TED演講者：Patricia Villarrubia-Gómez / 帕特里夏·維拉魯比亞-戈麥斯

演講標(biāo)題：The problem with plastics -- and how they're changing the environment / 塑料問題——以及它們?nèi)绾胃淖儹h(huán)境

內(nèi)容概要：Plastics are everywhere -- they're in our favorite electronic devices, they package our food and insulate our homes. Today, the total mass of plastic is twice the total mass of all living organisms on the planet, and it's starting to change the processes that allow the Earth's climate system to work. Plastic pollution researcher Patricia Villarrubia-Gómez breaks down the consequences of producing all of this plastic at every stage, from fossil fuel extraction to the disposal of si...

塑料無處不在——它們在我們最喜愛的電子產(chǎn)品中，它們包裝著食品，隔離我們的房屋。今天，地球上塑料的總質(zhì)量是所有生物總質(zhì)量的兩倍，并且它宜開始改變地球氣候系統(tǒng)正常運(yùn)作的過程。塑料污染研究者帕特里夏·維拉魯比亞-戈麥斯（Patricia Villarrubia-Gómez）分析生產(chǎn)這些塑料每個階段的影響，從提取化石燃料到在垃圾填埋場和海洋中處理一次性塑料。擺脫塑料問題的第一步是承認(rèn)塑料問題。

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【1】So plastics.

塑料

【2】Plastics come in all shapes, forms and colors.

塑料有不同的形狀、形式和顏色

【3】They are everywhere.

它們無處不在

【4】They are in our makeup, it packages our food and insulates our homes.

塑料存在于我們的化妝品中 在食品包裝中 在房屋隔離層中

【5】They are in airplanes and our favorite electronic devices.

在飛機(jī)里 在我們最喜歡的電子產(chǎn)品里

【6】They are truly a remarkable material.

塑料真的是一種了不起的材料

【7】But so are its troubles.

但也正如此,它帶來麻煩

【8】And we produce and consume plastics in staggering quantities.

我們以驚人的數(shù)量制造和消耗塑料

【9】Since it's been mass-produced, the world has created over 10 billion metric tons of it.

自從開始大規(guī)模生產(chǎn) 人們已制造超過百億噸級的塑料

【10】Half of them just in the past 20 years.

其中半數(shù)是在近20年內(nèi)生產(chǎn)的

【11】I have been investigating plastic pollution [for] about a decade, and I try to align my personal choices as a consumer with the aspirations of my research.

我已調(diào)查塑料污染十年 我試著把我個人的消費(fèi)選擇 和對研究的愿望聯(lián)系起來

【12】And you may think, “Oh, that’s easy, you know how to do it.” But actually it’s not.

您可能會想:哦,這很容易 我們知道怎么做 但事實(shí)并非如此

【13】Sometimes it's impossible to avoid single-use plastics.

有時我們不能避免使用一次性塑料

【14】The system is built that way.

現(xiàn)行體制就是如此

【15】The dominant narrative about plastics tell us that this is a consumer’s and a waste management problem.

現(xiàn)在的主流思想是消費(fèi)者和垃圾管理 共同造就了塑料問題

【16】Who of us here have not heard about the tales of gigantic plastic islands floating in the middle of the ocean?

我們當(dāng)中誰沒聽過 巨大塑料島嶼 漂浮在大洋中的事兒？

【17】Which, by the way, it's not true.

順便說一下,這不是真的

【18】And that low-income countries are to blame for most of the plastic waste entering our oceans.

還說低收入國家應(yīng)承擔(dān)大部分責(zé)任 讓塑料垃圾涌入海洋

【19】But this narrative is a misleading oversimplification of a much bigger and complex story.

但這種說法是誤導(dǎo)和簡化 問題更大、更復(fù)雜

【20】Plastics and their chemical additives are really a climate problem.

塑料和其中的化學(xué)添加劑 是一個關(guān)于氣候的問題

【21】Now, we need to think of plastics from a systemic perspective.

現(xiàn)在,我們需要從一個系統(tǒng)化的角度 思考塑料問題

【22】So let me take you through the journey of plastics.

那么,讓我為您介紹下塑料之旅

【23】Plastics contribute to climate change from before the moment they are produced to long beyond the moment they are disposed or landfill or drift into the ocean.

塑料對氣候改變的影響 從它們誕生之前就開始了 一直到延續(xù)到它們被丟棄、填埋 或倒入海洋之后很長一段時間

【24】And it will remain in the environment for centuries, degrading ecological processes.

它持續(xù)在環(huán)境中數(shù)百年 逐漸被生態(tài)降解

【25】For 99 percent of all plastics the starting point is fossil fuel hydrocarbons.

99%的塑料 來自于化石燃料碳?xì)浠衔?/p>

【26】Oil, gas and coal are extracted and refined to produce plastic and other synthetic chemicals.

石油、天然氣和煤被開采出來 并提煉出塑料 和其他合成化學(xué)物

【27】And those processes generate greenhouse gases such as CO2 and methane.

