2016年经济学人 环保政策 珊瑚礁化狂热

 

Environmental policy

环保政策

Reefer madness

珊瑚礁化狂热

Turning oil rigs into reefs saves money and marine¹ life. Yet many greens oppose it

石油钻塔变成群礁，既可以省钱，又可以拯救海洋生命。然而，许多绿色环保人士依旧反对这项举措

WHEN an offshore² well stops producing oil, what should be done with the rig? One option is to haul it ashore³, break it up and recycle it. This is expensive. For a big, deep-water oil or gas platform, it can cost $200m. Just hiring a derrick barge⁴ massive enough to do the job can cost $700,000 a day. But there is an alternative: simply leave most of the structure where it is. That is what you would expect a greedy oil firm to do: despoil⁵ the ocean just to save a lousy few million dollars. The surprise is, the cheap option may actually be greener.

当海上油井停止产油，那我们该怎样处置钻塔呢？其中一个做法就是将其拉上岸，分解再重新循环利用。但其费用昂贵。一个大型的深海石油或天然气平台大约花费2亿美金。租一艘井架驳船就足够搞定，其费用为每天70万美元。还有另外一个选择：放任其不管。而那样做的只会是贪婪的石油公司，他们打劫海洋，省下几百万。然而，让人吃惊的是，最便宜的选择也许是最环保的。

For a start, it takes a lot of energy to move a rig. The ships that would be needed to shift California's largest one would emit 29,400 tonnes of carbon dioxide, by one estimate. And moving a rig disturbs the organisms that have attached themselves to its underside, or jacket. Far better, some say, to turn old rigs into coral reefs.

一开始，要移除钻塔需要费很大力气。若想要动加州最大的钻塔，那么运输船在这个过程中预估会释放出2.94万吨二氧化碳。而且，移动钻塔会影响附着在塔周围的有机体。若要全面考虑的话，有些人认为应该把老的钻塔转换成珊瑚礁。

“Reefing” typically involves bringing a platform's above-water parts ashore and cropping the lower parts to leave at least 26m of clearance⁶: deep enough for ships to pass over, yet shallow enough for photosynthesis⁷ to nourish organisms on its upper reaches (see picture). Oil-rig reefs may shelter and feed up to eight tonnes of fish. In 2009 Shell moved a jacket in the Gulf⁸ of Mexico ten kilometres (six miles) away. The fish followed.

“珊瑚礁化”过程往往涵盖了把石油平台水上的部分拉上岸以及保证水下部分26米的空隙，这样方便船只通过，但对滋润生物的光合作用空间却依然不够（详情见图）。石油钻塔珊瑚礁可以给高达8吨的鱼群提供庇护以及食物。2009年，谢尔把位于墨西哥湾的钻塔挪了大概6米，鱼群也跟着移动了。

More than 490 platforms in American waters have become reefs in the past three decades. The federal Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement urges states to issue reefing permits. State coffers gain: oil firms typically hand over half the money they save by reefing.

在过去的三十年间，美国海域里超过490个石油钻井平台已经转变成珊瑚礁了。美国联邦安全和环境执法局督促各州“珊瑚礁化”。国库增加，而且石油公司往往可以从“珊瑚礁化”中直接获得超过一半的钱。

Those savings⁹ vary greatly. Small platforms in shallow waters can often be removed for $10m, but sometimes for as little as $1m, according to DecomWorld, a consultancy. But for states with lots of offshore oil rigs, the windfalls soon add up. Mississippi pocketed an average of $625,000 for each of the 12 permits it has issued, according to Melissa Scallan of the state's Department of Marine Resources. Louisiana's take has averaged $270,000 per reefing—and the state has seen 336 of them, says Mike McDonough of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

