Rob Harmon: How the market can keep streams flowing

翻译人员: Felix Chen 校对人员: Jenny Yang

This is a river.

这是一条河。

这是条小溪。

This is a stream.

This is a river.

这是一条河。

国内到处都是这样的情形。

This is happening all over the country.

There are tens of thousands of miles of dewatered streams in the United States.

在美国有数以万计英里长的

干涸的溪流。

On this map, the colored areas represent water conflicts.

在这张地图上，

彩色的区域表示水资源冲突。

Similar problems are emerging in the East as well.

同样的问题也正出现在东方。

原因各有不同，

The reasons vary state to state, but mostly in the details.

但主要是细节上的差异。

仅在蒙大拿州就有4000英里

There are 4,000 miles of dewatered streams in Montana alone.

干涸的溪流。

They would ordinarily support fish and other wildlife.

通常它们会滋养鱼类和其他野生动物。

They're the veins of the ecosystem,

它们是生态系统的血管，

它们通常是干涸的血管。

and they're often empty veins.

我想给大家讲讲

I want to tell you the story of just one of these streams,

这些溪流其中一条的故事，

because it's an archetype for the larger story.

因为它是整个故事的原型。

This is Prickly Pear Creek.

这是仙人掌果溪。

It runs through a populated area from East Helena to Lake Helena.

它穿过一个人类聚集区域，

从东赫勒拿到赫勒拿湖。

其中有各种野生鱼类，

It supports wild fish including cutthroat, brown and rainbow trout.

包括切喉鳟、褐鳟

和虹鳟。

Nearly every year for more than a hundred years ...

几乎在过去

一百年中的每一年里,

它在夏天看起来都是这样。

it looked like this in the summer.

How did we get here?

我们是怎样走到今天这一步的呢？

好的，回到十九世纪末期，

Well, it started back in the late 1800s

那时人们开始在如蒙大拿这样的地方定居。

when people started settling in places like Montana.

In short, there was a lot of water and there weren't very many people.

总之，那儿有很多的水

而且没多少人。

But as more people showed up wanting water,

但随着更多渴求水源的人出现，

the folks who were there first got a little concerned,

最先定居于此的人们开始有点担心，

and in 1865, Montana passed its first water law.

在1865年，蒙大拿通过了第一部水资源法。

简单的说，每个临水而居的人

It basically said, everybody near the stream can share in the stream.

都能分享水源。

Oddly, a lot of people showed up wanting to share the stream,

奇妙地是，许多人都表现地愿意分享水源，

and the folks who were there first

最先定居于此的人们

got concerned enough to bring out their lawyers.

对此非常关注，还带来了他们的律师。

There were precedent-setting suits in 1870 and 1872,

在1870年和1872年

有这样的先例，

both involving Prickly Pear Creek.

都涉及仙人掌果溪。

而在1921年，

And in 1921,

the Montana Supreme Court ruled in a case involving Prickly Pear

蒙大拿最高法院

裁定的一个案件中涉及仙人掌果溪，

that the folks who were there first had the first, or "senior water rights."

其中裁定最先定居的人们

拥有首先、或更高的水资源权利。

These senior water rights are key.

这种高级的水资源权利很重要。

问题是，整个西部现在

The problem is that all over the West now it looks like this.

看起来都像这样。

Some of these creeks have claims

其中一些溪流

for 50 to 100 times more water than is actually in the stream.

被超过其实际容量的

50倍至100倍的索取水源。

And the senior water rights holders, if they don't use their water right,

而更高级的水资源权利拥有者，

如果他们不主张他们的水资源权利，

they risk losing their water right --

就会冒着失去水资源权利，

以及随之而来的经济价值的风险。

along with the economic value that goes with it.

因此他们没有动力去保护水源。

So they have no incentive to conserve.

So it's not just about the number of people;

这不仅是一群人的事儿；

the system itself creates a disincentive to conserve

系统本身抑制了保护水源，

因为如果你主张水资源权利，就会失去它。

because you can lose your water right if you don't use it.

So after decades of lawsuits and 140 years, now, of experience,

因此经历了几十年的诉讼

和拥有了现在140年的经验后，

we still have this.

