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  3. A growing number of countries want to phase out coal entirely, a transition eased by cheap natural gas and the plunging cost of

A growing number of countries want to phase out coal entirely, a transition eased by cheap natural gas and the plunging cost of

admin2021-06-15  6
问题         A growing number of countries want to phase out coal entirely, a transition eased by cheap natural gas and the plunging cost of wind and solar power. That is good news. Coal has been the largest engine of climate change to date, accounting for nearly a third of the rise in average temperatures since the Industrial Revolution. Any pressure on it therefore counts as progress.
        Asia accounts for 75% of the world’s coal demand. The Chinese government has taken steps to limit pollution and support renewables. Yet coal consumption there rose in 2018, as it did the year before. In India coal demand grew by 9% last year. In Vietnam it swelled by almost a quarter To keep the rise in global temperatures to no more than 1.5℃ relative to pre-industrial times, climatologists insist that almost all coal plants must shut by 2050, which means starting to act now. Today’s trends would keep the last coal plant open until 2079, estimates UBS, a bank Asia’s coalfired power regiment has a sprightly average age of 15, compared with a creaky 40 years in America, close to retirement.
        There are several reasons for this, but one stands out: government support. In India stateowned companies invest more than $6bn in coal mining and coal-fired power each year; statebacked banks provide some $10.6bn in financing. Indonesia doles out more than $2bn annually for consumption of coal-fired power. China supports coal not just at home but abroad, supplying about 9.5bn a year in foreign funding. Japan and South Korea finance coal projects outside their borders, too.
        Government support is hardly surprising. State-backed coal firms make money and create jobs. Wind turbines and solar panels provide power only intermittently; for now, dirtier power plants are needed as back up. Gas is pummelling coal in America, but remains a bit-player in India and much of South-East Asia, since it has to be imported and is relatively expensive.
        Nevertheless, governments betting on coal face three big risks. One is environmental. Emissions from coal plants that are already built—let alone new ones—will ensure that the world exceeds the level of carbon-dioxide emissions likely to push global temperatures up by more than 1.5℃.
        There is an economic risk, too. Public-sector zeal for coal is matched only by private-sector distaste. Banks, including Asian ones, have increasingly said they will stop funding new coal plants. Wind and solar farms make coal look increasingly expensive. A study has found that private banks provided three-quarters of loans to Indian renewables projects last year; state-backed banks doled out two-thirds of those for coal.
        And then there is politics. Voters do not like breathing soot. More of them are concerned about climate change, too, as they face unpredictable growing seasons, floods and droughts.
Coal may cause the following problems except_________.
选项 A、rising temperature on earth
B、air pollution
C、unpredictable seasons
D、bankruptcy of state-owned companies
答案D
解析 细节题。题干：煤炭会引起以下问题，除了________。根据第一段第三句可知，A项“地球气温升高”属于使用煤炭会产生的问题；第二段中提到中国在限制污染排放，也可以推断出燃烧煤炭来发电会产生很多污染，对应B项“空气污染”；根据最后一段最后一句中的“as they face unpredictable growing seasons，floods and droughts.(因为他们面临着不可预测且日益增多的极端季节、洪水和干旱)”，可知C项“不可预测的季节”也是使用煤炭带来的问题。只有D项“国有企业破产”，在文章中没有提到，故本题选D。
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