沙烏地阿拉伯的水資源危機：英語精讀講義

For many people, Saudi Arabia is known for its oil, 片語搭配

對許多人來說，沙烏地阿拉伯以其石油聞名，

the pool of liquid that has brought wealth to the authoritarian led absolute monarchy. 片語搭配

這池液體為這個專制領導的絕對君主制國家帶來了財富。

But there is another valuable resource beneath the dry Arabian desert,

但在乾燥的阿拉伯沙漠之下，還有另一種寶貴的資源，

namely groundwater, which enables huge agricultural areas to be cultivated 講解

那就是地下水，它使得大片農業區得以開墾，

in the middle of the desert.

即使是在沙漠中心。

There are only 18 countries

世界上只有18個國家

on the planet without rivers.

沒有河流。

Saudi Arabia is by far the largest of them. 片語搭配

沙烏地阿拉伯是其中迄今為止最大的一個。

The case with a lot of these countries

這些國家中的許多情況是，

is that they are small island nations

它們是小島國，

that often do not have high landforms

通常沒有高聳的地形，

where rivers could arise.

無法發源河流。

In the Gulf region,

在海灣地區，

it's a different story. 慣用語

情況則有所不同。

Here,

在這裡，

the landscape is characterized by the Arabian desert. 片語搭配

地貌以阿拉伯沙漠為特徵。

By definition, 表達脈絡

根據定義，

a river is a permanently flowing body of water.

河流是常年流動的水體。

In Saudi Arabia,

在沙烏地阿拉伯，

there are so-called wadis. 用詞

存在所謂的「乾谷（Wadis）」。

These are dried up riverbeds, 片語動詞

這些是乾涸的河床，

some of them,

其中一些，

through which water flows seasonally.

會有水季節性地流過。

For example,

例如，

the Wadi Hanifa,

哈尼法乾谷（Wadi Hanifa），

which runs through the country's capital, Riyadh. 片語動詞

它流經該國首都利雅德。

This map shows elevation in Saudi Arabia.

這張地圖顯示了沙烏地阿拉伯的海拔。

The Asir Mountains stretch along the coast to the Red Sea. 片語搭配

阿西爾山脈沿著海岸一直延伸到紅海。

Here,

在這裡，

the climate is cooler,

氣候較涼爽，

and during the Indian Ocean's monsoon season,

在印度洋季風季節期間，

there is significant rain in this area,

該地區會有大量降雨，

as visible by this precipitation map.

正如這張降水圖所示。

Due to water scarcity, 片語搭配

由於水資源短缺，

it is an enormous challenge for Saudi Arabia to maintain agriculture

維持農業生產對沙烏地阿拉伯來說是一項巨大挑戰，

and avoid being almost completely dependent on imports. 文法

還要避免幾乎完全依賴進口。

In order to more efficiently use rainfall for agriculture and water supply, 文法

為了更有效地利用降雨進行農業生產和供水，

several dams were built, 文法

該國修建了幾座水壩，

especially in the southwest of the country,

特別是在該國西南部，

creating reservoirs.

建造了水庫。

Noteworthy is the Baish Dam,

值得注意的是拜什大壩（Baish Dam），

as well as the King Fahad Dam,

以及法赫德國王大壩（King Fahad Dam），

which has the largest reservoir in the country.

後者擁有該國最大的水庫。

In the rest of the country,

在該國其他地區，

rain is both rare and irregular 文法

降雨既稀少又無規律，

and is therefore not sufficient for maintaining profitable livestock and agriculture. 片語搭配

因此不足以維持有利可圖的畜牧業和農業。

In the 1970s and 1980s,

在20世紀70年代和80年代，

there was a political desire to gain self-sufficiency, 片語搭配

出於實現自給自足的政治意願，

and the country pushed ahead with a number of initiatives 片語動詞

該國推進了一系列倡議

to modernize the agricultural sector.

以實現農業部門的現代化。

And if you look at the desert from space,

如果你從太空觀察這片沙漠，

you now see large agricultural areas

你現在會看到大片的農業區

full of crop circles that result from the center pivot irrigation. 片語搭配

佈滿因中心樞軸灌溉而形成的圓形農田。

The water required for this is pumped from deep below the surface,

這所需的水是從地表深處抽取的，

from aquifers that filled up during the Ice Age, 片語動詞

來自冰河時期形成的含水層，

when climate in this region was significantly cooler.