我们仍然拥有这个。

这是个破碎的系统。

It's a broken system.

There's a disincentive to conserve,

它抑制了对水源的保护，

because if you don't use your water right, you can lose your water right.

因为，你不主张你的水资源权利，

就会失去它。

And I'm sure you all know, this has created significant conflicts

我确信大家都知道，这在农业团体

between the agricultural and environmental communities.

和环保团体间制造了重大的冲突。

OK, now I'm going to change gears here.

好了。现在我要改变一下方式。

各位中的多数会很开心地了解到

Most of you will be happy to know that the rest of the presentation's free ...

演讲剩下的部分是免费的。

(Laughter)

而知道其中涉及啤酒一些人也会很开心。

and some of you'll be happy to know that it involves beer.

(Laughter)

（笑声）

There's another thing happening around the country,

全国各地还发生了另一件事儿，

那就是企业们开始关注

which is that companies are starting to get concerned

他们的水足迹。

about their water footprint.

They're concerned about securing an adequate supply of water,

他们关心用水的安全和充足，

they're trying to be really efficient with their water use,

他们尝试在水源的使用上真正地有效率，

and they're concerned about how their water use

他们关心他们如何使用水源

affects the image of their brand.

所对他们的品牌形象造成的影响。

Well, it's a national problem,

好的，这是个全国性问题，

but I'm going to tell you another story from Montana ...

但我想告诉大家蒙大拿州的另一个故事，

and it involves beer.

涉及啤酒。

I bet you didn't know, it takes about 5 pints of water

我打赌你们并不知道，生产1品脱啤酒

to make a pint of beer.

需要消耗5品脱水。

If you include all the drain,

如果算上所有排放的废水，

it takes more than a hundred pints of water to make a pint of beer.

生产一品脱啤酒要消耗超过一百品脱的水。

现在蒙大拿的啤酒厂

Now the brewers in Montana

have already done a lot to reduce their water consumption,

已经做了许多措施

来减少水的消耗，

but they still use millions of gallons of water.

但他们仍然要用数百万加仑的水。

I mean, there's water in beer.

我的意思是，在啤酒中的水。

So what can they do about this remaining water footprint

那么对于这些

遗留下来的会对生态系统

that can have serious effects on the ecosystem?

造成严重影响的水足迹，

他们所能做些什么？

These ecosystems are really important

这些生态系统确实对

to the Montana brewers and their customers.

蒙大拿的啤酒厂和他们的顾客非常重要。

After all, there's a strong correlation between water and fishing,

毕竟，在水和渔业

紧密相连。

and for some, there's a strong correlation between fishing and beer.

而且某种程度上，渔业和啤酒

也紧密相连。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

So the Montana brewers and their customers are concerned

因此蒙大拿的啤酒厂和他们的顾客开始担忧，

and they're looking for some way to address the problem.

他们在寻找一些能解决问题的方案。

So how can they address this remaining water footprint?

那么他们如何才能解决这一遗留下来的水足迹呢？

回忆一下仙人掌果溪。

Remember Prickly Pear.

Up until now, business water stewardship

到目前为止，

商业水源管理

has been limited to measuring and reducing,

一直局限于测量和减少使用上，

我们正在建议下一步

and we're suggesting that the next step is to restore.

是恢复。

回忆一下仙人掌果溪。

Remember Prickly Pear.

It's a broken system.

它是个破碎的系统。

You've got a disincentive to conserve,

它抑制了对水源的保护，

because if you don't use your water right, you risk losing your water right.

因为你不主张你的水资源权利，就会冒着失去它的风险。

Well, we decided to connect these two worlds --

好了，我们决定把这两个世界连接起来 --

有着水足迹的

the world of the companies with their water footprints

企业的世界

and the world of the farmers

和对这些溪流

with their senior water rights on these creeks.

有着更高级的水资源权利的农夫的世界。

In some states,

在一些州，

senior water rights holders can leave their water in the stream

高级水资源权利拥有者

能让他们的水留在溪流中

while legally protecting it from others,

同时合法的保护它

并维护他们的水资源权利。

and maintaining their water right.

