核能有多绿色？

Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Neil.

大家好。这里是BBC教学英语的《六分钟英语》节目。我是尼尔。

And I'm Sam.

我是萨姆。

With winter here, the rising price of oil and natural gas has become a hot topic.

随着冬天的到来，石油及天然气价格的上涨已经成为一个热门话题。

At the same time, climate change is also reaching emergency levels, and world leaders are looking for ways to reduce our consumption of fossil fuels. Some think the best option is renewables – types of natural energy, such as wind and solar power, which can be replaced as quickly as they are used.

与此同时，气候变化也将要达到紧急程度， 世界各国领导人正在寻找减少化石燃料消耗的方法。 一些人认为最好的选择是可再生能源——如风能和太阳能等自然能源， 用完就能迅速循环再生。

Others prefer a return to nuclear energy, arguing that it's clean, green and more reliable than renewables. But after infamous nuclear disasters like those at Chernobyl and Fukushima, questions about its safety remain.

其他人更倾向于回归核能，认为它比可再生能源更清洁、更绿色、更可靠。 但在切尔诺贝利和福岛等臭名昭著的核难之后，人们对其安全性的质疑依然存在。

In this programme, we'll be finding out how green nuclear power is by asking: when it comes to the climate, is nuclear a friend or foe?

在本期节目中，我们将通过以下问题来了解核能的绿色程度：当提到气候问题时，核能是敌是友？

But before that, Sam, it's time for my quiz question. Many of the nuclear power stations built since the 1960s are reaching the end of their planned life, and not everyone thinks they should be replaced. In 2011, one country announced that it would phase out – meaning gradually stop using - nuclear power altogether. But which country? Was it: a) Germany, b) India, or c) Brazil?

但在那之前，萨姆，是时候回答我的测试问题了。 自20世纪60年代以来建造的许多核电站正接近其计划使用年限，而且并不是每个人都认为它们应该被替换掉。 2011年，一个国家宣布将逐步淘汰——意思是逐步停止使用——核能。 但它是哪个国家？ 是：a）德国，b）印度，还是c）巴西？

I'll go with a) Germany.

我会选a）德国。

OK, Sam. We'll reveal the correct answer later in the programme. As Neil mentioned, whatever the advantages of nuclear power for the climate, many members of the public have concerns about nuclear safety.

好的，萨姆。稍后我们将在节目中揭晓正确答案。 正如尼尔所提到的，无论核能对气候有什么好处，许多公众都对核安全感到担忧。

Probably the most well-known nuclear accident happened on the 26th of April 1986 at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Soviet Ukraine.

最广为人知的核事故发生在1986年4月26日，在前苏联乌克兰的切尔诺贝利核电站。

Dutch journalist Mirjam Vossen reflects on what happened with BBC World Service programme, The Real Story.

荷兰记者米尔亚姆·沃森在BBC全球服务节目《真相》中回顾了当时所发生的事情。

The perceptions of nuclear energy of, I think, a whole generation has been shaped by high impact events,

我认为，整整一代人对核能的看法都受到了重大影响事件的影响，

most notably the Chernobyl disaster… including myself. I have vivid memories of how the media reported on this event and how scary it was and how frightened everyone was of the radioactive clouds drifting from the Ukraine towards Europe. So, this is, sort of, ingrained in people's minds, and for many it hasn't been … really been updated. It was a frightening time, and Mirjam says she has vivid memories

尤其是切尔诺贝利灾难，包括我自己在内。 我对此有着鲜活的记忆：媒体是如何报道这一事件，这一事件有多么可怕， 以及每个人对于从乌克兰飘向欧洲的放射性云有多么害怕。 所以，这是人们头脑中一种根深蒂固的想法，对许多人来说，他们头脑中这种想法真的没变过。 那是很可怕的一段时间，米尔亚姆说她对此有着鲜活的记忆

– memories that produce powerful feelings and strong, clear images in the mind.

——这些记忆在脑海中产生强烈感觉以及具有强烈视觉效果的清晰图像。

The accident in Chernobyl changed many people's opinions of nuclear power in a negative way, and these opinions became ingrained - strongly held and difficult to change. But Mirjam believes these ingrained public perceptions of nuclear safety are out-of-date. She argues that such accidents caused by human error could not happen in the modern nuclear power stations used today.