當時該地區的氣候要涼爽得多。

With the help of this water,

在這些水資源的幫助下，

which accumulated thousands of years ago,

這些在幾千年前積聚的水，

large areas can be used for agriculture.

使得大片土地可用於農業。

But there are also lots of difficulties.

但也存在很多困難。

After all, 表達脈絡

畢竟，

the groundwater in this region is virtually non-renewable 用詞

該地區的地下水幾乎是不可再生的，

because there hardly is any rain.

因為那裡幾乎沒有降雨。

Saudi Arabia is suffering from a rapid depletion of water in its underground aquifers, 片語搭配

沙烏地阿拉伯正遭受地下含水層水資源迅速枯竭的困擾，

and the country's agriculture sector is disintegrating.

該國的農業部門正在瓦解。

The groundwater level at the Al-Ahsa aquifer

艾哈薩（Al-Ahsa）含水層的地下水位

has dropped by 150 m, 片語搭配

已經下降了150公尺，

which is about 490 ft,

約合490英尺，

within just 25 years. 片語搭配

僅僅在25年內。

And the circular green fields in the desert are rapidly fading.

沙漠中圓形的綠色田野正在迅速褪色。

In 2008,

在2008年，

Saudi Arabia had to adjust course. 慣用語

沙烏地阿拉伯不得不調整路線。

They gave up on the idea of turning their deserts into fertile farmland. 片語動詞

他們放棄了將沙漠變成肥沃農田的想法。

This statistic shows the annual wheat production in Saudi Arabia.

這項統計數據顯示了沙烏地阿拉伯的小麥年產量。

The reforms of the 1980s led to an immense increase, 片語搭配

20世紀80年代的改革導致產量大幅增加，

but ever since 2008, 文法

但自2008年以來，

this number went completely down.

這個數字徹底下降了。

And when we lay over the amount of imported wheat,

當我們將進口小麥的數量疊加起來時，

we see the change in strategy that occurred in 2008.

我們看到了2008年發生的戰略轉變。

The Initiative for Agricultural Investment Abroad was launched.

《海外農業投資倡議》由此啟動。

The goal is to buy and manage land in other countries

目標是在其他國家購買和管理土地，

in order to save water at home.

以便在國內節約水資源。

Saudi food companies are acquiring farmland in Argentina 用詞

沙烏地的食品公司正在阿根廷收購農田，

and through subsidiary companies in Arizona and California. 用詞

並透過位於亞利桑那州和加利福尼亞州的子公司進行收購。

They mainly grow alfalfa hay,

他們主要種植苜蓿乾草，

which is then imported to Saudi Arabia and used as cow feed. 片語搭配

然後將其進口到沙烏地阿拉伯並用作乳牛飼料。

And by doing it this way,

透過這種方式，

they don't have to stress their own aquifers so much. 講解

他們不必讓自己的含水層承受這麼大的壓力。

So, essentially,

所以，本質上，

they are importing water. 慣用語

他們是在進口水資源。

They also lease land in Sudan, 用詞

他們還在蘇丹租賃土地，

as well as in Zambia and to a large extent in Ethiopia. 片語搭配

以及在尚比亞，並在很大程度上在衣索比亞租賃。

There already is a lease between the Saudi Star PLC

沙烏地之星公共有限公司（Saudi Star PLC）已經簽署了一項租賃協議，

for an area of 140,000 ha in Ethiopia.

租借了衣索比亞140,000公頃的土地。

And the long-term goal of the Saudi company

而這家沙烏地公司的長期目標是

is to rent up to 500,000 ha. 片語搭配

租用多達500,000公頃的土地。

Such investments can create water conflict, 用詞

此類投資可能會引發水資源衝突，

as many of the regions in which land is leased 文法

因為許多租賃土地的地區

already suffer from water shortages themselves.

其本身就已經飽受水資源短缺之苦。

To guarantee water supply for its citizens,

為了保證公民的供水，

Saudi Arabia is also heavily investing in seawater desalination. 講解

沙烏地阿拉伯還在海水淡化方面投入了大量資金。

It is now the largest producer of desalinated water in the world.

它現在是世界上最大的淡化水生產國。

So, for example,

因此，舉例來說，

the majority of water in Medina

麥地那的大部分水

is pumped there from a desalination plant on the Red Sea.

