Meet Methane, the Invisible Climate Villain | Marcelo Mena | TED

翻译人员: Belle Heng 校对人员: suya f.

This is the Ghazipur landfill in Delhi, India.

这是印度德里的加齐布尔垃圾填埋场。

It’s almost 20 stories high and it often collapses,

它高了将近 20 层 ，经常倒塌，

killing the waste pickers that work there.

杀死在那里工作的拾荒者。

Last year, when temperatures hit 43 degrees Celsius,

去年，当气温 达到 43 摄氏度时，

it caught fire three times in a month and burned for 48 hours straight,

它在一个月内起火了三次， 连续燃烧了 48 小时，

exposing the city to harmful particulate matter.

This happens because the organic waste in the landfills

之所以发生这种情况， 是因为垃圾填埋场中的有机废物

decomposes to form methane,

分解形成甲烷，

a highly flammable and potent greenhouse gas.

这是一种高度易燃 和强效的温室气体。

And as we have more and more heat waves, the problem will only get worse.

而且，随着我们有越来越多的热浪， 问题只会变得更糟。

This landfill in Buenos Aires

布宜诺斯艾利斯的

causes the pollution equivalent to roughly 1.4 million cars,

这个垃圾填埋场造成的污染 相当于大约 140 万辆汽车，

or the same as roughly two average-sized coal-fired power plants.

相当于大约两个 普通规模的燃煤发电厂。

Landfills like these are major contributors to climate change

像这样的垃圾填埋场是造成 气候变化的主要因素，

because of the methane they emit.

因为它们会排放甲烷。

Methane ...

甲烷...

comes from everywhere in the world,

来自世界各地，

but in developing countries, emissions are expected to double by 2050.

但在发展中国家，

预计到 2050 年 排放量将翻一番。

Methane is therefore the Global South's climate challenge,

因此，甲烷是全球南方的气候挑战，

because it's a development challenge.

因为它是一项发展挑战。

As poor countries get richer,

随着穷国变得越来越富有，

their demand for food and consumer goods will increase,

他们对食品和消费品的需求将增加，

and so will the waste they generate.

它们产生的浪费也将增加。

If we're going to keep warming under 1.5 degrees Celsius,

如果我们要将变暖控制 在 1.5 摄氏度以下，

we need to reduce methane emissions in half by 2050.

我们就需要在 2050 年之前 将甲烷排放量减少一半。

But we must do so without getting in the way

但是，我们在这样做 时不得妨碍全球

of quality-of-life improvements in the Global South.

南方生活质量 的改善。

That's why, in 2022, I became the CEO of the Global Methane Hub,

这就是为什么，在 2022 年， 我成为全球甲烷中心的首席执行官。

a major philanthropic effort focused on methane mitigation,

全球甲烷中心是一项以甲烷减排 为重点的重大慈善机构，

based out of Santiago, Chile.

总部设在智利圣地亚哥。

Methane doesn't get the same attention as carbon dioxide does,

甲烷没有像二氧化碳那 样受到同样的关注，

but it's contributed to nearly half the warming

但它导致了

we've experienced to date.

我们迄今为止所经历的变暖的近一半。

It's short-lived,

它的寿命很短，

so we stop emissions now, its warming effect will soon follow.

所以我们现在停止排放， 其变暖效应很快就会随之而来。

If we only focus on carbon-dioxide emissions,

如果我们只关注二氧化碳的排放， 那么在接下来的二十年中，

we're only going to get half the temperature reduction

我们的温度只能降低

with these next two decades.

一半。

Mitigating methane, therefore,

因此，减少甲烷

is the fastest, most efficient way to reduce temperature

是我们一生

within our lifetime.

中降低温度的最快、最有效的方法。

But don't get me wrong,

但是不要误会我的意思，

this is not about delaying action on fossil fuels.

这并不是要推迟对化石燃料的行动。

40 percent of methane emissions come from fossil-fuel extraction.

40% 的甲烷排放 来自化石燃料的开采。

But today, I'm going to talk about the other 60 percent

但是今天，我要谈 谈很少有人谈论的另外 60％，

that not a lot of people talk about,

which is food systems’ emissions --

即食物系统的排放，

food production and food waste.

即食物生产和食物浪费。

I’m a biochemical engineer, a professor

我是一名生化工程师、教授，

and I was formerly the environmental minister for Chile.

曾任智利环境部长。

Before I got into politics,

在我进入政治领域之前，

when I was a graduate student at the University of Iowa,

当我还是爱荷华大学的研究生时，

I’d work with NASA,

我曾在美国宇航局工作，

tracking air pollution across continents

使用飞机和卫星

using aircraft and satellites.

追踪各大洲的空气污染。

When I got back home,

回到家后，

I used the same tools to develop air-quality forecasting systems

我用同样的工具开发了 空气质量预测系统，

that helped change the way we did things.

这有助于改变我们的做事方式。

And we had a radical drop in air-pollution levels.

