Let's launch a satellite to track a threatening greenhouse gas | Fred Krupp

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: SF Huang

We've got a big problem on our hands with global warming.

我們手上有個很棘手的 全球暖化問題。

A lot of you, a lot of people have been watching the floods,

很多人都看到

the droughts, the storms, the fires.

洪水、乾旱、暴風、火災。

When I leave this stage today, I don't want you to have hope.

今天在我離開這個講台時， 我不要你們只是懷抱著希望。

I want you to have certainty, real certainty

我要你們確信、

無庸置疑地確信我們能在 這個問題上有所進展，

that we can make a dent in this problem and live to see it.

並在有生之年看到它。

I want to give you a vision of what that would look like.

我想讓各位看這遠景的樣子。

This is the first time we've shared this publicly.

這是我們頭一次公開分享這個遠景。

You're the first audience to hear it.

你們是最早聽到的觀眾。

We are going to launch a rocket.

我們將會發射一枚火箭。

And on that rocket will be a satellite.

火箭上會載著衛星。

And that satellite will collect data about pollution

衛星會針對讓地球暖化的污染源

that is warming the planet.

來收集相關資料。

We will put that data in the hands of people

我們會把資料交給

who can make simple fixes

能夠以簡易方式，

that will change the course of global warming in our lifetime.

在我們的有生之年 改變全球暖化過程的人手上。

That's a lot to take in, maybe I should back up.

這樣說好像太難以消化， 也許我該從頭說起。

First, let me introduce myself, I'm Fred,

首先，讓我自我介紹， 我是佛列德，

I've been an environmentalist since I was a kid,

我從小就是個環保主義者了。

when I watched the fish and the frogs in my neighborhood pond

當我看到住家附近 池塘裡的魚兒和青蛙，

die from a chemical spill.

因為化學物質的排放而致死。

That bothered me.

我感到很煩憂。

Later, a professor inspired me to think about environmentalism differently.

後來，有位教授給了我靈感，

讓我用不同方式來思考環保主義。

How the best solutions come from

最好的解決方案應該來自於

answering people's aspirations for prosperity,

回應大家對於繁榮的嚮往，

things like being safe and healthy and thriving in this world.

像是能安全、健康及生氣盎然地 生活在這世上。

So I joined the Environmental Defense Fund to build those kind of solutions.

於是我加入了環境防衛基金 來打造解決方案。

And I've worked my whole career for a moment like this --

我畢生職涯的努力， 就是為了成就這樣的時刻——

the moment, when we can stop fighting headwinds

我們可以停止對抗逆風，

and start to have the wind at our backs.

開始乘風而行、讓問題迎刃而解。

Because of the power of information,

因為資訊的力量，

information from technology

來自科技的資訊

that is coming down in price and going up in precision.

在價格上是遞減的， 但精準度上卻是遞升的。

You see, there's something about climate change that we didn't grasp

關於氣候變遷，有些東西 是我們在十年前還不理解的。

just a decade ago.

The world was so focused on carbon dioxide

世人太聚焦在二氧化碳上，

that we overlooked another important gas.

卻忽略了另一種重要的氣體。

We didn't appreciate methane.

我們沒重視甲烷的影響。

Methane pollution causes one quarter of the global warming

我們目前所經歷的全球暖化，

有 1/4 是甲烷污染所造成的。

that we're experiencing right now.

Pound for pound, its immediate impact is far greater than carbon dioxide.

等重的甲烷所造成的 立即性影響遠高於二氧化碳。

Eighty four times greater over a 20-year period.

以 20 年期間來算， 會比二氧化碳高 84 倍。

One of the largest sources of methane pollution

甲烷污染最大的來源之一

is the oil and gas industry.

就是石油天然氣產業。

But that's not obvious, because methane is invisible.

但那並不明顯， 因為甲烷是看不見的。

Let's take a look at this natural gas storage facility

咱們來看看這個天然氣儲存設施，

outside of Los Angeles.

它位在洛杉磯外圍。

Can you see the methane?

你們能看見甲烷嗎？

Neither can I.

我也看不見。

How about now?

現在呢？

We shot this using an infrared camera, at the same spot,

這是我們在同一個地點 用紅外線攝影機拍的，

exposing one of the worst methane leaks in the history of the United States.

這是美國史上最嚴重的 甲烷外洩事件之一。

That's a very different picture.

這是個非常不同的畫面。

It turns out that natural gas is displacing our dependence on coal,

結果是天然氣取代了 我們對於煤的依賴，

which emits far more carbon dioxide.

因為煤會釋放出更多的二氧化碳。

But natural gas is mostly methane.

但天然氣大部分都是甲烷。

So, as it's produced and processed

所以，當它在製造、加工處理

and transported to homes and businesses across America,

並運送到全美各地的家庭和企業時，

it escapes from wells and pipes and other equipment.

它會從井、管線和其他設備中外洩。

It gets up into the sky and contributes

外洩後擴散在大氣中，

to the disasters that we're now experiencing.

導致我們現在面臨的災難。

That does not have to happen.

那是可以避免的。

But nobody had paid much attention to it

但過去都沒有人把注意力放在這裡，

until we launched a nationwide study to understand the problem.

直到我們進行了一項全國性的研究 來了解這個問題。

We used drones, planes, helicopters, even Google Street View cars.

