Sustainable Cooling That Doesn’t Warm the Planet | Rachel Kyte | TED Countdown

翻译人员: Yutong Li 校对人员: Alvin Lee

This summer, I was visiting family in England.

这个夏天，我去英国探望家人。

There was a heat wave.

碰上一场热浪，

It was hot, and it was humid.

又热又潮，

There was very little breeze.

也没什么风。

The temperature was hovering around 29 degrees centigrade

接连几日，温度都在 29°C 上下，

for days on end,

and the nights were not much better.

夜晚也不凉快。

In our little bungalow,

在我们狭小的平房里，

there was nowhere to get cool.

热气笼罩，无处可逃。

We had one fan moving hot air around.

我们只有一把风扇，搅动着热气。

我很担心我妈妈，

I was worried for my mom.

Heat can send your heart rate all the way up.

因为炎热会使心率飙升。

The only place to get cool,

唯一的清凉之地，

the only relief,

唯一的解脱，

was at the supermarket in town,

就是去镇上的超市，站在冰柜前。

standing in front of the chiller cabinets.

In 2021, extreme heat has captured the headlines on every continent.

2021 年，无论在哪个大陆， 极端炎热天气都登上了头条。

And globally in July,

全球范围内，在 7 月，

surface temperatures were the highest recorded since records began in 1880.

地表温度都创下自 1880 年 有记录以来的新高。

The problem is that the way we cool things down

问题就在于，我们的制冷方式

正在加剧全球变暖。

is heating the planet even more.

Today’s air-conditioning is energy inefficient,

现在的空调能效低，

depends on polluting refrigerants such as hydrofluorocarbons

使用的氢氟碳化合物 和其他制冷剂都具污染性，

and many traditional cooling technologies waste heat.

而许多传统制冷技术会浪费热量。

I’m sure you’ve had that experience

你之前肯定经历过，

of walking in an alley behind a convenience store

在便利店后的巷子里，

and feeling that blast of hot air on your face

里面冰柜制冷产生的热浪扑面而来。

coming from the chillers inside.

And the demand for cooling is going up.

制冷需求正不断增长。

The International Energy Agency estimates that by 2050,

国际能源署预测，到 2050 年，

空调数量会从今天的 20 亿台成倍增长，

today’s two billion air conditioners will have multiplied

to more than 5.5 billion,

预计将超过 55 亿，

到 2030 年，

and that by 2030,

electricity demand for cooling buildings could jump by 50 percent.

建筑物制冷用电需求将会上涨 50%。

And think about this:

再想一想这个问题：

most households in hot countries

热带国家的多数家庭

have not bought their first air conditioner yet.

都还没买他们的第一台空调。

I’ve worked on sustainable energy for many years in different ways;

我在可持续能源领域工作多年， 方方面面都有涉猎，

on energy access in the Sahel,

从萨赫勒的能源供应，

to cold chains in East Africa,

到东非的冷链，

to financing large-scale energy infrastructure projects around the world

为世界各地的 大型能源基础设施进行融资，

and to getting access to cooling in low-income communities

还为解决英美低收入家庭的 制冷难题出了一份力。

in the UK and the US.

I've always focused on the twin problems of sustainability and fairness.

我一直都很关注 可持续性和公平性的双重问题。

I think cooling gets at the heart of these challenges.

制冷问题能帮我们 找到这个问题的核心。

Why?

为什么？

Well, because most wealthy people can stay cool.

因为大部分富人都能享受清凉的环境。

They often live in wealthy, leafy suburbs

他们生活在房价高昂、绿化很好的郊区，

with an air conditioner and a generator out back,

房子后面装着空调和发电机，

and they have cool offices,

他们还有清凉的办公室，

cool schools and hospitals.

清凉的学校和医院。

但低收入人群在城市的 钢筋水泥中生活、工作，

But many people on low income live and work in urban concrete jungles

void of green space and shade,

缺乏绿荫和绿地，

或者生活在没有冷链的农村，

or live in rural areas well beyond the cold chains needed for produce

需要冷链支持的生产活动 和疫苗也就无从谈起了。

and vaccines.

如今，大约 10 亿人没有能源供应，

Almost a billion people live without energy access today;

billions more live without access to reliable energy;

几十亿人还没有稳定的能源供应，

and 2.3 billion can only afford

23 亿人只能买得起

a highly inefficient or polluting air conditioner.

一台能效很低，或者污染环境的空调。

These people’s quest for sustainable energy,

这些人需要可持续能源，

for cooling,

需要制冷，

for comfort,

需要舒适生活，

for cold chain,

需要冷链，

for a healthy diet or better health care,

需要健康饮食或更优质的医疗，

can drive a virtuous circle

这写需求能促进良性循环，

where we can provide cooling for everyone without warming the planet.

让我们能为每个人提供清凉， 而不加剧全球变暖。

Entrepreneurs with new technologies are emerging everywhere.