毕竟，

After all, it is their water right,

这是他们的水资源权利，

and if they want to use that water right to help the fish grow in the stream,

而如果他们想主张这一权利

来帮助水源中鱼类的成长，

it's their right to do so.

他们有权这么做。

But they have no incentive to do so.

但他们没有动力这么做。

因此，与当地水务部门合作，

So, working with local water trusts, we created an incentive to do so.

我们建立了一种这样做的动机。

We pay them to leave their water in stream.

我们付钱给他们，让他们把水留在溪流中。

这就是所发生的一切。

That's what's happening here.

This individual has made the choice and is closing this water diversion,

这个人做出了选择，

他合上了这个水闸，

leaving the water in the stream.

让水呆在溪流中。

He doesn't lose the water right,

他并没有失去水资源权利，

he just chooses to apply that right, or some portion of it,

他只是选择应用这一权利，

或是部分权利，

to the stream, instead of to the land.

让水呆在溪流中，而不是流入田地。

Because he's the senior water-rights holder,

因为他是高级的水资源权利拥有者，

他能保护水源免受溪流的其他使用者的伤害。

he can protect the water from other users in the stream.

对么？

OK?

He gets paid to leave the water in the stream.

他受雇让水呆在溪流中的。

他在测量保留

This guy's measuring the water that this leaves in the stream.

在溪流中的水流。

We then take the measured water,

接着我们获取测量过的水源，

we divide it into thousand-gallon increments.

我们把它分成数千加仑大小的等份。

Each increment gets a serial number and a certificate,

每个等份有一个序列号和一个证书，

接着啤酒厂和其他人

and then the brewers and others buy those certificates

购买这些证书，

as a way to return water to these degraded ecosystems.

作为向退化的生态系统

注入水源的一种方式。

The brewers pay to restore water to the stream.

啤酒厂出钱

恢复河流中的水源。

It provides a simple, inexpensive and measurable way

这提供了一个简单、廉价

且可测的方式

来向这些退化的生态系统注入水源，

to return water to these degraded ecosystems,

while giving farmers an economic choice

同时给农夫一个经济补偿

and giving businesses concerned about their water footprints

及让关心自己的水足迹的企业

an easy way to deal with them.

一个简单易行的处理方法。

After 140 years of conflict and 100 years of dry streams,

在140年的冲突

和100年的干涸之后，

a circumstance that litigation and regulation has not solved,

一个诉讼和监管

没有解决的问题，

我们用一个基于市场的，

we put together a market-based, willing buyer, willing seller solution --

你情我愿的买卖双方聚在一起的解决方案解决了 --

这个解决方案并不需要诉讼。

a solution that does not require litigation.

It's about giving folks concerned about their water footprints

这就是给

那些关心他们的水足迹的人们

a real opportunity to put water where it's critically needed,

一个真正的机会，

把水送往急需的地方，

送往退化的生态系统中，

into these degraded ecosystems,

while at the same time providing farmers a meaningful economic choice

而与此同时

为使用了水源

而给农夫提供

about how their water is used.

适当的经济补偿。

These transactions create allies, not enemies.

这些交易使人们联合起来，而非敌对。

They connect people rather than dividing them.

它们让人们联系起来而不是分开他们。

And they provide needed economic support for rural communities.

这为农村社区提供了所需的经济支持。

最重要的是，这有效果。

And most importantly, it's working.

We've returned more than four billion gallons of water to degraded ecosystems.

我们向退化的生态系统回馈了超过

四十亿加仑的水。

我们把高级级水资源权利拥有者

We've connected senior water-rights holders

与蒙大拿的啤酒厂，

with brewers in Montana,

with hotels and tea companies in Oregon,

俄勒冈州的旅馆和茶业公司，

and with high-tech companies that use a lot of water in the Southwest.

西南部的耗水众多的高科技公司联系了起来。

And when we make these connections,

而当我们建立起这些联系，

we can and we do turn this ...

我们就能，我们确实把

它这变成了这样。

into this.

(Applause)

非常感谢。

Thank you very much.

(Applause)

（掌声）