核能是我们抛弃化石燃料的最大希望

核能是最安全、最清洁的能源形式之一，但对大多数人来说，可能并不是这样。这是为什么？伊莎贝拉·博梅克（Isabelle Boemeke）是世界上第一位核能影响者，也是社交媒体人物伊索多普（Isodop）的创造者，她巧妙地揭穿了对核能的主要反对意见，并解释了她对人们进行清洁能源教育的非传统方式。

My life completely changed with one tweet. This was back in 2015 when Twitter was mostly a place we went to see what Kanye was mad about. But then I saw it. A tweet by a scientist I deeply admire, Dr. Carolyn Porco. Wait, I thought nuclear energy was bad. Yet here is a scientist and a TED speaker making it sound good. It sent me on a journey, I spent years reading papers, talking to scientists, and I always asked them the same question: What do you think about nuclear power? Their responses were shockingly similar. It's good. We need it. People hate it.

我的生活因为一条推特 而彻底改变。 这事要追溯到 2015 年。 当时，我们浏览 Twitter 就是去看看 坎爷 (Kanye West) 又在发什么疯。 然后，我看到了那条推特。 发这条推特的是 我非常敬仰的一名科学家， 卡罗琳·波尔科 (Carolyn Porco) 博士。 不是，我当时以为 核能是不好的。 但是，身为科学家 和 TED 讲者的卡罗琳 却在说核能的好处。 由此开启了我 阅读相关论文 和与科学家对话的旅程。 对话中，我总会问的 一个问题就是： 你是怎么看核能的？ 而他们的回应 也总是惊人地相似。 核能很好。 我们需要它。 但大众却讨厌它。

In the last seven years, I've seen climate change go from being a scary thing of the future to being a scary thing of the present. My wake-up call came after seeing the fires ravage the world in California, in Australia and in my home country of Brazil. I decided I wanted to turn my growing sense of anger and despair into something helpful and productive.

在过去的 7 年里， 我亲眼目睹了气候变化 这件可怕的事 从远在天边 变得近在眼前。 那敲醒我的当头一棒 就是肆虐全球的山火， 加利佛尼亚州、澳大利亚， 以及我的家乡巴西 都无一幸免。 我决定要将自己 日益积攒的愤怒和绝望 转化为一点实用 和高效的东西。

So I had an unusual idea: I should be a nuclear energy influencer.I wanted to make nuclear energy cool.

于是乎我有了一个 不寻常的想法： 我应该成为一个 推广核能的网红。 我想让核能看起来很酷。

Inspired by internet culture, I created a digital version of me and called her Isodope.

我在互联网文化的影响之下， 创建了一个数字身份， 叫 Isodope。

She's sassy, a little weird, but she always tells the truth. And here, you can see her in action.

她自信中带着点无理， 还有点怪异， 但她总是讲真话。 下面就让我们看看 她的表演。

(Video) Hey, guys, a lot of you asked about my make-up routine.The most important thing is to wash your face really well,because we want those pores as clean as we want our electricity. And the best way to get that is to use this cleanser called -- stop shutting down nuclear plants, for Christ's sake. It's carbon-free, emission-free, pollution-free electricity. Then I use this plant-based serum called -- when a nuclear plant is shut down, it is replaced by fossil fuels. That's bad.

（视频）嗨，大家好， 很多人想知道我的化妆步骤。 最重要的就是 脸一定要洗干净， 因为我们要确保毛孔 和我们的电力一样清洁。而法宝就是 使用这款洁面产品， 叫做“帮帮忙吧， 不要再关停核电厂了”。 其产出的可是零碳排、 零排污、零污染的“清洁”电能。 洁面后，我用的是这款 纯植物提取精华， 叫做“核电厂（词同‘植物’）关闭后， 取而代之的是化石燃料。 这很糟糕。”

Isodope is like a dealer of good memes. When I say meme, you probably think of something like this.

Isodope 就像是一个 网络梗图经销商。 当我说道网络梗图时， 你想到的可能是这个。

What I mean by it is a fixed belief or idea, good or bad, that spreads from person to person and defines how we see the world. For example, people should have equal rights. Birds aren't real. It's a thing.

而我所指的是 那些在人群中传播，并塑造我们对世界看法的 既定观念和想法（不论好坏）。 比如，人们应当拥有 平等的权利。 鸟类并不真实存在。 这个说法已经流行开了。

Nuclear energy is bad.

核能不好。

When it comes to nuclear power, the world has been sold a bad meme. An outdated one. Let's go back in time. It all started with the anti-nuclear movement of the 1970s. The movement was driven in large part by an understandable fear of nuclear weapons. And I get it. It must have been terrifying to grow up in the '50s and '60s fearing a nuclear attack. But here's the problem. Their logic was: nuclear bombs are bad, therefore nuclear energy is bad. Which, if you think about it, is like saying: the electric chair is bad, therefore electricity is bad. The case against nuclear power was never based on science, but the anti-nuclear meme was very catchy. In the decades that followed,aspiring engineers didn't choose nuclear engineering. Politicians got points for closing nuclear plants, even though it always led to higher carbon emissions. The meme even snuck into people's homes, every Sunday night at eight, without them knowing.