手握新科技的企业家遍地涌出，

Framework agreements guiding government action are in place,

指导政府工作的框架协议准备就绪，

and there are big and new commitments being made.

雄心勃勃的新承诺已经许下。

The solutions go well beyond just fixing air-conditioning.

解决方案并不只是解决空调问题，

The solutions range from city design to architecture,

范围从城市设计到建筑学，

from building materials to appliances,

从建筑材料到工具器具，

from geoengineering to green roofs.

从地质工程到绿色屋顶，都囊括其中。

The solutions can be high-tech,

解决方案可以是高科技的，

也可以是低科技的，

they can be low-tech,

我们在 4 个领域作出承诺，

and there are four areas of promise,

four areas where solutions could be transformative

这 4 个领域的解决方案 可能带来变革，

if we step up to the plate,

前提是我们能负起责任，

prioritize, regulate and invest.

排好优先级，做好管理，投入资金。

We’ll go through them one by one.

现在我们来一一讲解。

First, we need to build and design differently for cooling.

首先，为了制冷， 需要改变建筑的建造和设计。

For the last 70 years or more,

过去 70 年，或者更久，

air-conditioning has driven building design.

制冷系统一直驱动建筑设计。

We need to change that,

这得改，

and we need to move away from hermetically sealed concrete

还要舍弃完全密封的混凝土和玻璃盒子，

and glass boxes where you can switch on an air conditioner

在这些盒子里，你只能开空调，

but you cannot open the window.

不能开窗。

You know it doesn’t have to be a window rattler as a solution.

但要解决这个问题，不一定要加扇窗户。

District cooling can provide cooling solutions for building complexes

区域性制冷也能为建筑群降温，

通过独立管道中的水流来制冷。

by running water through insulated pipes.

在以风雨闻名的丹麦，

And in Denmark,

better known for its wind and its rain,

区域性制冷综合利用

district cooling provides,

热泵、废水、地下水，

with a combination of heat pumps, wastewater and groundwater,

cooling solutions for offices and homes.

为办公室和住宅制冷。

我们也能使屋顶降温。

And we can make roofs cool, too.

The race is on for the brightest, whitest paint

关键在于造出最白最亮的涂料，

that reflects 98 percent of sunlight that hits its surface,

就能反射 98% 的太阳光，

现在的屋顶涂料只能 达到 80% 至 90% 的反射率。

much better than the 80 to 90 percent we achieve today.

And if not white then green.

如果不涂白，变绿也可以。

变绿指的是建造花园、种植蔬菜，

Green because they’re planted with gardens and vegetables,

这样城市农业也会有更多食物产出。

also contributing to the food that has to come from urban farming.

Roofing materials matter, too.

屋顶材料对降温也很重要。

In India, modular roofing panels made from paper and waste wood

印度的模块化屋顶板 由纸和废弃木材做成，

can reduce the temperatures by up to 10 degrees centigrade

能为住宅降温，最多能降 10℃。

in the homes below.

我们还能更换窗户。

And we can change windows, too.

In the European Union,

在欧盟，

solar control glass is available that provides high daylight transmission,

阳光控制玻璃可用于制冷， 白天透光度很好，

thermal insulation,

有隔热性能，

transparency

透明度佳，

and low reflection.

低反光。

Second, we need to make cooling hyperefficient.

其次，我们要提高制冷能效。

In the developed world,

在发达国家，

if you buy a high-end air conditioner today,

你今天买到的高端空调

比起 10 年前任何一台空调，

it’s probably 25 to 50 percent more efficient

than anything you could have bought 10 years ago.

能效都要高 25% 至 50%。

Now we need every air conditioner for sale everywhere

我们需要全世界出售的每一台空调，

to be at least 50 percent more efficient than the most efficient air conditioner

能效比现在市面上最高能效的空调，

on the market today.

再提高至少 50%。

It helps if we think of energy efficiency as our first fuel.

这需要我们 将“能效”看作最主要的燃料。

That’s not the priority we give it in policy.

但现在的政策没有把能效列为重点。

We need much more of our economic activity

我们现在大部分的经济活动

to be covered by energy efficiency standards

都应该遵循比现在更严格的能效标准。

that are much tougher than today’s.

Radical efficiency is important for heating too.

高能效对制热也至关重要。

大部分的建筑排放都来自制热，

Heating accounts for most emissions from building,

but emissions from cooling are the fastest rising.

但制冷产生的排放量也极速上升。

所以更需要制冷 和制热系统的协同合作。

So we need much more synergy between heating and cooling.

Remember the alley behind the convenience store?

记得之前说过的 便利店后的小巷吗？

High-efficiency energy pumps will be solutions for both.

这两个问题， 高效节能泵都可以解决。

Third,

其三，

we need our air-conditioning to be hydrofluorocarbon or HFC-free.

空调不能再使用氢氟碳化物。

In 2016, governments agreed to phase down the production

2016 年，各国政府协定逐步减少

氢氟碳化物的生产和使用，

and the consumption of polluting HFCs,

a refrigerant that accelerates global warming.

