We know what they are.

為何我們無法解決這些問題？

Something always seems to stop us.

我們知道問題在那

Why?

但會有困難阻撓著我們

I remember March the 15th, 2000.

為什麼?

The B15 iceberg broke off the Ross Ice Shelf.

我記得2000年的三月十五日

In the newspaper it said

B15冰山從羅斯冰架斷落

"it was all part of a normal process."

報紙中這樣寫著

A little bit further on in the article

這是正常過程的一部份

it said "a loss that would normally take

文章接著提到

the ice shelf 50-100 years to replace."

這樣的冰正常需要

That same word, "normal,"

50到100年來復原

had two different,

正常

almost opposite meanings.

有兩個不同

If we walk into the B15 iceberg

幾乎相反的意思

when we leave here today,

如果我們走入B15冰山

we're going to bump into something

我是說在今日會後的時候

a thousand feet tall,

我們會見到

76 miles long,

一千英呎高

17 miles wide,

76英里長

and it's going to weigh two gigatons.

17英哩寬

I'm sorry, there's nothing normal about this.

且重達兩億頓的冰

And yet I think it's this perspective of us

這一點都不正常

as humans to look at our world

而我們人類就是用這樣的觀點

through the lens of normal

在看我們的世界

is one of the forces

把所有事物看作正常

that stops us developing real solutions.

就是這股力量

Only 90 days after this,

阻止了我們來找出真正的解決方案

arguably the greatest discovery

冰山斷落3個月後

of the last century occurred.

可能是本世紀

It was the sequencing for the first time

最偉大的發現出現了

of the human genome.

人們第一次排序出

This is the code that's in every single one

人的基因

of our 50 trillion cells

這是我們體內50兆細胞中的

that makes us who we are and what we are.

密碼

And if we just take one cell's worth

這個密碼決定了人的一切

of this code and unwind it,

如果我們了解了一個細胞

it's a meter long,

攤開其中的密碼

two nanometers thick.

它長約一公尺

Two nanometers is 20 atoms in thickness.

兩奈米寬

And I wondered,

兩奈米是20個原子的厚度

what if the answer to some of our biggest problems

我就在想

could be found in the smallest of places,

如果大問題的解答

where the difference between what is

可以在最小的地方找到

valuable and what is worthless

且小到由幾個原子就能決定

is merely the addition or subtraction

一件事的價值

of a few atoms?

那會是怎樣的

And what

一個情況呢?

if we could get exquisite control

要是

over the essence of energy,

我們能夠精確得控制

the electron?

能量的精髓

So I started to go around the world

電子呢?

finding the best and brightest scientists

於是我走遍世界各地的大學

I could at universities

尋找最優秀的科學家

whose collective discoveries have the chance

希望他們的合作

to take us there,

希望他們共同的研究可以

and we formed a company to build

幫助我們達成

on their extraordinary ideas.

我們成立了一家公司

Six and a half years later,

來將他們的想法付諸行動

a hundred and eighty researchers,

六年半後

they have some amazing developments

一共180位研究人員

in the lab,

在實驗室中有了

and I will show you three of those today,

驚人的發展

such that we can stop burning up our planet

我今天會給各位看其中三個

and instead,

如此我們就能停止燃燒地球

we can generate all the energy we need

而且

right where we are,

我們能產生所需的所有電力

cleanly, safely, and cheaply.

不論你在那裡

Think of the space that we spend

乾淨、安全、廉價

most of our time.

想一想我們大部份時間身處

A tremendous amount of energy

的空間

is coming at us from the sun.

有大量的能源從太陽

We like the light that comes into the room,

正射向我們

but in the middle of summer,

我們喜歡屋裡有光線

all that heat is coming into the room

但是在夏天最炎熱時

that we're trying to keep cool.

當這些熱氣一直進到屋裡時

In winter, exactly the opposite is happening.

我們卻想保持屋內涼爽

We're trying to heat up

冬天時則完全相反

the space that we're in,

我們會想讓我們身處的

and all that is trying to get out through the window.

空間抱持溫暖

Wouldn't it be really great

而這些暖氣卻又從窗子溜走

if the window could flick back the heat

如果我們能

into the room if we needed it

需要熱氣時

or flick it away before it came in?

將它留在屋內或在它進來前

One of the materials that can do this

折射回去，這會有多好?

is a remarkable material, carbon,

有一個材料就可以做得到

that has changed its form in this incredibly beautiful reaction

這個了不起的材料就是碳

where graphite is blasted by a vapor,

碳經過一個美妙的反應後改變了它的樣貌

and when the vaporized carbon condenses,

它被蒸氣衝擊而汽化

it condenses back into a different form:

然後當它冷凝後

chickenwire rolled up.

