Name: 關於清潔能源的最大誤解 (The Big Misconception About Clean Energy)
Uploaded: 2024-06-06T04:06:31.000Z
Duration: 8 min 52 s

基礎被動語態

This planet is threatened with destruction.

Half of humanity is living in the danger zone now.

現在有一半的人類生活在危險區域。

Be mindful and conserve as much as possible.

What people get wrong about energy is the idea that to slow climate change, we have to use less of it forever.

人們對能源的誤解在於，為了減緩氣候變化，我們必須永遠減少使用能源。

Starting in Asia, skylines around the world switched off today for Earth Hour.

從亞洲開始，世界各地的天際線今天都為 "地球一小時 "熄燈。

That what we're in for is a long struggle toward a smaller, less comfortable life.

我們要做的是長期奮鬥，爭取過上更小、更不舒適的生活。

That the reason to care about clean energy is just to try our best to prevent...

我們之所以關心清潔能源，只是為了盡力防止......

In fact, I've realized it's a pretty backward way of looking at things.

事實上，我意識到這是一種非常落後的看法。

The goal isn't to use less energy or even to just replace fossil fuels.

我們的目標不是減少能源消耗，甚至不是僅僅取代化石燃料。

To help more people live better lives and to make it all clean.

幫助更多的人過上更好的生活，讓一切變得乾淨。

As long as most of our energy comes from fossil fuels, and it does, we're in kind of a trap.

只要我們的大部分能源來自化石燃料，我們就會陷入困境。

Using less is the only real option to slow climate change.

減少使用是減緩氣候變化的唯一真正選擇。

And throughout my life, we haven't had the technologies that would allow us to replace fossil fuels.

在我的一生中，我們都沒有能夠取代化石燃料的技術。

You know what, actually, let's do this outside.

I'm not exactly near a lot of nature in New York City, but there's one place that I love to go.

在紐約，我並不靠近大自然，但有一個地方我很喜歡去。

Little bit of green in the middle of a lot of cement.

We were in the middle of that fossil fuel trap.

我們正處在化石燃料的陷阱之中。

And there really wasn't anything else we could do but conserve energy.

除了節約能源，我們真的別無他法。

Besides, until recently, people didn't really know enough to give a shit about climate change.

此外，直到最近，人們對氣候變化的瞭解還遠遠不夠。

So to get people to care, scientists and policy makers used what I now think of as the stick.

是以，為了讓人們關心這個問題，科學家和政策制定者使用了我現在稱之為 "棍子 "的東西。

Which is, we need to use less energy, terrible things will happen if we don't.

也就是說，我們需要減少使用能源，否則就會發生可怕的事情。

That message, along with efficiency improvements, policy changes, don't pat yourself on the back too much, slowed the skyrocketing energy use in some countries where people could.

這一資訊，再加上效率的提高、政策的改變，以及別太自鳴得意，減緩了一些國家能源使用量的飆升。

Keep in mind, Americans use way more energy than most people around the world, so this chart isn't particularly congratulatory.

請記住，美國人使用的能源比世界上大多數國家的人都要多得多，所以這張圖表並不是特別值得祝賀。

For my whole life, it went, energy equals fossil fuels, fossil fuels equal energy.

在我的一生中，能源等同於化石燃料，化石燃料等同於能源。

Until recently, I really never considered another option.

直到最近，我才真正考慮過另一種選擇。

But it turns out, I mean, conservation isn't good enough environmentally, right?

但事實證明，我的意思是，保護環境還不夠，對嗎？

We actually need zero carbon sources of energy.

But if you can have a net zero economy, then there's no more need to conserve.

但如果你能實現零淨經濟，那就不再需要節約了。

That's Matt Iglesias, my former colleague at Vox, and the author of the piece that really took my lifelong understanding of how to think about energy and put it through the blender.

這是馬特-伊格萊西亞斯（Matt Iglesias），我在 Vox 的前同事，也是那篇文章的作者，他把我畢生對能源思考方式的理解用攪拌機攪拌了一遍。

If you think the way that I thought before, my goal here is to change your mind, like Matt did mine.

如果你和我以前的想法一樣，我的目標就是改變你的想法，就像馬特改變我的想法一樣。

In the piece, he describes our current approach as an energy diet and makes the case that we should try to end it.

在這篇文章中，他將我們目前的做法描述為能量飲食，並提出我們應該嘗試結束這種做法的理由。

But before you comment, he doesn't mean use a drop more fossil fuels.

但在你發表評論之前，他並不是說要多用一滴化石燃料。

He means that we need to wildly increase our clean energy ambition.

他的意思是，我們需要大幅提高清潔能源的雄心。

When you see the potential of clean energy,

I think it becomes much more compelling to say we need to make the steps that will sort of unleash this.