正因氢氟碳化物加剧全球变暖。

这个协议称为《基加利修正案》，

That agreement, the Kigali Amendment,

is now ratified by 125 countries and the European Union,

现已通过 125 个国家和欧盟批准，

including China,

其中也包括中国，

全球最大空调生产国。

the largest producer of air-conditioning.

India,

印度也是空调生产国和消费大国，

a growing producer and a big consumer,

has agreed to follow suit.

也已经同意跟进。

尽管还没有参与这个协议，

And while not a party to the agreement --

yet --

the United States announced in September 2021

但美国也于2021年9月 宣布一项法规，

a new regulation that would insist

要求美国的空调制造商，

that US manufacturers reduce HFCs by 85 percent

在 15 年内，将氢氟碳化物 使用量减少 85% 。

in the next 15 years.

Now what’s interesting is that there are existing,

有意思的是现在市面上有

emissions-free,

零排放、

non-polluting technologies

无污染的科技，

on the market today,

ready to go to scale,

随时可以大规模生产，

包括能冷却和干燥空气的薄膜技术，

including membrane technologies that can both cool and dehumidify air

without using compressors or refrigerants.

无需使用压缩机或制冷剂。

So the Kigali Amendment,

因此《基加利修正案》，

together with a ban on the exports and imports of illegal HFCs,

加上对非法氢氟碳化物的进出口禁令，

could make a real difference

能真正有所作为，

迅速扩大新科技的市场。

and grow that market fast.

And fourth, we need cold chains for food, medicines --

第四点，我们需要食物、药物的冷链，

especially vaccines --

特别是疫苗冷链，

for everyone.

供给每一个人。

通过一条安全的冷链分发疫苗，

Distributing vaccines along a secure cold chain

to reach the most vulnerable

让最脆弱的群体有疫苗可打，

is essential.

至关重要。

Solar, nontoxic vaccine refrigerators,

太阳能、无毒性疫苗冷藏箱、

cold boxes and carriers operating on off-grid energy

冷箱和运输箱，它们都使用离网能源，

订单量飙升。

are increasingly on order.

And mobile cold storage units that run on solar convert energy into ice.

移动冷库利用太阳能制冰，

And so when the sun goes down,

太阳下山后，

that ice can be used to keep temperatures steady and cool.

这些冰能保持稳定低温。

And using Bluetooth technology,

利用蓝牙技术，

even in areas where there is no energy access,

即使在一些能源供应缺乏的地区，

we can monitor all the way along the cold chain to guarantee safety.

我们也能全程监测冷链，保障安全。

And using drones,

利用无人机，

we can shorten the cold chain.

就能缩短冷链运输时间。

Today, change is often portrayed as expensive or scary,

今时今日，人们常常认为变化 费用高昂或令人不安，

but you can see that there’s nothing scary

但如你所见，变化并不可怕，

about living in a community designed for cool,

如果居住的社区， 设计之初就考虑制冷问题，

where affordable,

制冷高效，价格合理，

efficient,

nontoxic air-conditioning and refrigerators run on clean energy,

用着无污染的空调和冰箱， 使用清洁能源，

on and off the grid,

是否连接电网都没问题，

and in a community where farmers get more income

变化并不可怕，如果居住的社区，

because more of their produce gets to market

农民能卖掉更多产品，收入增加，

and everyone rests easier

大家更安心，

knowing that their vaccines are safely stored in the clinic --

知道疫苗安全地储存在诊所之中，

a clinic which, with a different roof

而诊所使用特殊的屋顶，

and different glass in the windows,

特殊玻璃做的窗户，

is safer for the nurse to work in.

对工作的护士更安全。

真正可怕的是这个话题讨论度不够高，

What is scary is that we are not having enough conversations

in enough places

传播范围不够广，

and driving enough investments

投资也不够多，

into affordable, nonpolluting, efficient solutions for cooling

无法发展价格合理、 无污染、高能效的制冷方法，

for everyone on this warming planet.

为在全球变暖中生活着的人们 提供解决方案。

Scientists are seeing that animals,

科学家观察到动物，

特别是鸟类，

especially birds,

are beginning to shape-shift to adapt to climate change.

为了适应气候变化，开始改变外形。

As their environments get hotter --

随着鸟类的生活环境越来越热，

so their ears are growing

它们的耳朵越长越大，

喙也越长越大，方便散热。

and their beaks are growing to help them cool down.

Now our species is not shapeshifting yet,

我们人类还没开始改变外形，

nor do I think bigger ears will help.

不过我想大耳朵也用处不大。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

But we can shape-shift our cities and our towns,

但我们可以改变城市和乡镇的外形，

改变我们的制冷方式，

and we can change the way that we cool ourselves down

and we can change the way that we keep our medicines and food safe.

改变我们安全储藏药品和食物的方式。

Thank you.

谢谢大家。

(Applause and cheers)

（掌声和欢呼声）

(Applause)

（掌声）