人类成气候变化受害者全新代言人

    节约能源的工作其实做得很不错，也产生了巨大的影响。几个月前，国际能源机构(IEA)发布了另一份报告，但它的受关注度远逊于IPCC报告，或许是因为这份报告传递的是好消息。

    IEA报告详细介绍了人类通过投资能源效率和节能改造节省下来的能源。与上世纪70年代相比，每年节省的“被避免使用能源”数量大约相当于年能源消耗量的三分之二。这个数量几乎是全球石油、天然气和煤炭的年产量总和。

    换句话说，如果能源利用效率没有得到改善，我们就必须使用两倍于目前的石油、天然气和煤炭数量，才能刚刚满足眼下的使用需求。

    这么大规模的节省并不是自动出现的。自从上世纪70年代以来，全球社会已经为改善能源效率投下巨资。具体多少钱呢？2011年，我们在这个领域投资了超过3,000亿美元——相当于全球石油、天然气和煤炭的投资总额。仅在中国，能源效率投资就从2005年的零美元增加至2010年的120亿美元。

    不幸的是，比较而言，全球在气候适应领域的投资依然显得微不足道。在一些国家，比如英国，近些年来在这方面的投资其实下降了！在美国，加利福尼亚州和美国西南部的持续干旱使奥巴马总统大为震惊，他最近呼吁国会提供10亿美元的气候适应资金。目前还不清楚他是否会得偿所愿。

    如果不尽早投资于气候适应领域，我们将错失一个减弱气候变化最坏影响的巨大机会。如果发生这种情况，我们将遭受后代无情地唾骂。

    国家和个人层面能够获得的回报是刺激能源效率投资急剧增长的一个重大因素。拜电器节能技术所赐，城市的烟雾，个人的电费账单都下降了不少。每个人都获得了好处。

    我们也可以采用类似的理由来论证基于生态系统的气候适应努力，我的同事法比奥•斯卡拉诺上周早些时候发表的一篇博客文章就彰显了这一点。

    保护和恢复红树林和珊瑚礁不仅有助于保护城市免受热带气旋和海潮的侵袭，还可以为可持续的渔业提供食物，薪材和繁殖场。设立基金以确保水力发电或防洪所需的集水区也会带来一系列辅助收益，比如生态旅游，干净的饮用水等等。

    再造退化的森林不仅可以从大气中吸收二氧化碳，还有助于催生降雨，管理恰当的话，还能够提供建筑材料，食用植物和其他林产品。洪泛区不仅能吸收特大暴风雨带来的水流，还可以作为水禽栖息地，同时为巨型渔场提供支持。

    结论：我们在能源效率领域的投资正在取得回报。我们现在需要对气候适应进行类似的投资，让大自然引导我们获得最大的回报。（财富中文网）

    译者：叶寒

    Conserving energy has worked remarkably well and has had a massive impact. A few months ago, another report — this one by the International Energy Agency (IEA) — was released to far less fanfare that the IPCC report, perhaps because it spelled out good news.

    The IEA report detailed how much energy has been saved by investing in energy efficiency and retrofitting. Compared with the 1970s, the amount of “avoided energy” saved each year is equivalent to about two-thirds of current annual consumption — almost as much as the combined global output of oil, gas and coal.

    Put another way, without improving energy efficiency, we would have had to double our use of oil, gas and coal simply to maintain current use.

    This massive savings did not come automatically. Since the 1970s, our global society has invested heavily in energy efficiency. How much? Well, in 2011 we invested over US$ 300 billion in energy efficiency — equivalent to worldwide investment in oil, gas and coal combined. In China alone, energy efficiency investments went from zero in 2005 to $12 billion by 2010.

    Unfortunately, our global investment in adaptation is paltry by comparison. In some countries like the U.K. it has actually gone down in recent years! In the U.S., shaken by the drought that has gripped California and the American Southwest, President Obama recently called for $1 billion in climate adaptation funds. It’s unclear if he will get it.

    Without early investments in adaptation, we will miss a huge opportunity to blunt the worst impacts of climate change. If this happens, we will have the full blame of future generations to bear.

    One of the factors that spurred such rapid growth in energy efficiency investments was the return on investment that accrued at the national and individual levels. Thanks to more efficient appliances, cities could cut smog while individuals paid less in electricity bills. Everybody won.

    A similar argument could be made for ecosystem-based adaptation, which my colleague Fabio Scarano highlighted in a blog earlier this week.

    Protecting and restoring mangroves and coral reefs not only protects cities from tropical cyclones and sea surge but also provides food, fuelwood and nurseries for sustainable fisheries. Setting up funding to secure watersheds for hydroelectricity or flood control provides a host of secondary benefits, from ecotourism to clean drinking water.

    Replanting degraded forests not only soaks up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, it also generates rain and — when managed sustainably — provides building materials, edible plants and other forest products. Floodplains not only absorb runoff from monster storms but also act as habitat for waterfowl, and support huge fisheries.

    Here’s the bottom line: Our investment in energy efficiency is paying off. We need to invest similarly in adaptation now, and use nature as a guide to maximize our returns.