首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
The Clean Energy Transition Will Transform Our Economy Beyond Recognition [A] In November 2013, more than 15,000 scientists r
The Clean Energy Transition Will Transform Our Economy Beyond Recognition [A] In November 2013, more than 15,000 scientists r
admin
2020-11-04
91
问题
The Clean Energy Transition Will Transform Our Economy Beyond Recognition
[A] In November 2013, more than 15,000 scientists reissued a warning to humanity of "widespread misery and catastrophic (灾难性的) biodiversity loss" unless business-as-usual changed. " By failing to adequately limit population growth, reassess the role of an economy rooted in growth, reduce greenhouse gases, incentivize renewable energy, protect habitat, restore ecosystems, curb pollution, and constrain invasive alien species, humanity is not taking the urgent steps needed to safeguard our imperiled (受到威胁的) biosphere," they wrote.
[B] Former UN climate chief Christiana Flgueres and physicist Stefan Rahmstorf last year warned that the world has approximately three years before the worst effects of climate change become inevitable. In an open letter they urged companies, communities, countries and citizens to cut carbon emissions now, arguing that failure means fires, floods, droughts, rising sea levels, extreme weather, agricultural losses and massive insurance costs. Between 2008 and 2016, climate related disasters displaced 21.5 million people.
[C] Humanity is in a horse race with catastrophe. The good news is that we are in the race. But even if we win, it will change our economy beyond recognition. We have the technologies to solve the worst of the crises facing us, and buy the time to deal with the rest. Back in 2009, Stanford scientist Dr. Mark Jacobson said that renewable energy could power the entire world by 2030. His Solutions Project calculated how to do this for every state in the US and many countries. More recently, scholars like Christian Breyer have shown how to do this with photovoltaics (太阳光能) alone.
[D] Stanford Professor Tony Seba argues that not only is the transition to renewables possible, it is inevitable. In his book Clean Disruption Seba describes how the convergence of disruptive technologies and business models makes a renewable world inevitable. He focuses on four factors; the fall in the cost of solar energy, the fall in the cost of storage (batteries), the rise of the electric vehicle, and the advent of the driverless car.
[E] These innovations, he argues, by delivering renewably powered, electric vehicle transit as a service will be ten times cheaper than current private ownership of internal combustion (内燃机) cars. In the process, the shift to EVs will move us to a completely renewable energy system. He reminds doubters that experts totally underestimated sales of mobile phones. In the 1990s, McKinsey told ATT to expect 900,000 mobile subscribers by the year 2000. They were off by 108 million. By 2014 there were more mobile phones on earth than the seven billion people, increasing five times faster than humans.
[F] A new solar array goes up in the US every 150 seconds, but can the whole world be renewable by 2030? Yes, because the cost of solar is falling rapidly. So we can run our society on solar energy, but what if the sun isn’t shining or the wind blowing?
[G] Storage technology to make renewable energy available is only in its infancy as an industry, but its prices are falling, too. When the Aliso Canyon natural gas well blew out, spewing 100,000 metric tons of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, the local utility feared it would be unable to keep lights on in Southern California. In record time, Tesla and others brought online more than 70 megawatts of energy storage at a price cheaper than building a new gas peaking plant, and vastly faster.
[H] In late 2016 the Financial Times reported that Fitch Ratings warned: "Widespread adoption of battery-powered vehicles is a serious threat to the oil industry," noting that transport accounted for 55 percent of total oil use in 2014. In the US it accounted for 71 percent of of oil use, according to 2016 figures. It endangers the banks, as well: a quarter of all corporate debt, perhaps as much as $3. 4 trillion, is related to utility and car company bonds that are tied to fossil fuel use.
[I] Anyone doubting this risk must have been sobered when, in September 2017, China announced it was going to phase out internal combustion vehicles. Given that China represents a quarter of the global automobile market, this—coupled with India, France, the UK, and Norway making similar announcements—is an existential crisis for both the oil and car industries.
[J] About a week after China’s announcement, Jerry Brown, the Governor of California, the world’s fifth largest economy, asked Mary Nichols, head of the state’s Air Resources Board, whether California could do the same. Two days later she said yes. Two days later Jerry said then we will. That was a Friday. On the Monday, General Motors, which had reclaimed its coveted status of the world’s leading automobile manufacturer on the strength of its Bolt electric car, announced that its future is electric. Meanwhile, Daimler, Volkswagen and Volvo have committed to electrifying their entire product portfolios.
[K] We’re three for three on Seba’s predictions. But in Seba’s scenario it’s the autonomous (自动的) electric vehicle (AEV) that drives the real reduction in cost he claims will make the disruption inevitable. Are AEVs more than just science fiction?
[L] To get the straight story, I talked to Tom Chi, the head of Product Experience at Google X and one of the designers of the self-driving Google car. "Within ten years?" asked Tom. "Easy. " Tesla, he said, released its driverless vehicle when it was as safe as a human driven car. Remember, hundreds of thousands of people die every year in car crashes. Teslas have driven more than 5 billion miles in autonomous mode, en route to the company’s 10 billion mile safety proof point. In fact, all Teslas are now capable of full autonomous mode. The Google car has driven four million real miles, and 2. 5 billion simulated miles. GM just announced that it is pivoting its business model to offer autonomous electric vehicle transit as a service by 2019.
