温室气体排放量预计将下降近8%，是有史以来最大的降幅

温室气体排放量预计将下降近8%，是有史以来最大的降幅

The COVID-19 pandemic is delivering the biggest shock to the global energy system in seven decades, according to a new report by the International Energy Agency.

根据国际能源署(IEA)的一份最新报告，COVID-19大流行病正在给全球能源系统带来70年来最大的冲击。

Global energy demand is expected to fall by 6% this year, seven times the decline brought by the financial crisis 10 years ago. IEA projections show oil and gas being hit hard. But demand for coal could fall by an extraordinary 8% — the largest decline since World War II.

预计今年全球能源需求将下降6%，是10年前金融危机带来的降幅的7倍。国际能源署的预测显示，石油和天然气将受到沉重打击。但煤炭需求可能会以惊人的速度(8%)下降——这是自二战以来的最大降幅。

Not all the drop in demand was because of the coronavirus; in the U.S. especially, a large share was caused by a warmer-than-average winter.

并不是所有需求的下降都是因为冠状病毒;尤其是在美国，很大一部分原因是冬季气温高于平均水平。

The IEA says the lower emissions will reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions that lead to climate change by almost 8% this year, which would be the largest annual decrease ever recorded.

国际能源署表示，较低的排放量将减少有害的温室气体排放，导致今年气候变化近8%，这将是有记录以来最大的年度降幅。

But the U.N. has said global emissions must be cut that much every year for the next decade in order to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius and avoid its worst impacts.

但联合国表示，为了将全球变暖控制在1.5摄氏度以内，并避免其最严重的影响，未来十年，全球温室气体排放量必须每年减少这么多。

The IEA warns that emissions will rebound when the economy recovers, unless countries focus their economic relief packages on boosting clean energy.

国际能源署警告说，除非各国把经济救援计划的重点放在发展清洁能源上，否则排放将在经济复苏时反弹。

"The [Earth] needs structural emissions reductions driven by better policies," tweeted Fatih Birol, the IEA's executive director.

国际能源署执行主任法提赫•比罗尔在推特上写道:“(地球)需要更好的政策来推动结构性减排。”

Even without those changes, the agency says renewable energy will actually fare well in 2020. While it won't grow as much as in the past, the IEA projects electricity generation from wind, solar and hydropower will increase by 5%.

即使没有这些变化，该机构说，可再生能源实际上将在2020年表现良好。虽然增长不会像过去那样快，但国际能源署预计，风能、太阳能和水力发电将增长5%。

Another report this week found that solar and wind are now the cheapest source of power in most of the world.

本周的另一份报告发现，太阳能和风能现在是世界上大多数国家最便宜的能源。

Still, the U.S. solar industry estimates it's going to lose up to half of its 250.000 jobs this year if nothing is done. It's been lobbying Congress for federal help.

尽管如此，美国太阳能行业预计，如果不采取任何措施，今年将失去多达一半的25万个工作岗位。它一直在游说国会提供联邦帮助。

"We create lots of economic opportunity. We create lots of tax base. But we also help solve the climate crisis," says Abigail Ross Hopper, head of the Solar Energy Industries Association.

“我们创造了很多经济机会。我们创造了大量的税基。但我们也帮助解决了气候危机，”太阳能产业协会主席阿比盖尔·罗斯·霍珀说。

So far, though, the Trump administration has been more interested in trying to helpthe fossil fuel industry, which also faces staggering job losses.

不过，到目前为止，特朗普政府更感兴趣的是帮助化石燃料行业，该行业也面临着惊人的失业。

"We will never let the great U.S. Oil & Gas Industry down," President Trump tweeted recently, as he directed the secretaries of Energy and Treasury to come up with a plan. So far, it's not clear what that plan would be.

“我们永远不会让伟大的美国石油和天然气行业失望，”特朗普总统最近在推特上写道，他指示能源和财政部长们拿出一个计划。到目前为止，还不清楚这个计划是什么。