它凝結成不一樣的外貌，看起來像

But this chickenwire carbon,

圈起來的鐵絲網

called a carbon nanotube,

但這個網狀的鐵絲網

is a hundred thousand times smaller

叫做奈米碳管

than the width of one of your hairs.

它比你的毛髮

It's a thousand times

還細上10萬倍

more conductive than copper.

而導電性又比銅

How is that possible?

高上一千倍

One of the things about working at the nanoscale

怎麼可能有這樣的東西?

is things look and act very differently.

東西在奈米大小時

You think of carbon as black.

功能與外觀都非常不一樣

Carbon at the nanoscale

你認為碳是黑的

is actually transparent

但是奈米碳

and flexible.

其實是透明的

And when it's in this form,

且具彈性的

if I combine it with a polymer

當碳在這個狀態時

and affix it to your window

將它與聚合物結合

when it's in its colored state,

黏到你的窗上時

it will reflect away all heat and light,

在有色的狀態下

and when it's in its bleached state

它會將光熱隔絕在外

it will let all the light and heat through

而在無色的狀態下

and any combination in between.

光與熱卻能穿透它

To change its state, by the way,

及中間的任何物質

takes two volts from a millisecond pulse.

順道一提，只需要

And once you've changed its state, it stays there

從1毫秒脈衝中提取2伏特電力即可改變它的狀態。

until you change its state again.

而一旦你改變了它的狀態，它就會維持在那個狀態

As we were working on this incredible

一直到你再改變它為止

discovery at University of Florida,

當我們在佛羅里達大學進行這項

we were told to go down the corridor

不可思議的研究時

to visit another scientist,

有人叫我們到同樣在那裡做研究的

and he was working

另外一名科學家

on a pretty incredible thing.

他在研究的是

Imagine

相當了不起的東西

if we didn't have to rely

相像一下

on artificial lighting to get around at night.

如果我們在夜晚時

We'd have to see at night, right?

不再須要仰賴人工照明了

This lets you do it.

但是我們又要能看得見，對吧?

It's a nanomaterial, two nanomaterials,

用這個就做得到

a detector and an imager.

這是兩種奈米材料組成的

The total width of it

偵測器及顯像器

is 600 times smaller

它們的總寬度比

than the width of a decimal place.

小數點還小上

And it takes all the infrared available at night,

600倍

converts it into an electron

它會將夜間的紅外線

in the space of two small films,

在這兩片薄膜間

and is enabling you to play an image

轉變成電子

which you can see through.

它不只能播放影像

I'm going to show to TEDsters,

它還是透明的

the first time, this operating.

我現在要展示給在TED的各位

Firstly I'm going to show you

這是它第一次運作

the transparency.

首先你們看到的是

Transparency is key.

透明薄膜

It's a film that you can look through.

這透明性是關鍵

And then I'm going to turn the lights out.

你能完全看透它

And you can see, off a tiny film,

然後我要把燈關掉

incredible clarity.

你透過這個薄膜

As we were working on this, it dawned on us:

看的非常清楚

this is taking infrared radiation, wavelengths,

而在研究它時，我們突然想到

and converting it into electrons.

它會將紅外線及波長

What if we combined it

轉換成電子

with this?

要是我們將它與這個

Suddenly you've converted energy

結合呢?

into an electron on a plastic surface

如此你就能將能源

that you can stick on your window.

在你黏於窗上的塑料上

But because it's flexible,

轉換成電子

it can be on any surface whatsoever.

但是因為它是有彈性的

The power plant of tomorrow

它可以附著於任何表面

is no power plant.

未來的發電廠

We talked about generating and using.

不在是ㄧ座座的工廠

We want to talk about storing energy,

我們已經聊了發電跟應用

and unfortunately

我們現在要聊如何蓄電

the best thing we've got going

很不幸的是

is something that was developed in France

我們手上最好的蓄電器材

a hundred and fifty years ago,

是法國在ㄧ百五十年前

the lead acid battery.

所發展出來的

In terms of dollars per what's stored,

鉛蓄電池

it's simply the best.

從成本來考量的話

Knowing that we're not going to put fifty of

這是最好的選擇

these in our basements to store our power,

雖然這樣，但我們不想要放五十個鉛蓄電池

we went to a group at University of Texas at Dallas,

在我們的地下室來存儲電力

and we gave them this diagram.

我們在德州大學找到ㄧ個研究小組

It was in actually a diner

然後我們給他們看了這張設計圖

outside of Dallas/Fort Worth Airport.

當時我們其實是在

We said, "Could you build this?"