从“珊瑚礁化”中省下的钱数目各不相同。在浅水海域，小钻井平台所需费用大概是1亿美元，有时候也可能只要100万美元。这些数据来源于DecomWorld顾问公司。但是，拥有的海上钻塔数量越多，就越能大发横财。国家海洋能源局梅丽莎提供信息，表明在12个钻塔中，密西西比州能从中平均每一个钻塔获得62.5万美元。来自路易斯安那野生动物与渔业局的麦克认为，该州平均从每个珊瑚礁获利27万美元，而且目前已经发现了336座珊瑚礁。

Currently, less than a tenth of America's old oil and gas platforms are reefed. Sometimes the reasons for this are practical. For example, platforms may be removed if waiting for a permit means weathering another hurricane season (in 2005 150 defunct¹⁰ platforms in the Gulf of Mexico were toppled by winds and waves). Operators typically favour reefing but it is not always economical or allowed, says David Welch of Stone Energy Corporation. The firm has only reefed 12 of the 60 Gulf of Mexico platforms it has decommissioned.

在美国，不到十分之一的老天然气和石油平台珊瑚化。理由往往很现实。比如，平台只要能熬过飓风季节，那么才有可能移除（在2005年，位于墨西哥湾的150座废弃平台被海风海浪摧毁）。能源公司的大卫·威尔士认为，经营商特别支持“珊瑚礁化”，但是，这样做往往不划算而且也不合法。该公司目前也才将墨西哥湾60座退役平台中的12座“珊瑚礁化”。

That share is likely to grow. Within five years oil firms will be reefing one offshore rig in four, predicts Quenton Dokken of the Gulf of Mexico Foundation, a conservation group. Gulf states, particularly Louisiana and Texas, are making “a big push” to streamline¹¹ the permitting process, he says.

这中趋势有可能会增加，墨西哥湾基地的Quenton预测，在五年内，石油公司将能把四分之一的海上钻井平台“珊瑚礁化”。海湾各州，特别是路易斯安那州和德州，正在努力简化审批流程。

Far bigger savings are possible in the deep waters off California. Four years ago the Golden State passed a law allowing reefing. Operators are loth to estimate costs publicly, but the Tulane University Energy Institute reckons that reefing the state's 27 platforms could save $2 billion. A platform or two could be retired¹² as early as next year, though rising oil prices may mean they keep pumping longer.

在远离加州海岸线的深水区里，省下的钱或许会更多。四年前，加州通过了一项允许“珊瑚化”的法律。经营商并不愿意公开费用，但是杜兰大学能源学院认为，将该州27个钻井平台“珊瑚礁化”能够省下20亿美元。尽管上升的油价会迫使钻井平台产生更多价值，但其中有1-2个平台最早在明年就会停止使用。

The California Ocean Science Trust, a research group that has advised lawmakers, thinks that platforms increase marine life and should not all be removed. Skyli McAfee, the group's director, describes this conclusion as “a big fat duh”. Studies by Milton Love, a marine biologist at the University of California, Santa Barbara, support it. Oil platforms serve as “excellent nursery grounds” that boost fish populations, he says. The bocaccio, a rockfish whose numbers are worrying fishing authorities, is one big beneficiary.

加州海洋科学信托研究机构，认为这些平台使得海洋生物繁殖，不应该全部被移除。该机构主任斯盖里·麦考非将这一结论描述为“一个大胖墩”。加州大学圣芭芭拉分校的生物学家弥尔顿发表一份研究，支持该结论。石油钻井平台就像“优质育儿室”，促进鱼类繁殖。其中曾经一度让鱼类学家担心会走向灭绝的菖鲉目前是最大受益者。

Yet the odds¹³ of preserving most oil-rig reefs look bleak¹⁴. Public opposition¹⁵ is robust¹⁶. Not one platform off California has been reefed. Activists¹⁷ quote the findings of scientists such as James Cowan, an oceanographer at Louisiana State University, who studied isotopes¹⁸, tissue caloric densities¹⁹ and the stomach contents of creatures from both natural and artificial reefs and concluded that the latter generate no extra biomass. The Environmental Defence Centre in Santa Barbara, a group that files anti-development lawsuits²⁰, advocates the complete removal of oil platforms. Linda Krop, its chief counsel, says that abandoned structures might damage anchors, rob natural reefs of fish and even leach²¹ poisons. She does, however, acknowledge the environmental damage associated with complete removal.

