3 Ways to Make Flying More Climate-Friendly | Ryah Whalen | TED

翻译人员: Rocky Stone 校对人员: Yip Yan Yeung

I have a confession to make.

我要承认一件事：

I feel bad about flying.

坐飞机让我感到难受。

And I know I'm not the only one here.

我知道，在座的各位 也有人和我一样。

I love to travel, but I know it's hurting our environment.

我喜爱旅行，但我知道， 这会破坏环境。

When I was six years old, I moved to Taiwan.

我六岁时， 全家搬到了中国台湾。

My family, we boarded a regional jet in Iowa,

我和家人在爱荷华州 坐上了一架支线飞机，

and 30 hours later we stepped off a 747 in Taiwan.

30 小时后，我们乘坐的 747 飞机到达中国台湾。

Airplanes had taken us halfway across the globe.

飞机带我们跨越了半个地球。

And I felt the wonder of a new world.

我感受到了新世界的奇妙。

Air travel,

空中旅行，

it builds bridges and it connects us.

它像一条纽带， 将我们联系在一起。

It takes families and people to new lives and new experiences.

它让人们过上新生活， 获得新体验。

But it also comes with a cost.

但这也要付出代价。

A cost to our climate.

我们的气候将付出代价。

When I first started focusing on the aviation sector,

第一次开始关注航空领域时，

I quickly learned that aviation accounts for

我很快了解到，航空领域

about two percent of global CO2 emissions.

约占全球二氧化碳排放的 2%。

And while that number may seem small,

这个比率似乎看起来比较小，

it could grow to 20 percent by 2050 if no action is taken.

但如果不采取行动，到 2050 年， 它就会增长到 20%。

And for those of us that do fly regularly,

对那些经常坐飞机的人来说，

it can be the biggest component of our individual carbon footprint.

它可能是我们个人 碳足迹的最大组成部分。

That trip I took when I was six,

那次坐飞机时我才六岁，

if I were to make the same trip today,

如果我今天进行同样的旅行，

I would have to be vegetarian for nearly four years

我必须吃素近四年，

to make up for the carbon and other emissions from that trip.

才能弥补那次旅行 造成的碳及其他排放。

And so that's why I'm conflicted.

这就是我内心感到矛盾的原因。

And it's also why I'm working with the aviation sector

这也是我为什么与航空部门合作，

to figure out how to decarbonize as soon as possible.

想办法尽快达到去碳化的原因。

The next thing I learned is this:

我了解到的另一件事是：

decarbonizing aviation, it's no easy task.

在航空领域，去碳化并不容易。

Traditional jet fuel is so very good at its job.

传统的航空燃料非常好用。

It’s cheap, and it’s energy-dense.

它价格便宜， 可提供巨大的能量。

And because of that engines, airplanes, airports,

因此，发动机、飞机、机场，

fuel supply chains and regulations,

燃料供应链和法律法规，

they are all built on flying planes from point A to point B

全都建立在全程使用航空燃料 完成从 A 点到 B 点的航线

that run on jet fuel.

这样的规划之上。

And those planes that run on jet fuel,

那些使用航空燃料的飞机，

they're operated for 20 to 30 years on average

它们平均运营 20-30 年，

before they're retired.

然后报废。

That means a plane that's ordered today will be flying until around 2050.

就是说，现在订购的飞机， 将飞到 2050 年左右。

So we can't get there on engines and airplanes alone.

因此，仅依靠现有的发动机和飞机， 我们不可能实现减排目标。

If we want any hope of reaching our goal of zero emissions,

如果想要实现零排放目标，

we need to find the mix of solutions now.

我们现在需要找到混合的解决方案。

There's three broad buckets that we need to address.

我们需要解决三个方面的问题。

The first is how we design and fly planes.

首先是如何设计和驾驶飞机。

The second are the fuels that we use, namely biofuels, to power those planes.

其次是那些飞机使用的燃料， 即生物燃料。

And the third is new and emerging technology

第三是可以彻底改变

that can entirely change the game.

整个航空业的新兴技术。

Let's start with how we design planes.

我们先来讲如何设计飞机。

Well, the basic design of a plane doesn't change much

几百年来，飞机的基本设计

from one generation to the next.

没有发生太大变化。

Improvements in aerodynamics, reductions in cabin weight

空气动力学的进步，客舱重量减轻，

and even improved engine efficiency

甚至发动机效率的提高，

means that each generation of aircraft

结合起来，每一代飞机的燃料效率

is about 20 percent more fuel-efficient than the last.

