本文转自《AXIOS》发表的题为“Al Gore: Technology capturing CO2 emissions is "nonsense"”的报道。

作者：Amy Harder

日期：2018-12-13

原文链接：https://www.axios.com/al-gore-technology-capturing-co2-emissions-nonsense-c1e5e230-0ffb-4b5c-ba24-8bcdfd78e7d3.html

Al Gore speaks at the COP24 UN Climate Change Conference 2018. Photo: Omar Marques/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Al Gore在2018年COP24联合国气候变化大会上发表讲话。照片：Omar Marques / SOPA Images / LightRocket via Getty Images

KATOWICE, Poland — Al Gore is optimistic the world will effectively address climate change despite being pessimistic on technology many scientists say is critical to that end.

波兰卡托维斯 - Al Gore 乐观地认为世界将有效应对气候变化，尽管对技术持悲观态度，许多科学家认为这对于这一目标至关重要。

Why it matters: Gore’s remarks, made during an interview with Axios on Wednesday, put him at odds with a number of experts and scientists. A seminal report issued in October by a United Nations scientific panel found the technology, which captures carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels, to be critical to keeping global temperatures below a level that would avoid the worst impacts of a warmer world.

重要的原因：Gore 在周三接受Axios采访时所作的评论使他与一些专家和科学家发生争执。 联合国科学小组10月份发布的一份开创性报告发现，这种捕获化石燃料排放二氧化碳的技术对于将全球气温保持在能够避免温暖世界最严重影响的水平至关重要。

It's not possible to reduce greenhouse gas emissions without reducing the use of fossil fuels, Gore said, and to try to separate those goals is "to believe in the tooth fairy.”

Gore说，在不减少使用化石燃料的情况下减少温室气体排放是不可能的，并试图将这些目标分开是不可能的。

The big picture: The technology, which captures CO2 emissions from power plants and industrial facilities, works but has been prohibitively expensive for decades, which Gore rightly points out. That’s starting to change, albeit slowly.

总体情况：这项技术可以捕获发电厂和工业设施产生的二氧化碳排放，但数十年来一直非常昂贵，Gore正确地指出了这一点。 这种情况开始发生变化，尽管很慢。

Driving the news: The former vice president and longtime climate activist spoke to a packed crowd this morning at an annual United Nations conference that drew tens of thousands of attendees. We sat down in a nearby room shortly afterward to discuss a range of issues (more on others later).

推动新闻：这位前副总统和长期气候活动家今天上午在一个吸引了数万名与会者的年度联合国会议上与众多人群进行了交谈。 不久之后，我们在附近的一个房间里坐下来讨论一系列问题（稍后会对其他问题进行讨论）。

I asked him whether the focus of addressing climate change should be on getting off fossil fuels or reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It’s a subtle but important distinction gaining attention here, particularly from fossil fuel-dependent nations.

我问他，应对气候变化的重点应该放在化石燃料的下降还是减少温室气体排放上。 这是一个微妙但重要的区别，尤其是来自化石燃料的国家。

Gore responded by asking: “What does that mean? Not getting off fossil fuels but reducing emissions? You’re not buying the CCS nonsense are you? ... Are you?” (CCS is the technology's acronym: carbon, capture and storage.)

Gore 回答说：“这是什么意思？ 不是减少化石燃料，而是减少排放？ 你不是在购买CCS废话吗？ ......是吗？“（CCS是该技术的首字母缩写：碳，捕获和存储。）

I replied after another pause: “Well, I don’t buy anything, as an unbiased reporter.”

我又一次停下来回答说：“好吧，我不买任何东西，作为一个公正的记者。”

Details: Gore acknowledged that the recent UN science panel report found the technology essential. He also said it technically works. One of its biggest hangups, he said, is that it costs a lot of money to execute the technology on facilities, which would divert money from a revenue stream.

详情：Gore承认，最近的联合国科学小组报告发现该技术至关重要。 他还说技术上有效。 他说，其最大的挫折之一是，在设施上执行技术需要花费很多钱，这会从收入流中转移资金。

“The fact none of the existing technologies are considered ready for primetime, in the sense that nobody knows how to execute at scale, makes it a daunting challenge for sure. I’m mindful of that,” Gore said.

“在没有人知道如何大规模执行的意义上，没有任何现有技术被认为是黄金时段的准备就绪，这确实是一项艰巨的挑战。 我很注意到这一点，“Gore说。

He concluded: “I just think it’s an extremely improbable solution right now, but maybe they will come up with some breakthrough. There are so many fossil-fuel burning installations now that they are just shutting down well before their useful lifetime because it’s just simply cheaper to move to” renewable energy.

他总结道：“我认为现在这是一个极不可能的解决方案，但也许他们会想出一些突破。 现在有如此多的化石燃料燃烧装置，它们只是在其使用寿命之前关闭，因为转向“可再生能源”只是更便宜。

By the numbers: Per a new report the nonprofit Global CCS Institute released at the conference Tuesday:

数字：根据一份新报告，非营利组织全球CCS研究所周二在会议上发布：

18 large-scale co2-trapping facilities are currently operating in the world.

目前，世界上有18个大型二氧化碳捕集设施。

5 are under construction.

5个正在建设中。

20 are in various stages of development.

20处于不同的发展阶段。

One level deeper: Gore is right that making the financial numbers work on carbon capture technology is one of its biggest hurdles. More recent trends suggest changes are afoot.

更深层次的一点： Gore是正确的，使财政数据在碳捕获技术上发挥作用是其最大的障碍之一。 最近的趋势表明正在发生变化。

The economic aspect is improving in some corners, fueled in part by a recently passed law in the U.S. that gives financial incentives to companies that capture CO2.

在某些角落，经济方面正在改善，部分原因是美国最近通过的一项法律为那些捕获二氧化碳的公司提供了财政激励。

Since the 2015 Paris climate deal, the technology is also getting a lot more attention from different countries that are big fossil-fuel producers. This includes Australia and Middle Eastern nations as they attempt to reconcile their commitments to addressing climate change with their fossil-fuel based economies.

自2015年巴黎气候协议以来，该技术也受到来自不同国家的大量化石燃料生产商的关注。 这包括澳大利亚和中东国家，他们试图通过化石燃料经济来协调应对气候变化的承诺。

Industrial sectors, such as cement and steel manufacturers, are also looking at the technology more since making those products emit CO2 in the chemical processes themselves.

水泥和钢铁制造业等工业部门也在研究这项技术，因为这些产品本身会在化学过程中排放二氧化碳。

What’s next: Stay tuned for more of our interview with Gore.

接下来是什么：请继续关注我们对戈尔的更多采访。

Editor's note: This story has been updated. A quote has been partially paraphrased to clarify Gore's position that fossil fuels must be cut back to reduce emissions.

编者注：这个故事已经更新。 引用已被部分解释，以澄清Gore的立场，即必须削减化石燃料以减少排放。