是從紅海的一個海水淡化廠泵送過去的。

Drinking water in the capital, Riyadh,

首都利雅德的飲用水

mainly comes from the Jubail desalination plant on the Persian Gulf,

主要來自波斯灣的朱拜勒（Jubail）海水淡化廠，

roughly 500 km or 310 mi away,

該廠距離約500公里或310英里，

from where it is pumped inland via pipeline. 文法

水從那裡透過管道泵送至內陸。

And as of January 2019, 片語搭配

截至2019年1月，

this plant alone produces around 1.4 million cubic meters of water every single day.

僅這家工廠每天就能生產約140萬立方公尺的水。

The water supply in Saudi Arabia is heavily subsidized. 用詞

沙烏地阿拉伯的供水得到了巨額補貼。

The government has commissioned a number of private companies 用詞

政府已經委託了許多私營公司

from all over the world for these desalination plants.

這些來自世界各地的公司來建設這些海水淡化廠。

In order to keep the costs low for the consumer, 片語搭配

為了降低消費者的成本，

the government buys the water from these companies

政府從這些公司購買水，

and sells it to households at a significantly lower price.

並以極低的價格出售給家庭。

There are efforts to increase these household tariffs in order to create more incentives for water saving, 講解

雖然有努力提高這些家庭水費以創造更多節水誘因，

but a tariff increase is unpopular,

但提高水費是不受歡迎的，

and the last time tariffs were raised in 2016,

上次提高水費是在2016年，

the price increase led to an uproar 片語搭配

價格上漲引起了軒然大波，

and the eventual replacement of the water minister.

並最終導致水利部長被撤換。

A common method for desalination of seawater is through thermal desalination. 文法

海水淡化的一種常見方法是透過熱力淡化。

There are a number of different technical processes here,

這裡有許多不同的技術工藝，

but basically it's achieved by boiling water 文法

但基本上它是透過將水煮沸來實現的，

and therefore separating it from the salt.

從而將水與鹽分離。

The other, more energy-efficient method,

另一種更節能的方法是，

is desalination through reverse osmosis. 用詞

透過逆滲透進行海水淡化。

In reverse osmosis,

在逆滲透中，

the seawater is pressurized and forced through a membrane, 用詞

海水被加壓並被迫通過一層膜，

which only lets through the water molecules 片語動詞

這層膜只讓水分子通過，

and therefore separates them from the salt.

從而將它們與鹽分離。

Currently,

目前，

about half of the drinking water in Saudi Arabia comes from desalination.

沙烏地阿拉伯大約一半的飲用水來自海水淡化。

But as plausible as desalination may seem, 文法

但是，儘管海水淡化似乎很有道理，

there are a number of disadvantages to it,

它還是有許多缺點，

especially in terms of its environmental impact. 片語搭配

尤其是在其對環境的影響方面。

A byproduct of the desalination process is brine, 用詞

海水淡化過程的一個副產品是滷水，

which is the heavy salt concentration liquid

這是高濃度鹽分的液體，

that is left over at the end. 片語動詞

在最後被殘留下來。

This wastewater brine is usually returned to the ocean,

這種廢水滷水通常會被排回海洋，

where it can create environmental damage.

並在那裡造成環境破壞。

Saudi Arabia is able to desalinate large amounts of water

沙烏地阿拉伯能夠淡化大量的水，

because it can produce the necessary energy using fossil fuels.

是因為它可以使用化石燃料產生必要的能源。

In thermal desalination,

在熱力淡化中，

fossil fuels are used to generate the necessary heat. 文法

化石燃料被用來產生所需的熱量。

And in reverse osmosis,

在逆滲透中，

the electricity necessary is largely produced using natural gas.

所需的電力主要使用天然氣產生。

So,

所以，

these are not particularly sustainable approaches to solve the water problem. 語氣意圖

這些並不是解決水資源問題的特別永續的方法。

Saudi Arabia is therefore also investing in solar power desalination plants,

因此，沙烏地阿拉伯也在投資太陽能海水淡化廠，

such as the world's largest in Al Khafji.

例如位於海夫吉（Al Khafji）的世界最大太陽能淡化廠。

But the country is still very dependent on fossil fuels

但該國仍然非常依賴化石燃料

and fossil waters. 用詞

以及化石水資源。

And the importance of finding sustainable solutions to these enormous challenges 文法

為這些巨大挑戰尋找永續解決方案的重要性，

is demonstrated by the depletion of groundwater levels in the previous decades.

已經被過去幾十年中地下水位的枯竭所證明。