????盡管對中國空氣污染危機的報道連篇累牘，但不為人注意的是，中國國內同時還在建設更多的煤電廠——最新統計顯示，目前在建的煤電廠多達363家。不能因此就指責中國，因為這個國家需要竭盡所能獲取能源。中國一直在以最快的速度建設風力發電站和太陽能發電站，但這些電站所提供的電力不足國內能源需求的1%。中國還有建設核電站的宏偉規劃，但這仍然無法解決問題。如果按照現在的路線前進，到2030年，中國能源約三分之二仍將來自以煤炭為主的化石燃料。

????儲量豐富的煤炭是空氣污染和氣候變化的主因。減輕煤炭對全球變暖進程的負面影響只有一種方法，就是所謂的CCUS——碳捕捉可用儲存技術（carbon capture useable storage）。這種技術能在源頭捕捉碳及其他污染物，把它們回輸到地下永久儲存。所謂“可用”的意思是，將二氧化碳注入油井，以便重新開采那些用別的辦法難以提取的儲量。這套系統還能被設計用于清除硫磺、炭黑及其他空氣污染物。

????我們早已知道如何儲存碳——多年來石油公司一直在用這項技術在幾乎開采殆盡的油田中開采最后幾桶油。但大家不知道，哪種技術在捕捉煤電站排放的二氧化碳時最有效、最經濟。

????因此，現在的問題是：誰會花幾十億美元來大規模研發、測試這項技術？一群能源專家在上周于華盛頓特區威爾森中心（The Wilson Center）舉行的會議上稱，多年進展緩慢、不斷遭遇失敗之后，碳捕捉技術終于在世界上某些地方開始取得進展。

????美國能源部（he Department of Energy）化石能源辦公室清潔燃煤助理副部長胡里奧?弗里德曼表示，全球在開發CCUS技術上共投入45億美元，其中美國能源部就投入了4億美元的研發費用。中國現在開始加快了行動。弗里德曼稱，中國之所以想采用CCUS，主要是因為中國現任領導人很多都是工程師出身，對氣候變化相關科學十分關注，現在也開始意識到這項技術的重要性。他說：“關于是否要采納CCUS的爭論已告一段落，現在爭議的焦點是成本問題和推行的時機。”

????據全球碳捕捉和儲存研究院（CCS Institute）稱，中國擁有全球規模最大的碳捕捉項目（美國是這個領域的另外一個大國）。這個研究院發現，截至2014年2月，中國已有12個此類大型項目，數量比2011年翻了一番。

????在這些項目中，中國國有巨型發電、燃煤和石油公司占據主導地位，其中很多還與國際巨頭開展了合作。亞太區清潔空氣任務組織（Clean Air Task Force）首席代表宋明（音譯）稱：“CCUS要取得成功，美國和中國必須在清潔燃煤技術上共享更多技術信息。”宋明在促成中國和西方能源巨頭實現合作、加快發展更清潔燃煤的進程中始終奮戰在一線。他說：“美國更有創新能力，管理體系也更完善，而中國則在低成本快速運作上有一定優勢。”

????希望事實和他說的一樣，因為氣候變化的警鐘一直在滴答作響。（財富中文網）

????譯者：清遠

????

????Lost in all the coverage of China's air pollution crisis is that the country continues to build more coal-fired power plants -- with 363 new ones under construction at last count. You can't blame the Chinese; they need all the energy they can get. They've been building out wind and solar power as fast as they can, but those sources still account for less than 1% of China's power needs. The country has an ambitious nuclear program, but even that won't solve the problem. If China keeps on its current course, by 2030 roughly two-thirds of its power will still come from fossil fuels, mainly coal.

????This abundant fuel contributes heavily to both air pollution and climate change. Only one way exists to mitigate the negative impact of coal on global warming -- a technology called CCUS for carbon capture useable storage. This process involves capturing the carbon and other pollutants at the source and piping them underground where they will be stored permanently. The "useable" part means injecting CO2 into oil wells where it will help recover reserves otherwise difficult to extract. These systems can also be designed with technology to clean up sulfur, soot, and other forms of air pollution.

????We already know how to store carbon -- oil companies have been using the technology for years to suck the last few barrels out of nearly tapped fields. What's not known is which technology will work best -- and most economically -- to capture the CO2 as it's being generated by the coal plant.

????So the question becomes, Who is going to spend the billions needed to build and test the technology on a large scale? At a conference at The Wilson Center in Washington, D.C., last week, a panel of energy experts argued that after years of slow progress and false starts, carbon capture technology is finally gaining traction in some parts of the world.

????Julio Friedmann, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Clean Coal, Office of Fossil Energy at the Department of Energy, says worldwide some $4.5 billion is being invested in CCUS with the U.S. DOE spending $400 million on R&D for the technology. China especially is now stepping up to the plate. Friedmann says the country wants to employ CCUS technology because its leaders, many of whom are engineers and are aware of the science of climate change, now recognize its importance. "The debate over whether to do CCUS is done," he says. "The debate now is about costs and timing."

????According to the global CCS Institute, China has one of the biggest carbon capture pilot programs in the world. (The U.S. is another big player.) As of February 2014, the Institute recorded 12 large-scale projects in China, double the number of projects in 2011.

????China's giant state-owned power-generation, coal, and oil companies are taking the lead on these projects, and many also involve major international partners. "If CCUS is to succeed, the U.S. and China must share more technical information on clean-coal technology," says Ming Sung, the Clean Air Task Force's Chief Representative for the Asia Pacific. Ming has been at the forefront of efforts to accelerate cleaner coal efforts by helping to forge partnerships between leading energy firms from China and the West. "The U.S.," he says, "is more innovative and has better management systems, but China can do things cheaper and quicker."

????Let's hope he's right, because the climate clock is ticking.