而且我们的空气污染水平 大幅下降。

But during my tenure, a large landfill caught fire,

但是在我任职期间， 一个大型垃圾填埋场着火了，

and it put the whole city of Santiago under a black cloud

这使整个圣地亚哥市

of carcinogenic soot.

陷入了致癌烟尘的黑云之下。

It was an event our model couldn't predict.

这是我们的模型无法预测的事件。

It was methane, again.

又是甲烷。

Another landfill nearby smelled so terrible

附近的另一个垃圾填埋场 闻起来太难闻了，

that neighbors protested for weeks.

以至于邻居们抗议了好几个星期。

And they were right -- nobody deserves to live like that.

他们说得对 —— 没有人值得这样生活。

And we could do something about it.

我们可以为此做点什么。

The organic waste in landfills

从字面上看，

is one of the most visible sources of methane,

垃圾填埋场中的有机废物

literally.

是甲烷最明显的来源之一。

And food systems,

而食物系统，

food loss and waste, is a big part of the problem.

即食物损失和浪费， 是问题的重要组成部分。

Fifty percent of all food systems’ emissions

所有食物系统的排放量中有 50％

come from food that nobody ever eats.

来自没人吃过的食物。

In Sub-Saharan Africa,

在撒哈拉以南非洲，生产的所有食物中有

37 percent of all food that's produced is either lost or wasted,

37％要么丢失，要么被浪费，

either because there's not enough infrastructure to store it,

要么是因为没有足够的基础设施

to transport it, or to keep it from spoiling.

来储存、运输和防止变质。

The other part ends up in the trash,

另一部分最终进入垃圾桶，

and when that organic waste is concentrated in the landfill,

当有机废物 集中在垃圾填埋场时，

we can see the methane this waste emits from space.

我们可以看到这些废物 从太空中排放的甲烷。

The NGO Carbon Mapper is a public-private partnership

非政府组织 Carbon Mapper 是一个公私合作伙伴关系

that's leveraging technology developed by NASA scientists

它利用美国宇航局科学家开发的技术

to pinpoint methane sources across the world.

来查明世界各地的甲烷来源。

They started with aircraft

他们从飞机开始，

and soon they’ll be up in a satellite.

不久就会进入卫星。

Seeing methane this way contributes to real mitigation,

以这种方式看待甲烷 有助于真正的缓解,

and the Sunshine Canyon Landfill

洛杉矶的阳光峡谷垃圾填埋场

in Los Angeles

is an example of this.

就是一个例子。

Airborne methane data inform basic operational improvements,

空气中的甲烷数据为 基本的运营改善提供了信息，

such as covering the daily trash with liners,

例如用衬里覆盖日常垃圾，

which led to a radical drop in emissions,

这导致排放量急剧下降， 排放量减少了60％，

60 percent lower emissions,

邻居的抱怨也消失了。

and the complaints from neighbors disappeared.

Now we decided to take this effort globally,

现在，我们决定在全球范围内 开展这项工作，

and with our colleagues from RMI,

并与来自RMI、

the Clean Air Task Force and Carbon Mapper,

清洁空气工作组和碳测绘器的同事 一起制定了废弃物地图，

we put together the Waste MAP,

the Waste Methane Assessment Platform,

废甲烷评估平台，

which links satellite information,

该平台将卫星信息、

NGOs and local governments

非政府组织和地方政府联系起来，

to intervene.

进行干预。

With other colleagues,

我们和其他同事一起在 世界上最大的垃圾填埋场工作，

we’re working in the biggest landfills in the world,

including the one you saw in Delhi,

包括你在德里看到的垃圾填埋场、

the one in Buenos Aires,

布宜诺斯艾利斯的垃圾填埋场，

and of course the city of Santiago, where I live.

当然还有我居住 的圣地亚哥市。

Pinpointing methane sources allows us to stop existing emissions,

精确定位甲烷来源 使我们能够停止现有的排放，

but it also helps prevent new emissions from occurring, too.

但也有助于防止 新的排放发生。

And it starts with organic waste diversion.

首先是有机 废物的转移。

We could do a lot of different solutions,

我们可以做很多不同的解决方案，

like composting.

比如堆肥。

We could do food banking,

我们可以储存食物，

or we could turn that organic waste into food,

也可以将有机废弃物转 化为食物，

like what my dog, Rucio, eats,

比如我的狗鲁西奥吃的食物， 由在食物垃圾中生长的士兵苍蝇

made from soldier flies that grew on food waste.

Now don't worry,

现在别担心，

I would never feed my dog anything I wouldn't eat.

我永远不会给我的狗喂 任何我不会吃的东西。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

But food waste is not the only problem.

但是食物浪费并不是唯一的问题。

What we eat also has big impact.

我们吃的东西也会产生很大的影响。

And in that, cows -- raising cows for dairy and meat

在那里，奶牛 —— 饲养奶牛以获取乳制品和肉类，

is the single largest anthropogenic source of methane.

是最大的甲烷人为来源。

That's right, cow burps.

没错，牛会打嗝。

The scientific name for that is enteric fermentation.

