美国国家公共电台 NPR--Extreme weather sparked by climate change is putting a strain on infrastructure

Extreme weather sparked by climate change is putting a strain on infrastructure¹

Transcript²

Extreme weather which is fueled by climate change is posing a bigger and bigger threat to the nation's water infrastructure.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Residents of Jackson, Miss., still do not have drinkable water and are being advised to boil it. The city's water treatment plant was already struggling, but a flood made a bad situation worse. Extreme weather fueled by climate change is posing a bigger and bigger threat to the nation's water infrastructure. Lauren Sommer with NPR's climate team is here to talk about more of the risk. Hey, Lauren.

LAUREN SOMMER, BYLINE³: Hey, Rachel.

MARTIN: So in Jackson, residents have spent weeks boiling water or relying on bottled water. Are we seeing the consequences of vulnerable water systems like this in other states?

SOMMER: Yeah, just this week, actually. There's been flooding in Georgia after some incredibly heavy rain. And it damaged the water treatment plant in Summerville. So residents there have also been told to boil their water before using it while the plant is being fixed⁴. And this year, there have also been issues in places you might not expect, like Chicago. In April, residents there were told to conserve⁵ water, you know, delay taking showers or doing laundry.

MARTIN: Why? What is going on in Chicago?

SOMMER: Well, it wasn't that there was too little water. There was too much water, you know? In parts of Chicago, the pipes that drain all the rainwater from the streets are the same pipes that go to people's houses. So when a big storm hits, those pipes are getting a lot of runoff, plus all the normal water and sewage that comes from homes.

MARTIN: So all this combines together. And it's just too much water. And the system's overwhelmed.

SOMMER: Yeah, exactly. And so rainstorms are just getting more intense as the climate gets hotter. So there's just more water to deal with all at once, whether it's a flood or a lot of rain. And it's really testing water systems.

MARTIN: So what is the fix? I mean, what kind of investment is needed to secure water infrastructure so it's prepared to meet the effects of climate change?

SOMMER: Yeah. I mean, a lot of water infrastructure is next to water sources, as you might expect. So there's flooding or sea level rise. And water treatment plants are having to look at raising their key facilities so they're higher up, or maybe even moving the whole plant to a new location out of the floodplain. I spoke⁶ to Barb⁷ Martin, director of engineering and technical services at the American Water Works Association. And she said the recent problems are making the stakes much clearer.

BARB MARTIN: If we don't plan ahead and make the investment now that we need in our water infrastructure, really, we're all at risk, whether that be the public health of our communities or the protection of the environments that we live in.

MARTIN: The water treatment plant in Jackson, Miss., had been underfunded for years, right? And it had all these maintenance issues. When you think about trying to make these systems - prepare them for a future with more extreme weather and the effects of climate change, I mean, that's expensive on its own. But then you also have all these, you know, backdated issues that they have to fix.

SOMMER: Yeah, yeah. That's exactly it, because Jackson really illustrates⁸ how that underfunding kind of combines with climate change, right? Infrastructure is in bad shape. And the flooding was the kicker, was the added stressor that just put it over. And studies show that investment in water infrastructure is falling short by tens of billions every year. The recent infrastructure act passed by Congress will provide a lot of new funding, you know, $50 billion. But experts say, with climate change, that's not going to be enough. So cities and states are going to have to find new ways to protect their drinking water.

MARTIN: Lauren Sommer from NPR's climate team. Thank you.

SOMMER: Thanks.

1 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

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 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

5 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！

6 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。

7 barb   

n.（鱼钩等的）倒钩，倒刺

参考例句：

• The barb of his wit made us wince.他那锋芒毕露的机智使我们退避三舍。
• A fish hook has a barb to prevent the fish from escaping after being hooked.鱼钩上都有一个倒钩以防上了钩的鱼逃走。

8 illustrates   

给…加插图( illustrate的第三人称单数 )； 说明； 表明； （用示例、图画等）说明

参考例句：

• This historical novel illustrates the breaking up of feudal society in microcosm. 这部历史小说是走向崩溃的封建社会的缩影。
• Alfred Adler, a famous doctor, had an experience which illustrates this. 阿尔弗莱德 - 阿德勒是一位著名的医生，他有过可以说明这点的经历。 来自中级百科部分