我認為，說我們需要採取步驟來釋放這一點，會變得更有說服力。

And you need to paint for people, though, a picture of like, why is my life going to be better?

你需要為人們描繪這樣一幅圖景：為什麼我的生活會變得更好？

It is possible that if we do this right, in the future, this equation might look different.

如果我們做得好，將來這個等式可能會有所不同。

And so our thinking should be different, too.

是以，我們的想法也應該有所不同。

So why does it matter how we think about energy use?

那麼，為什麼我們對能源使用的思考方式很重要呢？

And I think the answer is the way that we think about things now shapes what we can accomplish in the future.

我認為答案是，我們現在思考問題的方式決定了我們未來能夠取得的成就。

The new climate change report the UN released today, it provided the starkest warning yet.

聯合國今天發佈的新氣候變化報告提出了最嚴厲的警告。

See, this is why I can't read the news, because then I feel helpless and powerless.

看，這就是我為什麼不看新聞的原因，因為那樣我會感到無助和無力。

It is a constant fear at the back of our minds.

The world is just not a good place to live in.

The eyes of all future generations are upon you.

所有後代的目光都聚焦在你們身上。

I could use a vision of not just what will go wrong if we fail, but what could go right if we succeed.

我需要一個願景，不僅要知道如果我們失敗了會出什麼問題，還要知道如果我們成功了會出什麼問題。

I think it's time to talk about the carrot of clean energy.

我認為是時候談談清潔能源的胡蘿蔔了。

為什麼我們都應該希望併為之努力？

We have to look at all clean energy technology.

我們必須關注所有清潔能源技術。

I always saw this increase in energy use as shameful, honestly.

說實話，我一直認為能源使用量的增加是可恥的。

And in the context of climate change, it is.

In the context of improving life for human beings, it really isn't.

從改善人類生活的角度來看，確實不是這樣。

This is when Americans started using astonishing technologies.

這時，美國人開始使用令人驚訝的技術。

Like electricity, and flushing toilets, and refrigerators.

So the first and most important goal is we need to get everybody there.

是以，第一個也是最重要的目標是，我們需要讓每個人都到場。

To the quality of life that most people in rich countries take for granted.

富裕國家大多數人認為理所當然的生活品質。

Realistically, we just can't do that without using more energy.

實際上，不使用更多能源，我們就無法做到這一點。

Which we can't do using fossil fuels without speeding up climate change.

如果不加速氣候變化，我們就無法使用化石燃料。

This is already one of the biggest fights on the global stage over clean energy.

這已經是全球舞臺上關於清潔能源的最大爭論之一。

Richer countries, like the United States, who used fossil fuels to radically redefine comfortable for their citizens.

美國等富裕國家利用化石燃料從根本上重新定義了公民的舒適生活。

Looking at poorer countries and saying, well, you can't do that because climate change.

看著貧窮的國家說，因為氣候變化，你們不能這樣做。

What has been said at the higher levels are far different from what is happening in the negotiations rules.

高層的說法與談判規則中的情況大相徑庭。

Historical emissions coming mostly from the West.

歷史上的排放量主要來自西方。

We have the best, lowest number in carbon emissions.

Taking the present day as like a ceiling and then saying, well, okay, well, we're going to conserve.

把今天當作一個天花板，然後說，好吧，好吧，我們要節約。

I think that's not the right solution for the United States or Europe or Japan.

我認為這不是美國、歐洲或日本的正確解決方案。

But it's a terrible solution for Vietnam or Ethiopia or Nicaragua.

但對於越南、衣索匹亞或尼加拉瓜來說，這是一個糟糕的解決方案。

And it's also not a solution that those countries are going to accept.

這也不是這些國家會接受的解決方案。

The sooner we can get more zero carbon energy sources, the sooner this fight no longer even makes sense.

我們越早獲得更多的零碳能源，這場鬥爭就越早不再有意義。

If we actually do that, just imagine how we could continue to improve everyone's lives if energy no longer meant harmful emissions.

如果我們真的做到了這一點，試想一下，如果能源不再意味著有害排放，我們將如何繼續改善每個人的生活。

As I listened to Matt describe a vision of a future with abundant clean energy, I felt myself begin to imagine.

當我聽馬特描述擁有豐富清潔能源的未來願景時，我感覺自己開始想象。

Honestly, I felt a lot more motivated to do the work that it takes to get there.

老實說，我覺得自己更有動力去做實現目標所需的工作了。

So for the next minute, just listen to him describe what we could do and let yourself imagine what could go right.

所以，接下來的一分鐘，請聽他描述我們能做什麼，讓自己想象一下會發生什麼。

We're now in a world where you can invent a lot of things that work.

在我們現在的世界裡，你可以發明很多有用的東西。