然而，要尽可能多地保留石油钻机塔的几率看起来很渺茫。公众对此嗤之以鼻。加州海上钻井塔没有一个已经“珊瑚礁化”。激进分子引用一些科学家的研究结果，比如路易斯安娜州大学海洋学家詹姆斯·柯旺在研究同位素、组织热量密度及天然珊瑚礁与人工珊瑚礁上的生物胃内情况之后，得出结论，人工珊瑚礁不会为生物提供生活所需。圣芭芭拉环境保护中心主要任务就是给反运动的法律诉讼存档，他们提倡完全移除石油钻井平台。其首席律师琳达·科咯普认为废弃的建筑可能会破坏锚、珊瑚礁，甚至会释放有毒物质。然而，她也承认完全移除这些平台也会对环境造成破坏。

When reefs cause grief

当珊瑚礁引发灾难

Greenpeace, a pressure group, makes a different argument. John Hocevar, its head of ocean campaigns, concedes that in some locations reefed platforms, if non-toxic, may increase marine life. But they should be banned anyway, he says, because they save the oil firms money and therefore encourage them to drill more.

绿色和平组织给出了不同的意见。该组织海洋运动的领头人约翰承认在一些海域，如果“珊瑚礁化”的平台无毒，那么久有可能促进海洋生物的繁殖。但是，无论如何都要禁止这些钻井平台“珊瑚礁化”。因为“珊瑚礁化”可以帮助石油公司省下一大笔钱，这样一来，便会煽动他们去海上开采更多的石油。

The debate is likely to intensify²². In the Gulf of Mexico some 400 platforms are now being decommissioned each year. Divers²³ and many fishermen want more to be reefed; shrimpers complain that reefs prevent them from dragging nets across parts of the ocean floor. In California operators must decide quickly if they wish to turn redundant²⁴ rigs into reefs. Until 2017 firms can keep 45% of the savings. After that the figure falls to 35% until 2023; then it drops to just 20%.

讨论越趋激烈。每年，墨西哥湾有400座钻井平台停止使用。潜水员和渔民希望钻井平台“珊瑚礁化”越多越好，而捕虾人却抱怨珊瑚礁会妨碍他们在洋底撒网。在加州，经营商如果想把多余的钻井平台变成珊瑚礁，他们必须尽快做出决定。到2017年，石油公司可以保证省下45%的费用，2017年以后，降至35%，到2023年，降至20%。

For now, the evidence suggests that reefing is a rare policy. It is both eco-friendly and pays for itself.

至今为止，“珊瑚礁化”这一政策是很罕见的，这样做不仅环保而且很负责。

1 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

2 offshore   

adj.海面的，吹向海面的；adv.向海面

参考例句：

• A big program of oil exploration has begun offshore.一个大规模的石油勘探计划正在近海展开。
• A gentle current carried them slowly offshore.和缓的潮流慢慢地把他们带离了海岸。

3 ashore   

adv.在(向)岸上，上岸

参考例句：

• The children got ashore before the tide came in.涨潮前，孩子们就上岸了。
• He laid hold of the rope and pulled the boat ashore.他抓住绳子拉船靠岸。

4 barge   

n.平底载货船，驳船

参考例句：

• The barge was loaded up with coal.那艘驳船装上了煤。
• Carrying goods by train costs nearly three times more than carrying them by barge.通过铁路运货的成本比驳船运货成本高出近3倍。

