solutions for cheap and accessible fuel are more important than ever.

廉價和可獲得的燃料的解決方案比以往任何時候都更重要。

There's an estimated 214.6 TRILLION cubic meters of untapped natural gas underneath our feet around the world,

據估計，我們腳下有214.6萬億立方米未開發的天然氣。

and many places are just starting to explore how they could use it.

而很多地方剛剛開始探索如何利用它。

So, how do we get it out of the ground, why is this process so controversial...

那麼，我們該如何把它做出來，為什麼這個過程會有這麼大的爭議... ...

and is it worth it?

以及是否值得？

See, deep below the earth's surface, fuels like petroleum and natural gas are trapped inside sedimentary rocks like shale.

你看，在地表深處，像石油和天然氣這樣的燃料被困在頁岩這樣的沉積岩裡。

Shale's properties mean that this fuel isn't all sitting in one convenient place —

頁岩的特性意味著這種燃料並不是都放在一個方便的地方--------。

it's trapped in tiny little pockets of rock,

它被困在小小的岩石口袋裡。

some of which can be up to 20,000 times narrower than a human hair!

有的比人的頭髮還要窄2萬倍！

As you can imagine, this makes it pretty much impossible to get the fuel out using conventional drilling methods,

你可以想象，這使得使用傳統的鑽井方法幾乎不可能將燃料取出來。

so instead we use something called fracking.

所以我們用的是一種叫做水力壓裂的東西。

This is how it works: A well is drilled wayyyy down into the shale layer—

這就是它的工作原理。一口井鑽進了頁岩層的深處

this can be a mile or more beneath the Earth's surface.

這可能是地球表面下一英里或更多。

Once it reaches the shale, the well is then drilled horizontally, which again can extend for a mile or more.

一旦到達頁岩，然後水準鑽井，同樣可以延伸一英里或更多。

Then a fluid mixture containing water, sand, and a bunch of chemicals

然後是含有水、沙子和一堆化學物質的液體混合物。

is blasted down the well at extremely high pressure,

以極高的壓力向井下噴射。

breaking the shale apart.

將頁岩打散。

As the gas is released from the rock, it flows back into the well,

當氣體從岩石中釋放出來時，它又流回井中。

where it can be sucked up to the surface to be collected and separated from the fracking fluid.

在那裡，它可以被吸到地表，以收集並與壓裂液分離。

The whole part where the rock is blasted apart by high pressure fluid is where the technique gets its full name:

整個岩石被高壓流體炸開的部分，就是這種技術的全稱。

'hydraulic fracturing,' or fracking for short.

"水力壓裂"，簡稱壓裂。

There are lots of economic arguments used by proponents of fracking to justify its usage.

支持水力壓裂的人用了很多經濟論據來證明使用水力壓裂的合理性。

Since 2000, oil and natural gas production in the U.S. has boomed dramatically,

自2000年以來，美國的石油和天然氣產量急劇增長。

partly thanks to fracking.

部分原因是由於水力壓裂。

That boom has helped the US become the world's largest oil producer.

這股熱潮幫助美國成為世界上最大的石油生產國。

This in turn has lowered energy prices in some places, for some people, some of the time.

這又降低了一些地方、一些人、一些時間的能源價格。

And the fracking boom did boost jobs in this sector, contributing to overall economic growth.

而水力壓裂的熱潮確實促進了這個行業的就業，促進了整體經濟的增長。

But a lot of these stats are just a smokescreen.

但這些數據很多都是煙幕彈。

Because see, the fracking industry in the U.S. is actually completely reliant on government subsidies to keep it going,

因為你看，美國的水力壓裂行業其實是完全依靠政府補貼來維持的。

and it hemorrhages money—

而它卻在大肆斂財

the U.S. fracking industry hasn't actually made any profit in over a decade.

美國的水力壓裂工業已經有十多年沒有盈利了。

The price of natural gas is artificially low, and doesn't accurately reflect the incredible cost of getting that fuel out of the ground.

天然氣的價格被人為壓低了，並沒有準確地反映出將燃料從地下運出的驚人成本。

Because the other common claim in favor of fracking is that natural gas is better than coal

因為支持水力壓裂的另一個常見說法是，天然氣比煤好。

in terms of greenhouse gas emissions...

在溫室氣體排放方面...

but that's just when the end product is burned.

但這只是在最終產品被燒燬的時候。

This idea that fracking is better than coal doesn't take into account how harmful the fracking process is.

這種認為水力壓裂比煤炭好的想法，並沒有考慮到水力壓裂過程的危害性。

A recent study out of Cornell University found that when you take into account the large quantities of methane

康奈爾大學最近的一項研究發現，當你考慮到大量的甲烷

and other gases that are released by the PROCESS of fracking,

以及壓裂過程中釋放的其他氣體。

fracking overall actually contributes more to global warming than coal does.

水力壓裂總體上實際上比煤炭對全球變暖的貢獻更大。

And it's not just about the greenhouse gases.

而且這不僅僅是溫室氣體的問題。

Because fracking is still a process that's very difficult to control.

