可再生能源或能帶來數十億美元的健康效益

Renewable energy can generate billions of dollars in health benefits

可再生能源或能帶來數十億美元的健康效益

Ten states across the Midwest and Great Lakes region of the US could see $4.7 billion in health benefits in 2030 if they stick with current renewable energy standards, according to a new study from MIT. That's about a 34 percent return on the $3.5 billion price tag associated with actually building out that infrastructure of renewable energy sources such as wind or solar farms.

麻省理工學院的一項新研究顯示，如果美國中西部和五大湖地區的10個州能繼續堅持當前的可再生能源標準，其將在2030年獲得47億美元的健康效益。實際建設風能或太陽能農場等可再生能源基礎設施需投入35億美元，大約能獲得34%的回報。

"THIS RESEARCH SHOWS THAT RENEWABLES PAY FOR THEMSELVES"

“這項研究表明：可再生能源可‘自產自銷’”

"This research shows that renewables pay for themselves through health benefits alone," Emil Dimanchev, lead author and senior research associate at the MIT Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research told The Verge.

“這項研究表明可再生能源本身就能通過健康益處令其受益，”研究的主要作者、麻省理工學院能源中心的高級研究員埃米爾·迪芒什（Emil Dimanchev）對The Verge雜誌說道。

There's no shortage of studies into the potential costs associated with climate change — from insuring vulnerable coastal properties to rebuilding after more frequent and intense storms. And then there are the health risks, ranging from more annoying allergy seasons to a jump in heat-related illnesses and deaths. But this study, published August 12th in Environmental Research Letters examined the health benefits and financial incentives that come along with states using more renewable energy.

目前，與氣候變化相關的潛在成本研究不知凡幾——從保護沿海建築到在更頻繁、更猛烈的風暴過後重建相關設施等。此外，令人煩躁的過敏季和高溫引發的疾病和死亡等健康風險依舊存在。但這項於8月12日發表在《環境研究快報》期刊上的研究分析了使用更多可再生能源的美國各州所產生的健康效益和財政激勵。

Why are there such big returns? On top of limiting greenhouse gases that warm the planet, moving away from dirtier sources of energy also affects air quality. The health benefits scientists quantified are a result of limiting exposure to fine particulate matter coming from power plants. And there's a vast body of evidence that shows how particulate matter, or soot, can adversely affect respiratory and cardiovascular health.

爲什麼回報如此之大？除了限制導致地球變暖的溫室氣體外，遠離非清潔能源也會影響空氣質量。科學家量化的健康益處是限制接觸來自發電廠的細顆粒物的結果。此外，大量證據表明：顆粒物或菸灰會對呼吸系統和心血管健康造成不利影響。

One of the reasons researchers focused their study on Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, West Virginia, New Jersey, Maryland, and Delaware is because the region tends to have poorer air quality, a characteristic linked to its greater reliance on coal. In 2016, the Rust Belt generated 42 percent of its power from coal, compared to 30 percent for the US as a whole.

研究員重點研究賓夕法尼亞州、俄亥俄州、威斯康星州、密歇根州、伊利諾伊州、印第安納州、西弗吉尼亞州、新澤西州、馬里蘭州和特拉華州的原因之一是：這些地區往往更依賴煤炭等傳統能源，導致其空氣質量較差。2016年，煤炭發電佔美國“生鏽地帶”電力構成的42%，而其只佔全美電力構成的30%。

But if those states switch to more renewable energy, air quality will improve. As the pollution rates diminish, so should lung cancer, heart attacks, and strokes among people living there. That, the researchers say, could also reduce the medical bills associated with those health effects.

但如果這些州經歷轉型，更多地使用可再生能源，其空氣質量將會提高。隨着污染率下降，生活在這片土地的人患肺癌、心臟病和中風的風險也會隨之下降。研究員表示，這會進一步減少醫藥費，帶來健康效益。