美国国家公共电台 NPR Germany Bulldozes Old Villages For Coal Despite Lower Emissions Goals

 

NOEL KING, HOST:

Germany has this reputation as a pioneer of clean energy. Angela Merkel was called the climate chancellor¹ when she decided² to ditch nuclear power. But the reality in Germany is a lot dirtier. The country is the biggest miner of brown coal in the world. It's called lignite, and it is the filthiest³ of all fossil fuels. And across the country, centuries-old villages are being bulldozed to make way for mines. Esme Nicholson has more.

ESME NICHOLSON, BYLINE⁴: The medieval village of Podelwitz in rural Saxony is a quiet place where even the church bells no longer ring out. But this idyllic⁵ setting is fast losing its charm. Quaint⁶, timber-framed houses stand empty, and only 27 out of 200 villages remain because the local mine wants to dig up the brown coal that lies beneath. Sixty-two-year-old Elke Konrad has known Podelwitz all her life.

ELKE KONRAD: (Through interpreter) It's such a shame. The character of the place has gone to pot. There's nothing left.

NICHOLSON: But this week the village is full of life again. Hundreds of climate protesters have pitched tents on the green in front of the church. They've already seen the destruction of dozens of villages in the Rhineland and in Brandenburg but hope to save this 800-year-old hamlet. Local farmer Jens Hausner is grateful for the support. From his farmyard you can see the coal plant that's threatening his livelihood⁷. But you can also see wind turbines on the horizon. He says the contrasting view is an apt analogy for the country's confused climate diplomacy⁸.

JENS HAUSNER: (Through interpreter) In Berlin they're talking about how to phase out coal, but here in Saxony they're scaling it up as if it wasn't an issue.

NICHOLSON: One of those talking about coal in the capital is Stefan Kapferer, who heads up Germany's largest energy sector⁹ lobby. He says that for an industrial giant like Germany, it could take 20 years to switch off coal.

STEFAN KAPFERER: (Through interpreter) Security and cost are major issues. We've got to ensure that our chemical, steel and aluminum¹⁰ industries can access and afford the electricity they need.

NICHOLSON: Kapferer sits on the newly formed Coal Commission, which has until the end of this year to come up with a phase-out plan for the government. He points out that coal plants are private companies and will need compensation. Rebecca Bertram, senior policy adviser¹¹ with the Heinrich Boll Foundation, agrees that weaning the country off brown coal is no easy task. She says that while the sector employs just 20,000, it provides jobs in regions with little else in terms of industry. And so the miners are going to fight for their jobs.

REBECCA BERTRAM: The problem with coal is that it's so localized and that they're very well-organized in terms of unions. Unlike in the United States, our trade unions are very, very strong and always have to be part of the discussions.

NICHOLSON: But back in Podelwitz, on the edge of the village at the gates to the coal plant, Thomas Guter disagrees. Guter is a miner, and he feels vulnerable despite being a union member.

THOMAS GUTER: (Through interpreter) It's so, so unfair. Nobody ever talks about the advantages of brown coal, what it does for the region economically or the energy security it provides.

NICHOLSON: Guter is a fourth-generation miner. He's never known anything else. And he says there aren't any other decent manual jobs in this region. But he may not need worry. If Germany continues to drag its feet over how to give up its dirty coal habit, 52-year-old Guter will probably work at the pit until retirement¹². For NPR News, I'm Esme Nicholson in Saxony.

(SOUNDBITE OF EVELYN'S "AND THE FLOWERS WERE GRAY")

1 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

2 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。

3 filthiest   

filthy（肮脏的，污秽的）的最高级形式

参考例句：

• He had got to plunge into the filthiest of filth. 他得投到最最肮脏的污秽中去。 来自英汉文学
• I want you to come with me, into the filthiest streets of Primordium. 我要你跟我一起去普利摩顿最阴暗的街道看一看。 来自互联网

4 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。

5 idyllic   

adj.质朴宜人的，田园风光的

参考例句：

• These scenes had an idyllic air.这种情景多少有点田园气氛。
• Many people living in big cities yearn for an idyllic country life.现在的很多都市人向往那种田园化的生活。

6 quaint   

adj.古雅的，离奇有趣的，奇怪的

参考例句：

• There were many small lanes in the quaint village.在这古香古色的村庄里，有很多小巷。
• They still keep some quaint old customs.他们仍然保留着一些稀奇古怪的旧风俗。

7 livelihood   

n.生计，谋生之道

参考例句：

• Appropriate arrangements will be made for their work and livelihood.他们的工作和生活会得到妥善安排。
• My father gained a bare livelihood of family by his own hands.父亲靠自己的双手勉强维持家计。

8 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

9 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

10 aluminum   

n.(aluminium)铝

参考例句：

• The aluminum sheets cannot be too much thicker than 0.04 inches.铝板厚度不能超过0.04英寸。
• During the launch phase,it would ride in a protective aluminum shell.在发射阶段，它盛在一只保护的铝壳里。

11 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

12 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。