我們用無人機、飛機、直升機，

甚至 Google 街景車。

It turns out there's far more of this methane pollution

結果發現，甲烷污染的情況遠比

than what the government is reporting.

政府所公佈的數據更為廣泛嚴重。

It also turns out that when we find where the gas is being vented and leaked,

結果還發現，

那些氣體排放或外洩的地方

most of those sources can be fixed easily and inexpensively,

大部分的源頭都是可以 簡單修復且花費不高，

saving the gas that would have otherwise been wasted.

且可避免無謂的氣體浪費。

And finally, we learn that when you put information like that into people's hands,

最後，我們發現當你把 這樣的資訊交到大家手中時，

they act.

大家會採取行動。

Leading companies replaced valves and tightened loose-fitting pipes.

龍頭大公司會更換新閥， 鎖緊鬆脫的管線。

Colorado became the first state in the nation to limit methane pollution;

科羅拉多成為全國第一個 限制甲烷污染的州；

California followed suit, and the public joined in.

加州也跟進，大眾開始參與。

Tweets started flying -- #cutmethane.

推特推文滿天飛——#削減甲烷。

And everybody's paying more attention now.

現在大家都更注重這個議題了。

We're doing this because we can't wait for Washington, especially not now.

我們會這麼做，

是因為我們等不及華盛頓的回應了， 特別是現在。

In fact, we have to take what we've done so far

事實上，我們得把目前 已運用到的科技範疇

and go higher, to the sky.

往上擴展到太空中。

The United Stated represents about 10 percent of this pollution.

這種污染有 10% 是美國造成的。

To find the rest, we have to go global.

我們還得到全球去找剩餘的污然源。

Remember that rocket I mentioned?

記得我剛提到的火箭嗎？

It will launch a compact satellite, called MethaneSAT,

它會發射一顆精巧的衛星， 叫做「甲烷衛星」，

to do what no one has been able to do until now:

去處理之前無人能做到的事：

measure methane pollution from oil and gas facilities worldwide,

測量全球石油天然氣設施的甲烷污染，

with exacting precision.

且是高精密度的量測。

Its data stream will allow us to map that pollution,

有了衛星的資料流，我們就可以 把污染狀況繪製在地圖上，

so that everyone can see it.

讓大家都能看見。

Then it's all about turning data into action,

接著就要把資料轉換成行動了，

just as we did in the United States.

就如同我們在美國所做的一樣。

We've seen that when we present companies with data,

我們已經知道當我們 把資料提供給公司時，

many of them will cut the pollution.

許多公司會去減少那些污染源。

Citizens will be empowered to take action;

公民將能據以採取行動；

governments will tighten the regulations.

政府會制定更嚴格的法規。

And because all of our data will be free and public,

因為我們所有的資料 都是免費、公開的，

there will be transparency --

具透明度——

we'll all be able to see how much progress is being made and where.

大家都能看到進度與進程之所在。

Which brings me to our goal:

這就要談到我們的目標了：

to cut this methane pollution by 45 percent by 2025.

到 2025 年要減少 45% 的甲烷污染。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

That will have the same near-term impact

這效果等同於短期內

as shutting down 1,300 coal-fired power plants.

關閉 1,300 座燃煤發電廠。

That's one third of all the coal-fired power plants in the world.

也就是全世界 1/3 的 燃煤發電廠。

Nothing else can have this sort of near-term impact at such a low cost.

沒有其他方法能在短期內， 以這麼低的成本達到這種效果。

The fact that a single satellite

單一顆衛星就能減緩全球暖化，

can help us put the brakes on global warming is truly remarkable.

是很了不起的事。

This is our chance to create change in our lifetimes,

這是此生我們能做出改變的機會，

and we can do it now.

我們現在就能做到。

Thanks to the generous giving of the Audacious Project,

感謝「大無畏計畫」的大方協助，

we are on a path toward liftoff.

我們已朝發射的目標邁進。

But my time is running short, and I promised you a vision

但我的時間所剩無幾，而且 我剛剛曾允諾要給各位一個遠景，

of what a critical piece of the solution would look like.

看看解決方案的關鍵部分 會是什麼樣子。

Can you see it?

各位能看到嗎？

Can you see how this satellite leverages

各位能看到這顆衛星

the best of science and data and technology?

如何把科學、資料和技術 發揮到極致嗎？

Can you see we're entering a whole new era of innovation

你們能看到我們正邁入一個

以超速在進展的創新紀元嗎？

that is supercharging progress?

Can you see that it's in our hands?

你們能看到這一切都在掌控之中嗎？

We've set an aggressive goal of three years till liftoff,

我們定下要在三年後 發射火箭的雄心壯志，

and when that satellite is ready, we'll have a launch party.

當那顆衛星一切就緒之後， 我們將會啟動發射派對。

A literal launch party.

名副其實的發射派對。

So imagine a blue-sky day, crowds of people,

想像在一個萬里晴空的日子， 擁擠的人潮、

television cameras,

電視台攝影機，

kids staring up toward the sky

孩子們抬頭盯著天空

at a thing that will change their future.

看著這個將會改變 他們未來的東西。

What an amazing day that will be.

那會是非常棒的一天。

What a big opportunity we have.

那會是我們的大好機會。

I can't wait.

我等不及了。

Thank you.

謝謝各位。

(Applause)

（掌聲）