它的学名 是肠道发酵。

If you feed an animal low-quality food instead of high-quality food,

如果你给动物喂低质量的食物 而不是高质量的食物，

a lot of that energy doesn't go to create milk,

那么其中很多能量 不会用于产生牛奶，

it goes to digestion and cow burps.

而是用于消化和奶牛打嗝。

So an animal in Sub-Saharan Africa causes five times more emissions

因此，撒哈拉以南非洲的动物

than one in North America,

每单位牛奶产生的排放量

per unit of milk,

是北美一只动物的五倍，

becasue it's usually eating suboptimal food.

因为它通常吃 的食物并不理想。

So improved breeding, feeding and animal welfare

因此，改善育种、 饲养和动物福利

could reduce emissions and improve income for farmers.

可以减少排放， 提高农民的收入。

But we have to do a lot more about cow-burp emissions,

但是我们必须在 牛瘟排放方面做更多工作，

and that's why we're launching

这就是我们推出肠道发酵研究

the Enteric Fermentation Research and Development Accelerator,

与开发加速器的原因，

a 200-million-dollar effort

这是一项耗资 2 亿美元的项目，

that will focus on reducing livestock emissions,

将侧重于减少牲畜排放，

and it will be the biggest effort of its kind.

这将是同类项目中规模最大的举措。

You may have heard some scientists are feeding algae or seaweed to animals

你可能听说有些科学家 正在向动物喂食藻类或海藻

to change their metabolism to reduce methane emissions,

以改变其新陈代谢，

and there's a whole bunch of solutions like that,

从而减少甲烷排放， 还有很多这样的解决方案，

but for each one, we have to know:

但是对于每种解决方案，我们都必须知道：

Is it safe? Does it last?

它安全吗？它能持续吗？

And how will it perform when it’s not in optimal settings,

而且，当它没有处于最佳环境时，

like when the animal is out in pasture all day,

比如动物整天待在牧场上，

instead of being fed?

而不是被喂食时， 它的表现会如何？

We hope that this research initiative

我们希望这项研究计划

will deliver the scientific breakthroughs we need

能够带来我们所需的科学突破，

to reduce livestock emissions

以减少牲畜排放，

and keep 1.5 alive.

维持 1.5 头牲畜的生命。

When I was minister, I would often hear from my colleagues,

当我担任部长时， 我经常会听到同事们

"Why should we act on climate change,

说：“如果问题是由富裕国家造成的，

if it was the rich countries that caused the problem?"

我们为什么要对气候变化采取行动？”

And it's partly true.

这在一定程度上是正确的。

Emissions have historically come from developed countries,

历史上，排放量 来自发达国家，

but they're rising fast in the developing world.

但在发展中国家， 排放量正在迅速上升。

We don't need to follow a path

我们不需要走一条

we know will lead to higher emissions and pollution --

我们知道会导致 更高的排放和污染的道路，

we could cut straight across into sustainable solutions.

我们可以直接 进入可持续的解决方案。

But what I hear from colleagues was based on the premise

但我从同事那里听到的消息是基于

that reducing emissions will make our day-to-day lives worse

这样的前提，即减少排放 会使我们的日常生活变得更糟，

because of all the things we'd have to do without.

因为我们必须避免所有这些事情。

But this is a false narrative,

但这是一个错误的说法，

and it's not the case for methane.

甲烷的情况并非如此。

Methane is a global problem,

甲烷是一个全球性问题，

but the benefits are felt where action is taken.

但只要采取行动， 就能感受到好处。

Vulnerable communities

不受垃圾场火灾

that aren't exposed to the constant threat of dump fires

或难闻气味

or foul smells.

持续威胁的脆弱社区。

Landfills that aren't filled with rotting organic waste

没有装满腐烂有机废物的垃圾填埋场，

that could instead be turned to food or fertilizer.

这些废物可以转化 为食物或肥料。

Farmers that are already under the threat of climate change

由于更好、更高效的牲畜和水稻生产， 已经受到气候变化威胁的农民

could gain income and resilience

because of better, more efficient livestock and rice production.

可以获得收入和适应力。

You and I ...

你和我...

can't do much to create zero-emission cement

在制造 零排放水泥

or change grids across countries or continents --

或在各个国家或大洲之间 更换电网方面无能为力——

well, some of you can, but not everybody.

好吧，你们当中有些人可以， 但不是所有人。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

But 60 percent of our emissions from methane

但是我们60％ 的甲烷排放

come from our food, our trash and our neighborhoods.

来自我们的食物、垃圾和社区。

And taking action on reducing methane now

现在采取行动减少甲烷

is a big step to saving the planet.

是拯救地球的重要一步。

And we could start when we get back home,

当我们回到家后，我们可以开始

composting our food.

堆肥食物。

We'll see the benefits --

无论是现在还是现在， 我们都会看到其中的好处——

better living conditions, cleaner air,

更好的生活条件、更清洁的空气、

improved food security,

更

right here and right now.

高的粮食安全。

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Cheers and applause)

（欢呼和掌声）