而在核能上， 整个世界都受到了 一个负面热梗的影响。 还是一个 已经过时的梗。 让我们来回顾一下。 一切都始于 1970 年代的反核运动。 推动这一运动的 一大因素是 人们对于核武器的 合理的恐惧。 这我能理解。 成长于五六十年代 一定是一种可怕的经历， 时时担心遭到核武器攻击。 但问题就在于， 他们的逻辑是： 既然核武器是坏的， 那么核能就不会好。 你仔细想想，这就好比说： 电椅是坏的， 所以电也是坏的。 对核能的针对 从来不是基于科学，但是反核相关的梗 倒是很引人注目。 在随后的几十年里， 多少满怀抱负的工程师 因此没有选择核工程。 即使关停核电站 一定会导致碳排的增加， 但政客依然会因此 而获得政治加分。 而关于反核的梗 甚至在不知不觉中， 于每周日晚八点 溜进了人们的家中。

I wish Homer had worked at a coal plant.

我真希望荷马 是在一家火电厂工作。

In the last 10 years, we have spent trillions of dollars on renewables, yet we only get eight percent of our electricity from wind and solar. Now, don't get me wrong, I love renewables, but to me, it's clear that we need more. We need a source of energy that's clean and works 24/7 to complement them. And it's been sitting right in front of us this whole time, but we have ignored itbecause we're too blinded by the meme.

在过去的十年中， 我们在可再生能源上 花费了数千亿， 但却只有 8% 的电能 来自于风能和太阳能。 大家别误会， 我爱可再生能源，但在我看来，它无法满足 我们的需求。 我们需要一种 清洁、全天候不间断的能源 来与可再生能源互补。 这种能源一直都在 我们眼前， 但我们却一直视而不见， 因为我们被 各种烂梗蒙蔽了双眼。

Now most people today aren't exactly anti-nuclear as much as they’re “meh.” Not passionately against it, but they've heard of Chernobyl. They've seen images of leaking green barrels. They have a vague feeling it's bad. And remember, that's where I used to be. Until I saw this chart. The only thing you need to take away from this chart is that nuclear power has the lowest life cycle emissions of all energy sources, producing only three tons of CO2 per gigawatt hour of electricity. And I could keep talking like this all day long, but let's be real, this is not changing minds on social media. So I do things a little bit differently.

如今的人对待核能的态度 并不是反对， 而是漠然。 他们并非旗帜鲜明地反对， 但也都听说过切尔诺贝利核事故。 他们看过正在泄漏的 绿色油桶的图片。 他们隐约感觉这东西不好。 而我曾经也是他们中的一员。 直到我看到了这张图。 看完这张图 你只需要记住一点， 即在所有的能源中， 核能的生命周期碳排 是最低的。 产生一千兆瓦时的电能 仅排放 3 吨二氧化碳。 这么讲我能讲一天， 但说实话， 这改变不了社交媒体上 人们的想法。 所以我另辟蹊径。

(Video) The reality is that nuclear is one of the safest forms of energy. The problem is that nuclear accidents are dramatic.While fossil fuel damage is boring. I'm literally falling asleep talking about it. Recent studies say that 8.7 million people die from burning them every year. This would be like having 5.8 Chernobyls a day. I'm just a humble influencer, but I think this means fossil fuels are worse.

（视频）事实上，核能 是最安全的能源之一。 而问题在于， 核能事故非常戏剧化， 化石燃料带来的伤害 就要无聊得多。 讲着讲着 我都要睡着了。 最新研究显示，燃烧化石燃料 每年导致 870 万人死亡。 这相当于每天发生 5.8 个切尔诺贝利事故。 虽然我只是 一个小小的网红， 但我觉得这说明了 化石燃料要更糟糕。

Most people have a feeling airplanes are more dangerous than cars because when a plane crashes, it makes the headlines. It's memorable. Of course, we know the opposite is true. Planes are significantly safer than cars, just like nuclear power is significantly safer than fossil fuels.

大多数人感觉 飞机比汽车更危险， 因为飞机坠毁 是要上头条的，更容易让人记住。 显然，我们知道 飞机要更安全。 飞机的安全系数 要远高于汽车。 同理，核能也要比 化石燃料安全得多。

In this next video, Isodope will address the idea that we don't know what to do with nuclear waste.

下面这个视频里， Isodope 针对回应的是 我们不知道如何处理 核废料的这一观点。

(Video) I'm sure you don't know what to do with it, but there are people who spent decades studying this issue. They're called scientists. Finland is almost done building the world's first nuclear waste repository. They're storing it deep underground in geologically stable locations. Sweden is about to do the same. I know you're worried about what may happen 19,000 years from now, but ...

（视频）你当然不知道 该怎么处理核废料， 但花费数十年从事 该领域研究的大有人在。 他们叫做科学家。 芬兰已经快要建成 世界上第一个 核废料处置库。 它们被储藏在地下深处 地质结构稳定的部位。 瑞典也将紧随 芬兰的脚步。 我知道，你可能在担心 19,000 年后会发生什么，但……

Again, just a humble influencer, but we might not make it that far if we keep burning fossil fuels.