達拉斯的沃斯堡機場外的ㄧ個小餐廳

And these scientists,

我們問：「你們能建造這個東西嗎?」

instead of laughing at us, said, "Yeah."

而這些科學家

And what they built was eBox.

非但沒嘲笑我們的想法，反而回答：「可以」

EBox is testing new nanomaterials

他們作出來的東西叫做電子盒

to park an electron on the outside,

目前正在測試新的奈米材料

hold it until you need it,

用以存儲戶外的電子

and then be able to release it and pass it off.

直到我們要用的時候

Being able to do that means

再把電子釋放出來

that I can generate energy

擁有這樣的能力代表

cleanly, efficiently and cheaply

我能在任何地方

right where I am.

乾淨的、有效的、便宜的

It's my energy.

發電

And if I don't need it, I can convert it

這是我的能源

back up on the window

如果我不需要它，我可以將它

to energy, light, and beam it,

放回窗上，並轉變成

line of site, to your place.

電與光，甚至傳送它

And for that I do not need

到你所見之處、到你的地方

an electric grid between us.

傳送電力時我們之間

The grid of tomorrow is no grid,

是不需要有電纜的

and energy, clean efficient energy,

以後就不會有電纜了

will one day be free.

而乾淨又有效能的能源

If you do this, you get the last puzzle piece,

電將會是免費的

which is water.

如果你做到了，那我們就只剩一個問題

Each of us, every day,

水

need just eight glasses of this,

我們每天

because we're human.

需要8杯的水

When we run out of water,

因為我們是人類

as we are in some parts of the world

當我們沒有水的時候

and soon to be in other parts of the world,

世界上有些地方是沒有水的

we're going to have to get this from the sea,

而世界上其它地方也將面臨這樣的問題

and that's going to require us to build desalination plants.

我們將必須從海中取水

19 trillion dollars is what we're going to have to spend.

屆時，我們將必須建造海水淡化廠

These also require tremendous amounts of energy.

到時我們需要花費19兆美元

In fact, it's going to require twice the world's

這些淡化廠也需要用到非常大量的能源

supply of oil to run the pumps

事實上，我門需要目前石油蘊藏量的兩倍

to generate the water.

才能讓這些幫浦運轉

We're simply not going to do that.

來淨化水

But in a world where energy is freed

而我們不需要這麼做

and transmittable

當世界上的能源是免費的

easily and cheaply, we can take any water

且能便宜又簡單的

wherever we are

傳送時，我們在任何地方都能

and turn it into whatever we need.

將水

I'm glad to be working with

轉變成我們所需的任何東西

incredibly brilliant and kind scientists,

我很高興能夠與

no kinder than

這些聰明又親切的科學家共事

many of the people in the world,

雖然還不是

but they have a magic look at the world.

世界上最親切的人

And I'm glad to see their discoveries

但他們用獨到的眼光來看這個世界

coming out of the lab and into the world.

我很高興能夠看到他們的研究

It's been a long time in coming for me.

能夠走出實驗室並進到這個世界

18 years ago,

這對我來說是一段非常漫長的等待

I saw a photograph in the paper.

十八年前

It was taken by Kevin Carter

我在報紙上看到一張照片。

who went to the Sudan

那是凱文･卡特

to document their famine there.

在蘇丹進行

I've carried this photograph with me

當地飢荒紀實時所拍攝下來的。

every day since then.

從那時起我每天都

It's a picture of a little girl dying of thirst.

把這張照片帶在身上。

By any standard this is wrong.

照片裡是一個因乾荒而瀕臨死亡的小女孩。

It's just wrong.

不管用什麼標準來看這都不對

We can do better than this.

這種事是不該發生的。

We should do better than this.

我們可以做得更好

And whenever I go round

我們應該要做得更好

to somebody who says,

不論我去到哪裡

"You know what, you're working on something that's too difficult.

都會有人對我說：

It'll never happen. You don't have enough money.

「你研究的東西太困難了，

You don't have enough time.

你不會成功的。你的資金不夠，

There's something much more interesting around the corner,"

你也沒有那麼多時間。

I say, "Try saying that to her."

還有其它更有趣的東西可以研究吧。」

That's what I say in my mind. And I just say

我想說：「對照片裡的小女孩說吧！」

"thank you," and I go on to the next one.

當然這些話只是在心裡想想而已。我真正說的是：

This is why we have to solve our problems,

「謝謝。」然後繼續我的研究。

and I know the answer as to how

這就是為什麼我們需要解決我們的問題

is to be able to get exquisite control

而我知道答案就是

over a building block of nature,

精確的掌握自然界中

the stuff of life:

簡單的東西

the simple electron.

生命所需的

Thank you.

那就是電子

(Applause)

謝謝