中国生态文明建设（中英对照）连载之二十
发展循环经济
本书由北京语言大学出版社出版，2014（教学课件光盘版） 作者 蒋高明
2.4.3发展循环经济
2.4.3 Developing a circular economy
前面我们讲过自然生态系统是循环的，整个生态过程没有废物，也不会出现能源危机。能不能模仿生态系统的原理建设没有废物和能源危机的经济呢？中共“十八大”提出的循环经济正是朝着这个方向所做的努力。
It was mentioned earlier that the natural ecosystem is circular, and there is no waste in the whole ecological process, not to speak of energy crisis. Can we imitate ecosystem principles to build an economy with no waste and no energy crisis? The circular economy proposed by the 18th CPC National Congress is just such a step in this direction.
美国西部是干旱区，那里有个亚利桑那州。1989～1995年期间，那里发生了人类科学史上的一件大事——生态学家设计了一个非常大胆的试验，他们要模拟地球！他们将4男4女8个科学家，完全封闭在1.5公顷的超大型“温室”中，里面设计了微城市、农田、热带雨林、海洋、荒漠、红树林，就是说，科学家创造了一个微型地球。他们要模仿地球的工作原理，证明人类必需的氧气、水、食物均来自生态系统，生态系统的过程是循环的，物质是可以循环利用的。这个大型试验被设计者称为“生物圈二号”（一号是他们模拟的对象地球）。
The western part of the United States is an arid region, typified by Arizona. Between 1989 and 1995, there occurred a major event in the history of science— ecologists designed a very bold experiment to simulate earth conditions in a laboratory setting! They installed 4 male and 4 female scientists in a 1.5-hectare gigantic “greenhouse” in which there were micro cities, farmland, rainforests, oceans, deserts, and mangroves—in other words, a miniature earth. They wanted to imitate the working mechanism of the earth, proving that oxygen, water, and food that humans need all come from the ecosystem that the ecosystem is circular, and materials can largely be recycled. This large trial was called by designers “Biosphere 2” (Biosphere 1 is the Earth they simulated).
“生物圈二号”试验计划进行4年，但进行到两年半后，试验不得不中止。科学家不得不承认，人类无法模拟地球。
The experiment was due to last 4 years, but it was halted after two-and-a-half years. Scientists had to admit that humans could not simulate the earth.
2005年10月至2006年5月，我在“生物圈二号”工作过半年，回国后写了几篇科普文章介绍了其失败的原因。根据我在“生物圈二号”实地工作的研究和分析，这个试验失败的真正原因是食物生产。这让我想到了中国的那句老话：“民以食为天”。原来，那8名实验者中没有农民，科学家们不会种地，现场有设备、肥料和种子，但他们没有农业生产的经验，他们种下去的种子收获不到足够的粮食，8名可怜的科学家饿得要吃红薯根！
From October 2005 to May 2006, I worked for “Biosphere 2” for six months, and wrote several articles to analyze the reasons for its failure after returning to China. According to my experience in the project and analysis, the fundamental reason for the failure lay in food production. This reminds me of an old saying of Chinese: food is the first necessity of life. It turned out that the 8 scientists were not farmers, and they knew nothing about farming. The equipment, fertilizers and seeds were all available; but without experience in agricultural production, they could not get hold of any food, and the 8 poor scientists even ate sweet potato roots out of their hunger.
虽然生物圈二号试验没有运行到预定的期限，但它不完全是失败的。试验充分证明了地球生物圈的工作原理：陆地植被是氧气和生态系统的能量来源；水分能够在生态系统中循环利用；生物圈中的排泄物，经过森林、海洋、湿地、荒漠、农田等进行循环，还能够继续还原为资源加以利用。
Although the Biosphere 2 experiment did not reach the primary goal, it was not a total failure. The experiment proved the earth’s working principle: terrestrial vegetation is the source of energy and oxygen of ecosystems; water can be recycled in the ecosystem; waste materials of the biosphere can be utilized as resources through recirculation by forests, oceans, wetlands, deserts, and farmlands, etc.
这个试验非常发人深省。科学家的试验证明，物质是可以循环的，废物是可以利用的。也就是说，通过循环，废物成为其他生产过程的资源和能源。循环不但能解决困扰城乡的垃圾问题，而且也是解决能源危机的根本出路。如果利用“生物圈二号”的原理，使产业循环起来，就可以建立没有能源危机、也没有废物污染的绿色经济！
This test gave food for thought. Scientists proved that matter can be recycled and the waste can be utilized. That is to say, through circulation, waste becomes energy and resources in other production processes. Circulation not only solves the garbage problem plaguing urban and rural areas, but also is the fundamental way to solve the energy crisis. If we use the principle of “Biosphere 2” in industrial recycling, then we can establish a green economy with no energy crisis and no pollution!