因為水力壓裂還是一個非常難以控制的過程。

When that high-pressure fluid disturbs the shale to extract the gas,

當高壓流體擾動頁岩開採天然氣時。

there's a high probability of nearby groundwater becoming contaminated with that gas.

附近的地下水很有可能被這種氣體汙染。

Or, when the fracking fluid is brought back up to the surface,

或者，當壓裂液被帶回地面時。

that fluid is often spilled and seeps into the surface and groundwater.

該液體經常溢出並滲入地表和地下水。

What's problematic is that in a lot of cases, these fracking chemicals are actually a secret—

有問題的是，在很多情況下，這些水力壓裂化學品其實是一個祕密------。

we may not know what all of them are because they're 'confidential business information.'

我們可能不知道他們都是什麼，因為他們是 "商業機密信息"。

Even when we do know what the chemicals are,

即使我們知道這些化學品是什麼。

we're still not sure how some of them may affect human health or ecosystems,

我們仍不確定其中一些會如何影響人類健康或生態系統。

and for those we do the effects of, we know to be toxic or carcinogenic.

而對於那些我們做的影響，我們知道是有毒或致癌的。

Chemical contamination has been shown to be an issue of major concern at fracking sites all over the U.S.

化學汙染已被證明是美國各地水力壓裂現場的主要問題。

In a particularly extreme example, research published in 2011

在一個特別極端的例子中，2011年發表的研究表明

showed that tap water in homes near fracking sites in Pennsylvania

顯示，賓夕法尼亞州水力壓裂場地附近家庭的自來水。

have been contaminated with methane at a level that is officially classified as dangerous to human health.

已被甲烷汙染，其程度已被正式列為對人類健康有害。

In some cases the methane contamination was so severe that the tap water itself could be lit on fire.

在某些情況下，甲烷汙染非常嚴重，自來水本身就可能被點燃。

In addition to contaminating water sources, the actual process of fracking also uses a truly COLOSSAL volume of water.

除了汙染水源外，水力壓裂的實際過程也使用了真正的COLOSSAL水量。

Just one fracking well may use anywhere between 1.5 million and 16 million gallons of water

僅僅一口水力壓裂井就可能使用150萬到1600萬加侖的水。

to squeeze that natural gas out of the shale.

來榨取頁岩中的天然氣。

This can put a strain on communities where fresh water is already in short supply,

這可能會給已經缺乏淡水供應的社區帶來壓力。

especially in the face of extended droughts and dry seasons due to climate change.

特別是在面對氣候變化造成的長期乾旱和旱季時，。

This water usage is actually only rising as fracking advances,

隨著水力壓裂的推進，這種用水量其實只會越來越多。

because new fracking technology demands more water usage, not less.

因為新的水力壓裂技術需要更多的用水量，而不是更少。

And just as a last little bonus:

作為最後一個小獎勵。

In a few instances, fracking has even induced earthquakes in places that don't normally experience them.

在一些情況下，水力壓裂甚至在通常不發生地震的地方誘發了地震。

The high pressure water blasting and dissolving rock structures deep beneath the surface

高壓水爆破，溶解地表深處的岩石結構。

can cause some rockin' and shakin' as things shift and rearrange.

當事物發生變化和重新排列時，會引起一些搖晃和震動。

We also have to remember that the products of fracking are still fossil fuels that produce greenhouse gases.

我們還必須記住，水力壓裂的產品仍然是產生溫室氣體的化石燃料。

And while the end product is technically cleaner than coal and conventional oil when burned,

而最終產品在燃燒時，雖然技術上比煤炭和傳統石油清潔。

and fracking does actually use less water than coal production—which is one concrete stat in its favor—

而水力壓裂法實際上比煤炭生產用水更少，這也是對其有利的一個具體數據。

the debate rages on as to whether fracking in its entirety is worth it.

關於水力壓裂法是否值得的爭論一直在進行。

So, should we keep pursuing fracking as a solution to our energy needs?

那麼，我們是否應該繼續追求裂解，以此來解決我們的能源需求？

Or should we be putting that focus toward cleaner, greener technologies?

或者說，我們應該把重點放在更清潔、更環保的技術上？

In my opinion, we really need to think of it as just a temporary bridge to get us to our more sustainable energy future,

在我看來，我們真的需要把它當作一個臨時的橋樑，讓我們走向更可持續的能源未來。

because while fracking has become commonplace, it's pretty fracking risky.

因為雖然水力壓裂已成為普遍現象，但它是相當水力壓裂的風險。

If you liked this video and want to learn more about fuels, then make sure to check out this one here on green hydrogen

如果你喜歡這個視頻，想了解更多關於燃料的資訊，那麼一定要看看這個綠色氫氣的視頻。

and hit the subscribe button for more energy updates.

並點擊訂閱按鈕，獲取更多的能量更新。

If you have another technology you want us to weigh the costs and benefits of,

如果你有另一項技術，你希望我們權衡一下成本和效益。

let us know down in the comments below, and as always, thanks for watching.

讓我們知道在下面的評論，並一如既往地，感謝觀看。

I'll see you next time.

下次見。