还是那句话， 我只是个小小的网红， 但接着烧化石燃料的话， 我们可能都活不了这么久。

By the way, most think nuclear energy waste looks like this. It actually looks like this. Fully contained in concrete casks that are so good at blocking radiation I might do a photo shoot there.

顺嘴一说，大多数人认为 核废料长这样。 但它实际上长这样。 核废料被完全包裹在 混凝土制成的桶中， 这些桶能够很好的阻断辐射， 所以我才能在那里拍照。

Now, a more modern objection to nuclear power is that it's too slow. It takes too long to build. Well, I'm sure Isodope has something to say about that.

反对核能的一个 更新潮的理由是 它太慢了。 修建核电厂太耗时。我觉得 Isodope 关于这点 一定也有话要说。

(Video) (Isodope claps) Finally, an argument that isn't older than me. Unfortunately, it still sucks. In the '70s, France built 45 reactors in 15 years. More recently, Japan, China and Korea have built reactors in six years or less. So this means BTS is blow-drying their hair with clean energy. Even if it takes 10 years to build one, nuclear power plants can make clean and reliable electricity for at least 80 years.

（视频） （Isodope 的掌声） 总算是有点新鲜的东西了。 不幸的是， 这个理由依然很逊。 1970 年代，法国用了 15 年 建造了 45 个核反应堆。 但近代，日本、中国和韩国建造核反应堆 只花了 6 年或更短的时间。 也就是说，BTS 吹头发 用的都是清洁能源。 即使建一座 核电站要 10 年， 但它可在 80 年 或更长的时间里 持续产生清洁、可靠的电能。

This idea that it takes too long to build plants is confusing,considering we're going to need energy forever. You know, the best time to build nuclear plants was 10 years ago. The next best time is today.

这种修建核电厂很耗时的观念 让人摸不着头脑， 因为我们对能源的需求 是永恒的。 你知道吗， 修建核电站的最好时机 是 10 年前。下一个最好时机， 就是现在。

Now we’ve finally arrived at the most fashionable objection at the moment: nuclear power is too expensive. I'm going to take that one. A little weird to say something is too expensive to save the future of our species, but I get it, cost matters. Here's the thing.We know how to make clean energy cheaper. It's not rocket science. You build the same thing over and over and over. Solar, 10 years ago, was also considered "too expensive," but we decided it was cool and invested in it. Like magic, the costs have dropped by 90 percent. One way to make nuclear cheaper is with small modular reactors like these. China just finished building their own version. Poland will use a similar technology to convert their aging coal plants into nuclear plants. They'll use the same building, the same transmission lines, even retrain the same workers. But now making clean energy instead of buying dirty fuels from dictators.

我们终于说到关于反对核电站的 最时髦的理由： 核能太贵了。 这一点由我本人来回应。 说一件能够拯救 人类未来的东西太贵， 多少有点奇怪。 但我能理解， 成本很重要。 但老实说， 我们知道如何降低 清洁能源的成本。 并不是什么 高精尖的科技。 反复不停地建设就行。 10 年前，人们同样认为 太阳能“太昂贵”， 但我们投资了 这项很酷的技术。 而它的成本也像魔术一般 降低了 90%。 降低核能成本的方法之一就是 使用这种模块化的小型反应堆。 中国已经建成了 自己的版本。 波兰将会使用类似的技术 将其不断老化的火电厂 改造为核电厂。 它们将使用原有的建筑 和电力传输线路， 甚至保留原有的工人。 这么一来，波兰就能 自己生产清洁能源， 而无需从独裁者手中 购买肮脏的化石燃料。

Which leads me to a crazy idea. What if instead of viewing nuclear power as destructive, we view it as a force for energy independence and even peace. What if this technology offers our best hope for the future? A future where wars aren't funded by our addiction to fossil fuels. A future where energy is clean. A future where electricity finally makes its way to the 700 million people on Earth who still don't have access to it. The idea that nuclear power is bad is costing us that future. And it's time to let go of it.

这让我有了一个 疯狂的想法。 如果我们不将核能 看作是毁灭性的， 而将其视为实现能源独立， 甚至是和平的途径。 如果核能技术是我们 通向未来的最大的希望呢？ 在这样的未来里，战争不至因我们对 化石燃料的极度依赖而起。 在这样的未来里， 我们有着清洁的能源， 在这样的未来里， 地球上最后的那 700 万 还没有用上电的人， 终于用上了电。 认为核能很坏的这一观念 正摧毁这一未来。 是时候改变这一观念了。

I'm not asking you to build a reactor. I'm not asking you to rewrite "The Simpsons."

我不是要大家 去亲手建设核电站， 也不是要大家去重写 《辛普森一家》的剧本。

I'm not even asking you to sign a petition on Change.org. All I'm asking you is to please, join me in spreading the meme. Nuclear energy is cool. Thank you.

我甚至不要求大家 去 Change.org 上签请愿书。 我只是想请大家和我一起 转发传播这些梗图。 核能很酷。 谢谢。