為了應(yīng)對(duì)氣候變化，我們可能不得不回到飛艇時(shí)代

為了應(yīng)對(duì)氣候變化，我們可能不得不回到飛艇時(shí)代

At this point, staving off climate change is probably not a matter of gentle tweaks and nudges.

在這一點(diǎn)上，避免氣候變化可能不是一個(gè)溫和的微調(diào)和推動(dòng)的問題。

We may have to give up cars completely. And our diets are in for a major overhaul.

我們可能不得不完全放棄汽車。我們的飲食也將進(jìn)行一次大的調(diào)整。

No mere flight of fancy, researchers suggest airships are very practical cargo haulers. (Photo: Clash_Gene/Shutterstock)

But one proposal floated by Austrian scientists in a newly published research paper doesn't seem like so much a hardship as a romantic flight of fancy.

但奧地利科學(xué)家在最新發(fā)表的一篇研究論文中提出的一個(gè)建議，與其說(shuō)是一種艱難，不如說(shuō)是一種浪漫的幻想。

In the paper, he suggests replacing maritime traffic with high-flying dirigibles. Instead of ships hauling shipments across oceans — and leaving emissions, pollutants and tainted ecosystems in their wake — we could have a sky filled with gently sailing, non-polluting zeppelins.

在論文中，他建議用高空飛艇取代海上交通。我們可以擁有一個(gè)充滿溫和航行、無(wú)污染的齊柏林飛艇的天空，而不是拖船穿越海洋，留下排放、污染物和受污染的生態(tài)系統(tǒng)。

"We are trying to reduce as much as possible emissions of carbon dioxide because of global warming," Hunt tells NBC News.

亨特對(duì)美國(guó)全國(guó)廣播公司說(shuō):“由于全球變暖，我們正在努力盡可能減少二氧化碳的排放。”

Jet streams are narrow bands of strong wind flowing westerly in the Earth's upper atmosphere. (Photo: Destiny VisPro/Shutterstock)

Airships would simply ride that powerful air current known as the jet stream around the globe. As such, the shipping lane would run in only one direction — from west to east. But, as the research team calculates, a zeppelin could haul a 20,000 ton payload around the world, dropping off cargo and returning to base in just 16 days.

飛艇只需要簡(jiǎn)單地利用這種強(qiáng)大的氣流，即全球范圍內(nèi)的急流。因此，航運(yùn)路線將只朝著一個(gè)方向運(yùn)行——從西向東。但是，根據(jù)研究小組的計(jì)算，一艘齊柏林飛艇可以攜帶2萬(wàn)噸的有效載荷環(huán)游世界，只需16天就可以放下貨物返回基地。

So why aren't we already sailing the friendly skies?

那么，為什么我們還沒有在友好的天空中航行呢?

Like, for instance, a prohibition on U.S. hydrogen airships since 1922. There's good reason for that. Hydrogen, the primary fuel for airships, is famously flammable. Even as the Austrian research team touts modern, puncture-resistant materials — and the fact that only robots would fly and unload the airships — it's hard to shake off the specter of aerial disaster.

例如，自1922年以來(lái)，美國(guó)就禁止使用氫飛艇。這是有原因的。眾所周知，飛艇的主要燃料氫是易燃的。即使奧地利的研究小組大力宣傳現(xiàn)代的防刺材料——以及只有機(jī)器人才能飛行和卸載飛艇的事實(shí)——也很難擺脫空中災(zāi)難的幽靈。

A stamp printed in Guinea shows the Graf Zeppelin, a German-built airship that operated commercially from 1928 to 1937. (Photo: Boris15/Shutterstock.com)

Which leads us to to the other wrinkle.

這就引出了另一個(gè)問題。

Airships, like the Hindenburg pictured here, were once hailed as the cruise ships of the sky. (Photo: Everett Historical/Shutterstock)

You may recall a certain catastrophe involving an airship. It was likely before anyone's time, but the downing of the Hindenburg as it tried to land in New Jersey in 1937 leaves an indelible impression. The much-ballyhooed German airship's maiden voyage across the Atlantic ended with 36 people being killed in front of hundreds of horrified eyewitnesses.

你可能還記得一場(chǎng)與飛艇有關(guān)的災(zāi)難。1937年興登堡號(hào)試圖在新澤西著陸時(shí)被擊落，給人留下了不可磨滅的印象。德國(guó)飛艇首次飛越大西洋之旅在數(shù)百名驚恐的目擊者面前結(jié)束，造成36人死亡。

For all of the airship's merits, that single image of sky-born terror was enough for the rest of the world to turn its back on what was once considered the future of travel.

盡管飛艇有這么多優(yōu)點(diǎn)，但這一天降恐怖的畫面足以讓世界其他地方對(duì)曾經(jīng)被認(rèn)為是旅游未來(lái)的景象視而不見。

The Hindenburg used flammable hydrogen for lift, which incinerated the airship in a massive fireball in 32 seconds. (Photo: Everett Historical/Shutterstock)

But perhaps, something much more subtle, but far scarier, may finally exorcise the specter of the Hindenburg. Climate change is upon us. We can't outrun it. We can't sail around it. But perhaps we can fly rather elegantly over it. At least for a little while.

但或許，更微妙、更可怕的事情，或許最終能驅(qū)散興登堡號(hào)的幽靈。氣候變化正在逼近我們。我們跑不過它。我們不能繞著它航行。但也許我們至少有一段時(shí)間可以優(yōu)雅地飛過它。