[M] Does that make it four for four? Is Tony right? You decide. But realize that if the evidence laid out here is true, it has profound implications for everything. It will mean the dissolution in value, likely complete loss of the oil, gas, coal, nuclear, utility, auto industries, the banks that hold the loan paper for all of these companies and the pension funds arid insurance companies that are invested in them.
[N] It will mean an economic collapse on a scale never seen coming at us within about 10 years. Consider oil. In 2011, Carbon Tracker calculated that at least 80 percent of the fossil deposits still in the ground would have to stay in the ground if the world is to avoid warming beyond 2℃ more than pre-industrial levels. Given that those fossil assets are on the balance sheets of some of the world’s wealthiest companies and form the basis of the sovereign wealth funds of many nations around the world, John Fullerton of the Capital Institute predicted that this Implied a write-off of at least $20 trillion dollars. In contrast, Fullerton warned, the 2008 financial collapse was triggered by the stranding of only $2. 7 trillion in mortgage assets.
[O] What can be done? It appears unwise to have any of your assets in the industries that will be disrupted. Bevis Longstreth, former Securities and Exchange Commissioner, observed; "It is entirely plausible, even predictable, that continuing to hold equities in fossil fuel companies will be ruled negligence. "
[P] Is your job at risk? Companies will either become part of the solution, or they won’t be a problem because they won’t be around. The emerging industries are creating millions of jobs, but millions are at risk. Will we substitute a Universal Basic Income? Will we descend into unimaginable darkness? Or will we create a Finer Future? Either way, we will totally transform the global economy. The crises we face and the inevitabilities of change described here will drive this change.
The innovative technology of renewably powered electric vehicles will enable us to enjoy much cheaper transportation.
选项
答案
E
解析
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/XCP7777K
0
大学英语六级
相关试题推荐
A、TheUnitedStatesandCanadacanlearnfromeachother.B、Publicuniversitiesareoftensuperiortoprivateuniversities.C、Ev
A、MIT.B、ReedCollege.C、Harvard.D、Yale.A
A、IthasthestrongesteconomyinAfrica.B、ItisthemostfamouscountryinAfrica.C、IthasthemoststabledemocracyinAfric
A、Reducetheadministrativecosts.B、Adopteffectivebusinessmodels.C、Hirepart-timeemployeesonly.D、Makeuseofthelatest
A、Theybecamemorepopular.B、Theyweremoreregulated.C、Theybecamebetterproduced.D、Theybecamelesshonest.B录音提到,两个法令的出台为
A、Setupyourownwebsite.B、Consultthebank’srepresentatives.C、Trybymakingtransfers.D、Checkyourstatements.BB为录音原文的关键词
A、Getinformation.B、Watchafilm.C、Findabank.D、Buysomeshoes.B录音提及了购物中心有三层,第三层里有餐馆和电影院,可推断B正确。表转折之处常出考题,因此听到however就要注意,记
A、Therearenotenougheconomicopportunitiesforstudentsnotgoingtocollege.B、Schoolsfailtoeducatestudentsproperly.C、
Internationalairlineshaverediscoveredthebusinesstravelers,themanorwomanwhoregularlyjetsfromcountrytocountryas
Internationalairlineshaverediscoveredthebusinesstravelers,themanorwomanwhoregularlyjetsfromcountrytocountryas
随机试题
(2005年第69题)下列关于结核性腹膜炎全身症状的叙述,错误的是
属于急性肾小球肾炎的是属于急性间质性肾炎的是
PM10是指悬浮在空气中,空气动力学当量直径()的颗粒物。
基坑开挖一段后先浇筑顶板,在顶板保护下,自上而下开挖、支撑和浇筑结构内衬的施工方法称为()。
阅读下面材料,回答问题。小南是独生子女,妈妈对小南百依百顺,爸爸则非常粗暴。家里玩具很多,但她看到别人玩什么,她就要什么,还经常和小朋友打架。老师开始还严厉地责备他,后来也不管了。对于这种情况,爸爸很生气,妈妈非常担心。问题:分析小南个性的特点以及造成这
下面是一位教师的教学设计,请根据教学过程结合小学数学新课程标准理念进行评析.教学内容:人教社《义务教育课程标准实验教科书.数学》四年级上册第四单元“平行与垂直”.教学目标:1.知识目标:通过观察与操作,初步认识平面上的
公安机关的任务,是指公安机关在国家法律所确定的管辖范围内,为实现一定的目标所进行的工作内容。( )
服务大厅里有很多老百姓在办理业务,突然网络出现故障了,有的群众因此情绪激动,作为工作人员你怎么办?
药品经口服和皮下注射,总会有许多问题产生。你给病人皮下注射,药物是可以被迅速吸收,但它是“一次性的”,必须经常重复。一些长效、定时溶解的口服新药,虽然比古老传统的丸药有很大的进步,但医师们相信这些药大多会与胃肠液相互作用而造成损害。为了避免这些缺点
我国历史上的原始人群时期,从距今一百七八十万年前开始,到距今四五万年前结束,相当于考古学上的()。
最新回复
(
0
)