有很多，但最突出的一个是：政府的支持。在印度，国有企业每年在煤炭开采和燃煤发电方面的投资超过60亿美元；国有银行提供了约106亿美元的融资；印尼每年为燃煤发电支出逾20亿美元。日本和韩国也为境外煤炭项目提供资金。

Government support is hardly surprising. State-backed coal firms make money and create jobs. Wind turbines and solar panels provide power only intermittently³; for now, dirtier power plants are needed as back up. Gas is pummelling coal in America, but remains⁴ a bit-player in India and much of South-East Asia, since it has to be imported and is relatively⁵ expensive.

政府的支持不足为奇。国有煤炭企业赚钱并创造就业机会。风力涡轮机和太阳能电池板只能间歇性地提供电力；目前，需要更脏的发电厂作为后备。在美国，天然气正在代替煤炭，但在印度和东南亚大部分地区，天然气使用比例仍然不高，因为天然气必须进口，而且相对昂贵。

Disentangling coal from the region’s economies is difficult. Indonesian coal companies are a powerful lobby; not coincidentally, power tariffs⁶ favour coal over wind and solar projects. In India coal subsidises passenger fees on railways. And heavy lending by state-owned banks has tied the health of the financial system to that of the coal industry.

将煤炭从这些地区的经济中分离出来是困难的。印尼煤炭公司是一个强大的游说团体；与风能和太阳能项目相比，电力关税更有利于煤炭项目，这并非巧合。在印度，煤炭收入能补贴铁路客运费用。国有银行的大量放贷将金融体系的健康状况与煤炭行业的健康状况联系在一起。

Nevertheless, governments betting on coal face three big risks. One is environmental. Emissions⁷ from coal plants that are already built—let alone new ones—will ensure that the world exceeds the level of carbon-dioxide emissions likely to push global temperatures up by more than 1.5°C.

然而，押注煤炭的政府面临三大风险。一个是环境。已建成的燃煤电厂的排放——更不用说新建电厂了——将导致全球二氧化碳排放量超过可能将全球气温推高1.5摄氏度以上的水平。

1 doles   

救济物( dole的名词复数 )； 失业救济金

参考例句：

• They have accepted doles. 他们已经接受了救济物品。
• Some people able and willing to work were forced to accept doles. 一些有能力也愿意工作的人被迫接受赈济品。

2 annually   

adv.一年一次，每年

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。

3 intermittently   

adv.间歇地；断断续续

参考例句：

• Winston could not intermittently remember why the pain was happening. 温斯顿只能断断续续地记得为什么这么痛。 来自英汉文学
• The resin moves intermittently down and out of the bed. 树脂周期地向下移动和移出床层。 来自辞典例句

4 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。

5 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

6 tariffs   

关税制度； 关税( tariff的名词复数 )； 关税表； （旅馆或饭店等的）收费表； 量刑标准

参考例句：

• British industry was sheltered from foreign competition by protective tariffs. 保护性关税使英国工业免受国际竞争影响。
• The new tariffs have put a stranglehold on trade. 新的关税制对开展贸易极为不利。

7 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。