也只比上一代提高了 20% 左右。

Now, that's great.

现在看来，那还不错。

But turnover is slow, and so there's more we can do.

但转变的速度还是太慢， 因此我们可以做更多工作。

We can also fly planes differently.

我们还能够 以不同方式驾驶飞机。

Flying planes differently means changes to airport management,

以不同方式驾驶飞机 意味着要改变机场管理、

to air traffic control, even individual pilot behavior.

空中交通管制， 甚至飞行员的个人行为。

If a plane sits on the runway for less time before takeoff,

如果在起飞之前， 缩短飞机在跑道上停留的时间，

we can reduce emissions.

就可以减少排放。

If a plane takes a more direct route instead of flying around national borders,

如果飞机更多地采用直达航线， 而不是绕着国境飞行，

we reduce emissions.

就可以减少排放。

And if individual pilots don't gun it at takeoff,

如果飞行员在起飞时不加大油门，

we can also reduce emissions.

也可以减少排放。

Now, these changes, they may sound easy, but they're not.

目前，这些改变听起来简单， 但做起来并不容易。

We all know that individual behavior change,

大家都知道，个体行为的改变，

it doesn't always stick.

并不能一直坚持下去。

And changes to airports and air traffic management,

改变机场和空中交通管制，

that's a really long march.

将需要很长时间。

My team estimates that if we were to really prioritize

我的团队估计， 如果我们确实优先考虑

designing and flying planes differently,

以不同方式设计和驾驶飞机，

we could reduce 2050 carbon dioxide emissions by 30 to 40 percent.

我们可以在 2050 年将 碳排放减少 30-40%。

We need to do this.

我们需要做到这一点，

But we need more.

但需要做得更多。

We also need biofuels.

我们还需要生物燃料。

And for biofuels or bio-based, sustainable aviation fuel,

至于生产生物燃料， 或基于生物的可再生航空燃料，

you need funding and you need feedstock.

这需要资金，需要原料。

Let's start with feedstock.

先来说一说原料。

Biofuels are based on biological sources, like grains and oil seeds,

生物燃料使用生物原料制造， 例如谷物和油菜籽、

forestry residue, used cooking oil, even municipal solid waste.

林业剩余物、地沟油 甚至是城市固体废弃物。

You can take trash and convert it to fuel

你可以收集垃圾， 把它转化为燃料，

in a way that meaningfully reduces emissions.

以这种方式有效减少排放。

But there's a catch.

但有一个问题：

There's only so much forestry residue.

林业剩余物只有那么多。

And there's only so much land that can or should be converted

土地只有那么多，如果将它们

to grow crops for fuel

都改为种庄稼来生产燃料，

without impacting global food supply chains.

就会影响全球食物供应链。

And then there's funding. Biofuels are expensive.

然后是投资。 生物燃料价格昂贵。

They're more expensive than traditional jet fuel

它们比传统航空燃料更贵，

and could raise ticket prices to consumers by 10 to 20 percent.

这可能会使机票涨价 10-20%。

And we need a massive initial investment

而且，我们需要大额初始投资，

to build the production facilities to meaningfully supply the sector.

以便建立生产设施， 充足供应航空燃料。

It's a classic chicken and egg problem

这是典型的 “先有鸡还是先有蛋”问题，

because prices are high, there’s no demand.

因为价格很高，但却没有需求。

And because there’s no demand, there’s no supply.

没有需求，就没有供应。

And because there's no supply,

由于没有供应，

prices aren't coming down and so there's no demand.

就不会降价，因此不会有需求。

And on and on and on.

这造成了恶性循环。

Thankfully, we are finally starting to break the cycle.

幸好，我们终于开始打破循环了。

The European Commission recently proposed an alternative fuels mandate

欧盟委员会最近发布的 替代燃料法令规定，

of 5 percent by 2030 and 20 percent by 2035.

替代比率在 2030 和 2035 年应达到 5% 和 20%。

And there's even pressure to accelerate that.

甚至还有必要加快这个进程。

A far cry from the .01 percent of biofuel usage

这与 2018 年 0.01% 的

that we were at in 2018.

生物燃料使用率存在天壤之别。

My team estimates that if we were to really focus on biofuels,

我的团队估计， 如果我们大力推广生物燃料，

we could further reduce 2050 CO2 emissions by 10 to 30 percent.

将可以在 2050 年将 CO2 排放进一步减少 10-30%。

That leaves us with a gap of 30 percent. That’s not good enough.

