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Make Coal History (5)
If targets are to be credible, Asian countries must tackle deeper problems. The strategy that worked in Europe and America will get them only so far, because the mining firms, power stations, equipment-makers and the banks that finance them are often state-controlled. Market forces and carbon taxes, which use price signals to change incentives, are therefore less effective. And coal politics is treacherous. The coal economy forms a nexus of employment, debt, tax revenues and exports. China has used its Belt and Road Initiative to sell both mining machinery and power plants. Across the region, local governments depend on coal for revenues. Many will defend it ferociously.
若想实现这些计划，亚洲国家必须解决更深层次的问题。那些在欧美国家取得成效的策略只能帮它们走到现在，因为采矿企业、发电厂、设备制造商以及为它们提供资金的银行往往都由国家控制，所以利用价格信号来改变激励机制的市场力量和碳税其效力较低。此外，煤炭政治具有潜在危险。而煤炭经济是联系就业、债务、税收和出口的纽带。中国利用“一带一路”倡议出售采矿机械和发电厂。在整个地区，地方政府都靠煤炭获取收入。许多人会为它极力辩护。
One step in fighting regional lobbies is to redesign power systems so that renewables can compete fairly and incentives work. Most renewables provide only intermittent power, because the weather is changeable. National smart grids can mitigate this by connecting different regions. Too many of Asia’s electricity systems muffle market signals because they are locked into legacy long-term supply contracts with coal firms, and because they are riddled with opaque subsidies and price caps. Removing these so that markets and taxes work better will let renewable power undercut coal.
应对区域游说活动的一项举措是重新设计电力系统，以使可再生能源能够公平竞争并采取激励措施。由于天气多变，大多数可再生能源系统仅提供间歇性电力。国家智能电网可以通过连接不同区域来缓解这种情况。亚洲太多电力系统由于与煤炭公司签订了长期供应合同，合同中也充斥着不透明补贴和价格上限，这些都模糊了市场信号。取消这些措施，市场和税收才能更好地运作，让可再生能源抢夺煤炭市场。
【积累表达】
be riddle with 充满
【重点词汇】
credible adj.可靠的，可信的
treacherous adj.不可靠的；奸诈的；凶险的
nexus n.关系，连结
ferociously adv.残忍地；激烈地
lobby v.游说/n.游说团体
intermittent adj.间歇的，断断续续的
muffle v.削弱，使模糊；裹住
opaque adj.不透明的；难理解的，晦涩的
undercut v.低价出售或提供服务；暗中破坏；降价竞争
If targets are to be credible, Asian countries must tackle deeper problems. The strategy that worked in Europe and America will get them only so far, because the mining firms, power stations, equipment-makers and the banks that finance them are often state-controlled. Market forces and carbon taxes, which use price signals to change incentives, are therefore less effective. And coal politics is treacherous. The coal economy forms a nexus of employment, debt, tax revenues and exports. China has used its Belt and Road Initiative to sell both mining machinery and power plants. Across the region, local governments depend on coal for revenues. Many will defend it ferociously.
若想实现这些计划，亚洲国家必须解决更深层次的问题。那些在欧美国家取得成效的策略只能帮它们走到现在，因为采矿企业、发电厂、设备制造商以及为它们提供资金的银行往往都由国家控制，所以利用价格信号来改变激励机制的市场力量和碳税其效力较低。此外，煤炭政治具有潜在危险。而煤炭经济是联系就业、债务、税收和出口的纽带。中国利用“一带一路”倡议出售采矿机械和发电厂。在整个地区，地方政府都靠煤炭获取收入。许多人会为它极力辩护。
One step in fighting regional lobbies is to redesign power systems so that renewables can compete fairly and incentives work. Most renewables provide only intermittent power, because the weather is changeable. National smart grids can mitigate this by connecting different regions. Too many of Asia’s electricity systems muffle market signals because they are locked into legacy long-term supply contracts with coal firms, and because they are riddled with opaque subsidies and price caps. Removing these so that markets and taxes work better will let renewable power undercut coal.
应对区域游说活动的一项举措是重新设计电力系统，以使可再生能源能够公平竞争并采取激励措施。由于天气多变，大多数可再生能源系统仅提供间歇性电力。国家智能电网可以通过连接不同区域来缓解这种情况。亚洲太多电力系统由于与煤炭公司签订了长期供应合同，合同中也充斥着不透明补贴和价格上限，这些都模糊了市场信号。取消这些措施，市场和税收才能更好地运作，让可再生能源抢夺煤炭市场。
【积累表达】
be riddle with 充满
【重点词汇】
credible adj.可靠的，可信的
treacherous adj.不可靠的；奸诈的；凶险的
nexus n.关系，连结
ferociously adv.残忍地；激烈地
lobby v.游说/n.游说团体
intermittent adj.间歇的，断断续续的
muffle v.削弱，使模糊；裹住
opaque adj.不透明的；难理解的，晦涩的
undercut v.低价出售或提供服务；暗中破坏；降价竞争