从你家做起 It Starts at Home
节能减碳大作战 Energy Conservation
我们已经知道，减缓气候变迁最快、最便宜的办法就是少用能源。靠着举手之劳，花的钱也不多，大部分的人就能把所耗费的能源减少25%以上──一方面爱护地球，同时也对自己的荷包有帮助。那大家为什么不做？
不久前，我和内人PJ尝试了新的减量措施──目的不是为了减掉一点体重，而是为了回答一个令人牵肠挂肚的气候变迁问题。科学家最近表示，世界暖化得比短短几年前所预测的还快，而且假如我们不持续减少排放二氧化碳以及其它将热能留在大气中的温室气体，后果可能不堪设想。但我们一般人能做什么？此外，随着中国、印度和其它开发中国家的排放量激增，我们的努力真能带来什么改变吗？
Not long ago, my wife, PJ, and I tried a new diet—not to lose a little weight but to answer a nagging question about climate change. Scientists have reported recently that the world is heating up even faster than predicted only a few years ago, and that the consequences could be severe if we don't keep reducing emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that are trapping heat in our atmosphere. But what can we do about it as individuals? And as emissions from China, India, and other developing nations skyrocket, will our efforts really make any difference?
我们决定尝试一项实验。我们针对个人的二氧化碳排放量追踪了一个月，就跟计算卡路里一样。我们想要看看自己有办法减掉多少，所以采取了严格的减量措施。以日常事项来说，像是开空调或开车，一般美国家庭一天所产生的二氧化碳大约是70公斤。这是欧洲平均值的两倍多，更几乎是全球平均值的五倍，主要是因为美国人较常开车，房子也比较大。但我们应该试着减掉多少？
We decided to try an experiment. For one month we tracked our personal emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) as if we were counting calories. We wanted to see how much we could cut back, so we put ourselves on a strict diet. The average U.S. household produces about 150 pounds of CO2 a day by doing commonplace things like turning on air-conditioning or driving cars. That's more than twice the European average and almost five times the global average, mostly because Americans drive more and have bigger houses. But how much should we try to reduce?
为了找出答案，我请教了《是你，制造了天气：全球暖化危机》的作者提姆‧富兰纳瑞。在他的书中，他要读者大幅减少个人排放量，以免世界来到引爆的临界点，例如格陵兰或西南极洲的冰被融化。「如果要维持在那个门坎下，我们就要减少八成的二氧化碳排放量才行。」他说。
「这听起来可不少，」PJ说，「我们真的做得到吗？」
在我看来也不太可能。不过，重点在于要回答一个简单的问题：我们的生活方式能多接近地球足以应付的程度？假如结果是做不到，也许我们至少可以找出最不易减量的地方，并设法调整。所以我们同意把目标设为比美国平均值少八成，相当于每天减量到只剩14公斤的二氧化碳。接着，我们便去找一些邻居来共襄盛举。
约翰及京子‧鲍尔是不二人选。热爱环保的他们已经采取低冲击的生活方式。一辆车、一台电视，不吃肉，只吃鱼。身为一对三岁双胞胎的父母，他们对未来也感到忧心。「义不容辞，算我们一份。」约翰说。
此外，苏珊及米契‧弗里德曼则有两个正值青少年时期的孩子。苏珊不确定他们会有多大的兴趣在暑假期间减碳，但她愿意试着减量看看。身为建筑师的米契正在设计一栋以节能为目标的办公大楼，所以他很好奇他们在家里能省下多少。于是弗里德曼这一家人也加入了。
我们在7月的某个星期日开始进行，当天在我们居住的维吉尼亚州北部，天气温和得不合时节。前一晚有锋面经过，所以我打开卧室窗子，让微风吹进来。我们已经很习惯整天开着空调，我几乎忘了什么时候开过窗户。树上的鸟儿在清晨5点以美妙的叫声唤醒我们，太阳升起，我们的实验于焉展开。
For an answer, I checked with Tim Flannery, author of The Weather Makers: How Man Is Changing the Climate and What It Means for Life on Earth. In his book, he'd challenged readers to make deep cuts in personal emissions to keep the world from reaching critical tipping points, such as the melting of the ice sheets in Greenland or West Antarctica. "To stay below that threshold, we need to reduce CO2 emissions by 80 percent," he said.
"That sounds like a lot," PJ said. "Can we really do that?"
It seemed unlikely to me too. Still, the point was to answer a simple question: How close could we come to a lifestyle the planet could handle? If it turned out we couldn't do it, perhaps we could at least identify places where the diet pinched and figure out ways to adjust. So we agreed to shoot for 80 percent less than the U.S. average, which equated to a daily diet of only 30 pounds of CO2. Then we set out to find a few neighbors to join us.
John and Kyoko Bauer were logical candidates. Dedicated greenies, they were already committed to a low-impact lifestyle. One car, one TV, no meat except fish. As parents of three-year-old twins, they were also worried about the future. "Absolutely, sign us up," John said.
Susan and Mitch Freedman, meanwhile, had two teenagers. Susan wasn't sure how eager they would be to cut back during their summer vacation, but she was game to give the diet a try. As an architect, Mitch was working on an office building designed to be energy efficient, so he was curious how much they could save at home. So the Freedmans were in too.
We started on a Sunday in July, an unseasonably mild day in Northern Virginia, where we live. A front had blown through the night before, and I'd opened our bedroom windows to let in the breeze. We'd gotten so used to keeping our air-conditioning going around the clock, I'd almost forgotten the windows even opened. The birds woke us at five with a pleasant racket in the trees, the sun came up, and our experiment began. |
发表于 2009-3-1 13:41
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