5 despoil   

v.夺取，抢夺

参考例句：

• The victorious army despoil the city of all its treasure.得胜的军队把城里的财宝劫掠一空。
• He used his ruthless and destructive armies despoil everybody who lived within reach of his realm.他动用其破坏性的军队残暴地掠夺国内的人民。

6 clearance   

n.净空；许可(证)；清算；清除，清理

参考例句：

• There was a clearance of only ten centimetres between the two walls.两堵墙之间只有十厘米的空隙。
• The ship sailed as soon as it got clearance. 那艘船一办好离港手续立刻启航了。

7 photosynthesis   

n.光合作用

参考例句：

• In apple trees photosynthesis occurs almost exclusively in the leaves.苹果树的光合作用几乎只发生在叶内。
• Chloroplasts are the structures in which photosynthesis happens.叶绿体就是光合作用发生的地方。

8 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

9 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

10 defunct   

adj.死亡的；已倒闭的

参考例句：

• The scheme for building an airport seems to be completely defunct now.建造新机场的计划看来整个完蛋了。
• This schema object is defunct.No modifications are allowed until it is made active again.此架构对象不起作用。在重新激活之前，不能进行任何改动。

11 streamline   

vt.使成流线型；使简化；使现代化

参考例句：

• We must streamline our methods.我们必须简化方法。
• Any liquid or gas passing it will have streamline flow.任何通过它的液体或气体将呈流线型的流动。

12 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

13 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

14 bleak   

adj.(天气)阴冷的；凄凉的；暗淡的

参考例句：

• They showed me into a bleak waiting room.他们引我来到一间阴冷的会客室。
• The company's prospects look pretty bleak.这家公司的前景异常暗淡。

15 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

16 robust   

adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的

参考例句：

• She is too tall and robust.她个子太高，身体太壮。
• China wants to keep growth robust to reduce poverty and avoid job losses,AP commented.美联社评论道，中国希望保持经济强势增长，以减少贫困和失业状况。

17 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 isotopes   

n.同位素；同位素( isotope的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• the many isotopes of carbon 碳的诸多同位素
• Tritium is one of the mildest radioactive isotopes. 氚是最和缓的放射性同位素之一。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 densities   

密集( density的名词复数 )； 稠密； 密度（固体、液体或气体单位体积的质量）； 密度（磁盘存贮数据的可用空间）

参考例句：

• The range of densities of interest is about 3.5. 有用的密度范围为3．5左右。
• Densities presumably can be probed by radar. 利用雷达也许还能探测出气体的密度。

20 lawsuits   

n.诉讼( lawsuit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Lawsuits involving property rights and farming and grazing rights increased markedly. 涉及财产权，耕作与放牧权的诉讼案件显著地增加。 来自辞典例句
• I've lost and won more lawsuits than any man in England. 全英国的人算我官司打得最多，赢的也多，输的也多。 来自辞典例句

21 leach   

v.分离，过滤掉；n.过滤；过滤器

参考例句：

• Liquid water can leach soluble materials from the interface.液态水能够从界面溶解出可溶性物质。
• They believe that the humic materials are leached from decaying plant materials.他们认为腐植物料是从腐烂的植物体浸沥而来。

22 intensify   

vt.加强；变强；加剧

参考例句：

• We must intensify our educational work among our own troops.我们必须加强自己部队的教育工作。
• They were ordered to intensify their patrols to protect our air space.他们奉命加强巡逻，保卫我国的领空。

23 divers   

adj.不同的；种种的

参考例句：

• He chose divers of them,who were asked to accompany him.他选择他们当中的几个人，要他们和他作伴。
• Two divers work together while a standby diver remains on the surface.两名潜水员协同工作，同时有一名候补潜水员留在水面上。

24 redundant   

adj.多余的，过剩的；(食物)丰富的；被解雇的

参考例句：

• There are too many redundant words in this book.这本书里多余的词太多。
• Nearly all the redundant worker have been absorbed into other departments.几乎所有冗员，都已调往其他部门任职。