这样就只剩 30% 的缺口。 但那还不够。

It doesn’t get us to our goals,

我们无法实现减排目标，

and it certainly doesn't absolve me of my guilt

当然也无法在考虑坐飞机时

when I consider getting on a plane.

减轻我的罪恶感。

The third bucket of things we need

我们需要做的第三点，

lies in breakthrough, innovation and invention.

是实现突破，进行创新和创造。

You have synthetic fuel,

现在有合成燃料，

which, like biofuels, works with existing engine technology and airplane design.

像生物燃料一样，它们适用于 现有的发动机技术和飞机设计。

Synthetic fuels or e-kerosene actually take carbon dioxide from the air,

实际上，合成燃料或电子煤油 会吸收空气中的二氧化碳，

combine it with hydrogen that's cleanly separated from water

将它与从水中提取的氢结合，

to produce fuel.

用于生产燃料。

The science is amazing.

科学真奇妙。

But it's really early days, it's small-batch and it's expensive.

但它还在早期研发阶段， 批量小而且价格贵。

And then you have hybrid electric and electric aircraft:

还有混合动力和电动飞机：

small planes that run on batteries.

使用电池的小型飞机。

By 2050, these planes could fly for short distances.

到 2050 年，这些飞机 将可以进行短途飞行。

And then there's hydrogen. Green hydrogen.

然后是氢气。绿色氢气。

There's hydrogen fuel cells, batteries that run on hydrogen,

有氢燃料电池， 使用氢气的电池，

or hydrogen-combustion engines, engines that use hydrogen as fuel.

或氢内燃机， 即以氢气为燃料的发动机。

These also show promise, and we need to continue to invest in them.

这些技术带来了希望， 我们需要继续投资开发。

These new fuels pair really well with new aircraft design,

这些新燃料很适合新型飞机使用，

like the blended wing body where there's no clear dividing line

例如翼身融合体飞机， 这种飞机的机身与机翼之间

between the main body and the wings of the aircraft.

没有明确的分界线。

These planes could be at least 20 percent more fuel-efficient

与传统飞机相比， 这些飞机至少可以

than traditional aircraft.

节省 20% 的燃料。

And they create the opportunity to rethink where fuel is stored

它们创造了机会， 让我们反思燃料的存储位置，

so we can use new energy sources, like hydrogen.

以便使用新能源，如氢气。

Now, some of these innovations, they'll work, and some may not.

现在，在这些创新中， 一些会带来效益，一些可能不会。

We may need to rely on high quality removals

我们可能需要依靠高效清除，

like carbon capture and storage.

如碳捕获和存储。

What is clear is that if we want any hope of getting to zero emissions,

显而易见， 如果我们想做到零排放，

we will need some of these and potentially other technologies.

我们需要应用这些和其他技术。

There are challenges: ensuring the safety of these technologies,

我们面临各种挑战： 确保这些技术的安全，

investing billions and billions of dollars

投资数百亿美元，

to build the production facilities and supply chains

为生物燃料和合成燃料

for biofuels and synthetic fuels.

建立生产设施和供应链。

And making sure that each and every country does its part.

与此同时，还要确保 每个国家都参与进来。

If it sounds hard, that's because it is hard,

如果这听起来很难， 是因为它确实如此，

but it's not impossible.

但并非不可能实现。

I think we can get it done.

我想，我们可以完成这个目标。

The hard work, it's already starting.

各方已经开始努力工作。

The sector is innovating and investing and collaborating,

相关部门正进行创新、投资和协作，

and that hard work, it needs to continue.

我们需要保持这种努力。

And it needs to intensify.

我们需要加大工作力度。

And while that hard work happens, I'll remain conflicted.

虽然做出了巨大努力， 我仍然感到矛盾。

I want to travel.

我想去旅行。

I want to see friends and family and colleagues.

我想去见朋友、家人和同事。

And so there's a few things I do.

我还想做其他一些事情。

I ask myself: Do I really need to make that trip?

我问自己： 我真的需要开启那段旅行吗？

I work with my company to advocate for biofuels,

我与公司一起， 呼吁使用生物燃料，

to try to break that chicken and egg cycle.

努力打破恶性循环。

And I try to fly on the most climate-friendly

我努力乘坐最环保、

and fuel-efficient airlines.

最省油的飞机。

We all know that individual choices can drive collective action.

大家都知道， 个人选择可以促进集体行动。

This sector, like many others,

和许多其他领域一样， 在这个领域，

is one where the entire industry has to work together

如果我们想要实现目标，

if we want to reach our goal.

整个行业都必须团结协作。

Thank you.

谢谢大家！

(Applause)

（掌声）