那些過程產(chǎn)生溫室氣體 例如二氧化碳和甲烷

【28】Studies indicate that if nothing is done, the production of single-use plastic alone will contribute to more than 10 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

研究表明如果不加干預(yù) 單單是一次性塑料的產(chǎn)生 將影響超過10% 2050年所有的溫室氣體排放

【29】And the thing is that our use of plastic last often just a few minutes or a few hours, then we throw them away, and that generates further emissions.

問題是我們對塑料的使用 通常只持續(xù)幾分鐘 或幾個小時 然后我們就把它們?nèi)拥袅?造成了進(jìn)一步的排放

【30】And we know that our recycling system doesn't work.

我們心知肚明 回收系統(tǒng)不起作用

【31】It's broken everywhere.

它處處漏洞

【32】And recycling plastics is hard and not cost-competitive.

回收塑料很難 并且成本不具有競爭力

【33】Most of the waste that has not been landfilled or incinerated domestically is shipped across the planet, and it reaches low-income countries where they are expected to be recycled.

大部分垃圾沒有被填埋 或焚燒于國內(nèi) 而是船運(yùn)穿過大洋 到達(dá)低收入國家 期待它們在那里被回收利用

【34】But this is one of those hypocrisies of globalization where rich countries outsource their problems to low-income countries.

但這是那些全球化偽善行為之一 富裕的國家將自己的問題 外包給低收入國家

【35】And we know that these countries do not have the capacity nor the technology to deal with them in a soundly manner.

我們知道這些國家既無能力 也無技術(shù)以妥善的方法去處理垃圾

【36】And so huge amounts of plastics are illegally incinerated, informally dumped or get lost at sea.

因此大量的塑料被非法焚燒 隨意丟棄或落入海洋

【37】And as a result, millions of tons of plastic every year get into our environment.

其結(jié)果是 每年有數(shù)百萬噸塑料 進(jìn)入我們的自然環(huán)境里

【38】But even plastics that are soundly managed emit greenhouse gases.

然而,即使是良好管理下的塑料 也排放溫室氣體

【39】Once plastics enter the environment, landfill, are dispersed in soil or water, they start a process of breaking down into micro and nanoparticles.

一旦堵料進(jìn)入環(huán)境、填埋場 分散在土壤和水中 它們開始分解為微米和納米顆粒

【40】I will just call them microplastic for the sake of the conversation today.

在今天的交談中 我叫它們微塑料吧

【41】And this process of breaking down emits powerful gases such as methane, ethylene and CO2.

這個分解的過程會釋放出 強(qiáng)大的氣體,比如甲烷 乙烯和二氧化碳

【42】And that's true for both traditional and biodegradable plastics.

傳統(tǒng)塑料 和可降解塑料都是如此

【43】On the surface of microplastics, new microbial communities can grow.

在微塑料表面 新的微生物群落可以生長

【44】We call them the plastisphere.

我們稱之為塑料球

【45】And their biological activity also releases additional CO2 and nitrous oxide into the environment, creating the possibility of further magnifying the climate problem.

它們的生物學(xué)行為 也會釋放額外的二氧化碳 一氧化二氮進(jìn)入環(huán)境 可能進(jìn)一步加劇氣候問題

【46】It means that microplastic can also impair the growth and the photosynthesis capacity of phytoplankton, which are the microorganisms producing much of the oxygen we breathe.

這意味著微塑料也會損害 浮游植物的生長 以及光合作用能力 而我們呼吸的大部分氧氣 都是由微生物產(chǎn)生的

【47】But also microplastics can have toxic effects on zooplankton, and the health of these organisms

微塑料也會對浮游動物產(chǎn)生毒害作用 這些有機(jī)物的健康

【48】[is] essential for the functioning of all aquatic food webs.

對所有水生食物網(wǎng)的運(yùn)作至關(guān)重要

【49】And unfortunately, the problems run even deeper.

不幸的是,問題還不止于此

【50】Microplastics bind with the so-called marine snow, which are made out of the clumps of bacteria, plankton and other organic material that sinks down into the ocean depth, acting like a biological carbon pump.

微塑料與所謂的 由細(xì)菌團(tuán)構(gòu)成的海洋雪 浮游生物以及其他有機(jī)物質(zhì) 一并沉入海洋深處 就像一個生物碳泵

【51】But microplastics risk affecting this marine snow and potentially decreasing the capacity of the ocean to absorb and sequester carbon from the atmosphere.

但微塑料可能會影響海洋雪 可能會降低海洋 從大氣中吸收和固定碳的能力

【52】And microplastics can be decreasing the reflective properties of snow and ice, potentially accelerating the melting of glaciers and polar ice.

微塑料可能減少雪和冰的反射性 加速冰川和極地冰的融化

【53】So we have early enough indications that plastic pollution is starting to change the processes that allow the Earth's climate system to work.

重復(fù)的早期跡象表明 塑料污染開始改變 地球氣候系統(tǒng)運(yùn)轉(zhuǎn)的過程

【54】And this pollution is not a localized phenomenon.