切尔诺贝利事故以消极的方式改变了许多人对核能的看法， 这些看法变得根深蒂固——强烈持有且难以改变。 但米尔亚姆认为，公众这些根深蒂固的核安全观已经过时了。 她认为，这种人为错误造成的事故不可能发生在如今所使用的现代核电站中。

What's more, nuclear creates a steady supply of power - unlike renewables, which don't make electricity when the wind doesn't blow, or the Sun doesn't shine.

更重要的是，核能产生稳定的电力供应——不像可再生能源， 没有风或不出太阳时可再生能源就不能发电。

So maybe nuclear power is the greenest way of generating energy without fossil fuels.

因此，也许核能是不使用化石燃料就产生能源的最绿色方式。

Well, not according to Energy Institute researcher Paul Dorfman. Nuclear power stations are located near seas or large lakes because they need water to cool down. Paul thinks that soon rising seas levels will mean the end of nuclear as a realistic energy option.

能源研究所研究员保罗·多夫曼并不这样认为。 核电站建在靠近大海或大型湖泊的地方，因为它们需要水来实现冷却。 保罗认为，海平面的迅速上升将意味着核能不再是一种现实的能源选择。

He thinks money invested in nuclear upgrades would be better spent making clean renewables more reliable instead, as he explained to BBC World Service programme, The Real Story.

他认为投资于核能升级的资金最好是用在让清洁的可再生能源变得更可靠上， 正如他在向BBC全球服务节目《真相》解释的那样。

I think the key takeaway is that nuclear's low carbon electricity unique selling point kind of sits in the context of a much larger picture that nuclear will be one of the first and most significant casualties to ramping climate change. So, nuclear's quite literally on the front line of climate change and not in a good way – that's because far from helping with our climate change problems, it'll add to it.

我认为关键点是，核能的低碳电力这个独特卖点是在一个更大的背景下， 即核能将是气候变化加剧的首批和最重大的牺牲品之一。 因此，核能确实处于气候变化的“前沿”，而且不是以一种好的方式 ——那是因为它远不能解决我们的气候变化问题，还会加剧气候变化。

One advantage of nuclear power is that it produces electricity using little carbon. Paul Dorfman calls this its unique selling point.

核能的一个优势是它发电所使用的碳很少。 多夫曼称这是它的独特卖点。

A unique selling point, which is sometimes shortened to 'USP', is a common way to describe the feature of something that makes it different from and better than its competitors.

独特卖点，有时被缩写为“USP”， 通常用来描述某物使其与众不同并优于其竞争对手的特征。

But that doesn't change the fact that rising sea levels would make nuclear an unrealistic, even dangerous, choice. This is why he calls nuclear power a casualty of climate change, meaning a victim, or something that suffers as a result of something else happening.

但这并不能改变海平面上升将使核能成为一个不现实、甚至危险的选择的事实。 这就是为什么他称核能为气候变化的牺牲品，意思是受害者，或者是由于其他事情的发生而遭受痛苦的事物。

This also explains why some countries are now turning away from nuclear power towards more renewable energy sources – countries such as… well, what was the answer to your quiz question, Neil?

这也解释了为什么一些国家现在正从核能转向更多可再生能源，比如…… 嗯，尼尔，你测试问题的答案是什么？

I asked Sam which country decided to gradually stop using nuclear power.

我问萨姆哪个国家决定逐渐停止使用核能。

I said a) Germany.

我说是a）德国。

Which was the correct answer! In fact, around 70% of Germany's electricity now comes from renewables.

那是正确答案！ 事实上，德国现在大约70%的电力来自可再生能源。

OK, Neil, let's recap the rest of the vocabulary from this programme, starting with to phase something out, meaning to gradually stop using something.

好了，尼尔，让我们回顾一下本期节目中的其余词汇，首先是“逐步淘汰”，意思是逐渐停止使用某物。

Vivid memories are memories that produce powerful feelings and strong mental images.

鲜活的记忆是能产生强烈感觉和强烈心理表象的记忆。

Opinions and beliefs which are ingrained are so strongly held that they are difficult to change.

根深蒂固的观点和信念持有如此强烈以至于很难改变。

Something's unique selling point, or USP, is the feature that makes it different from and better than its competitors.

某物的独特卖点，或简称USP，是指使其与众不同并优于竞争对手的特征。

And finally, a casualty is a person or thing that suffers as a result of something else happening.

最后，“牺牲品”是指由于其他事情的发生而遭受痛苦的人或物。

That's all for this look into nuclear and renewable energy.

以上就是对核能和可再生能源的探究。

Bye for now!

再见了！

Goodbye!

再见！