而且這種污染并不是局部現(xiàn)象

【55】Microplastics are everywhere, from the mountaintops of Everest to the deepest sediment in the Mariana Trench.

微塑料無處不在 從珠穆朗瑪峰的山頂 到馬里亞納海溝最深的沉積物

【56】They are in the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat.

它們在我們呼吸的空氣中 在我們飲用的水中,在攝入的食物中

【57】They are now found in our bloodstream and our lungs.

如今我們的血液和肺里也有它們的蹤影

【58】And personally, the most terrifying, in the placenta of our unborn children.

我個人認(rèn)為,最可怕的是 在未出生孩子的胎盤里也有微塑料

【59】Now, of course, plastic is a great material, it's versatile and durable, and in many ways it has allowed modern civilization to develop in the way it has.

當(dāng)然塑料是一種很好的材料 用途廣泛,經(jīng)久耐用 在很多方面,它讓現(xiàn)代文明 得以現(xiàn)在的方式發(fā)展

【60】But it also comes with a lot of problems and the outlook is worrying.

但它也伴隨著許多問題 前景令人擔(dān)憂

【61】Today, the total mass of plastic is twice the total mass of all living organisms on the planet.

目前,塑料的總質(zhì)量 是我們星球上生物總質(zhì)量的兩倍

【62】But still, fossil fuel companies see hydrocarbon as their primary growth sector projecting a 30 percent increase of virgin plastic for single-use plastic just in the next five years.

但是,化石燃料公司 把碳?xì)浠衔镆暈樗麄兊闹饕鲩L領(lǐng)域 預(yù)計(jì)一次性塑料的原生塑料 產(chǎn)量將增加30% 預(yù)計(jì)一次性塑料的原生塑料 產(chǎn)量將增加30% 就在接下來的5年里

【63】We already see an accelerating pace in producing and releasing new chemicals because there are many, many kinds of plastic.

我們已經(jīng)看到了生產(chǎn)和釋放 新的化學(xué)物質(zhì)加速的步伐 因?yàn)橛刑?太多種類的塑料了

【64】Each one the result of a different chemical formula.

每一種都是不同化學(xué)式的結(jié)果

【65】And we know that this is incompatible with staying within the safe operating space for humanity.

我們知道這與人類安全矛盾的 我們知道這與人類安全矛盾的

【66】And given how plastics impact the climate and the world's social ecological system, this would spell a catastrophe.

考慮到塑料對氣候的影響 和世界的社會生態(tài)系統(tǒng) 這將是一場災(zāi)難

【67】By the way, I'm not saying that we are completely doomed yet.

順便提下,我并非說 我們已經(jīng)走向窮途末路

【68】There are solutions.

還有解決的方法

【69】And it’s that worldwide, entrepreneurs and companies are creating new designs and material that can substitute traditional single-use plastic.

在世界范圍內(nèi),企業(yè)家和公司 正在創(chuàng)造新的設(shè)計(jì)和材料 代替?zhèn)鹘y(tǒng)一次性塑料

【70】And social movements are consolidating and educating people to reduce their plastic footprint and pressuring local and world policy makers to enact strong policies.

社會基礎(chǔ)更加堅(jiān)實(shí) 教育人們減少塑料足跡 迫使地方和全球范圍的政策制定者 去制定強(qiáng)有力的政策

【71】And scientists are collaborating more than ever, communicating the urgency to limit not only the volume, but the chemical diversity of plastics.

科學(xué)家們比以往更加合作 交流不僅限制塑料的總量 還有塑料多樣性的的急迫性

【72】And earlier this year, representatives from over 170 nations at the UN Environment Assembly adopted an initiative to end plastic pollution, committing all these countries to participate in creating, by 2024, a legally binding agreement that addresses the full life cycle of plastics, from production to design to disposal.

今年早些時候 來自170多個國家的代表 在聯(lián)合國環(huán)境大會上 采取行動去終結(jié)塑料污染 承諾所有這些國家參與制定 到2024年生效 一項(xiàng)具有法律約束力的協(xié)議 解決貫穿塑料的生命周期的所有問題 從設(shè)計(jì)生產(chǎn) 到棄置處理

【73】We need to stop thinking of plastic just as a waste problem, one that can be solved by changing consumers's habits alone and stopping using plastic bags.

我們不能再有塑料問題 等同于廢物問題的想法 以為解決之道可以僅靠 改變消費(fèi)者的習(xí)慣 和停止使用塑料袋

【74】We need to think of plastics as a climate problem, as a product that creates damage along all its journey, from the drilling up of hydrocarbons to the spread of microplastics.

我們需要將塑料問題視為氣候問題 視為一種在它的旅程中 可造成破壞的產(chǎn)品 從碳?xì)浠衔锏拈_采到微塑料的擴(kuò)散

【75】And that can only be addressed in a systemic way.

這只能通過系統(tǒng)化的方式去解決

【76】Thank you.

謝謝

【77】(Applause)