以农业为例。我们在2.1.4中谈到过，由于农村劳动力不足，老人妇女依靠大量使用化肥、农药、农膜、添加剂、除草剂来进行食物生产。在这个过程中，化肥、农药、农膜、添加剂、除草剂都是商品，均来自工业生产。工业生产的过程中，消耗了能源，排放了污染物；而这些产品的原料大量来自石油等化石资源，又进一步消耗了不可再生资源；大量使用除草剂和化肥，还导致除作物外的生物多样性下降，土壤酸化或板结；由于生产力不足，很多地区的农民都将秸秆一把火焚烧，不但浪费了大量的有机营养物，而且造成了大面积的粉尘污染。秋收季节，狼烟四起，甚至引起飞机无法起飞，高速公路无法通车。
Take agriculture as an example. It was said in 2.1.4 that, due to lack of rural labor, the elderly and women farmers rely heavily on chemical fertilizers, pesticides, agricultural films, additives, and herbicides for food production. These are all commodities coming from industrial production. During the industrial production process there is energy consumption and pollutant emission; a large amount of raw materials of these products come from petroleum and other fossil fuels which in turn consumes non-renewable resources; extensive use of herbicides and fertilizers lead to the decrease of crop biodiversity, soil acidification or compaction; due to lack of productivity, farmers in many areas burn straw, which is not only a waste of organic nutrients, but also causes dust pollution over a large area. In the harvest season, the heavy smoke can even cause difficulties for aviation and road transportation.
另一方面，这种产业模式下生产出的食物因为难以避免农药残留，本来用水就可以清洗的食物，食用之前还需要使用清洁剂清洗，进一步增加了来自化学原料的产品的消耗，带来了能源消耗与环境污染。此外，这种产业模式下生产后的土地，因为大量使用农药、化肥和除草剂，加上农膜的残留，造成耕地退化，土地越来越贫瘠，自身营养能力下降，从而需要补充更多的化肥，形成恶性循环；这样的土地，保水能力非常差，会更多地消耗本已紧张的水资源……
On the other hand, food from this mode of production needs to be washed by detergents rather than just in clean water due to pesticide residues, which further increases consumption of products manufactured with chemicals as the raw material and aggravates the energy consumption and environmental pollution situation. In addition, the heavy use of pesticides, fertilizers and herbicides, plus the residual from agricultural films, results in degradation of arable land. The land becomes more and more barren and the self-nutritional capacity declines, thus calling for more fertilizer and in the end creating a vicious cycle; such land is weak in water retention and will consume more of the already strained water supply.
为了解决化学农业带来的严重生态环境污染和食品安全问题，我们在山东省平邑县建立了生态循环农业试验基地。研究结果显示，发展生态循环农业可以大大减少化学物质的投入。
In order to solve the serious environmental pollution and food safety issues caused by chemical agriculture, an ecological circular agricultural experiment base was set up in Pingyi County, Shandong Province. The results showed that the development of ecological circular agriculture could greatly reduce the input of chemicals.
农田废弃的秸秆用来养牛，每头牛可以生产1万斤鲜牛粪，能够替代200斤化肥。综合利用有机肥可以提高土壤的健康状况和自身营养能力，健康土壤中的大量有机质和细菌，还可以固定工业活动产生的碳，使广大的农田成为碳汇资源。将化学农业改为有机农业，充分实现能量流动和元素循环，减轻了化学产品使用造成的环境压力，耕地碳净排放由2.7 吨CO2当量/公顷/年，变成净吸收8.8 吨CO2当量/公顷/年，前后相差11.5吨CO2当量/公顷/年！
Abandoned farmland straw can be used for feeding cattle, and every head of cattle can produce 5,000 kilograms of fresh cow dung able to replace 100 kilograms of fertilizers. Comprehensive utilization of organic fertilizer can improve the condition of the soil and nutritional ability; and lots of organic matter and bacteria in healthy soil can absorb carbon produced in industrial activities, so that the farmland can become a carbon sink resource. To change chemical farming into organic farming, to fully realize the energy flow and element cycling can release the pressure on the environment caused by the use of chemical products, the net carbon emissions by lands turning from 2.7 tons of CO2 equivalent/hectare/year to a net absorption of 8.8 tons of CO2equivalent/hectare/year, a difference of 11.5 tons of CO2 equivalent/hectare/year!
除此之外，生态循环农业因为恢复了健康的农田生态系统，使得各种生物能够在土地上生存。生物多样性使生态平衡重新建立，从而使农药的使用量减少到零。不使用农药，减少了很多的环境污染和食物安全风险。
Moreover, thanks to the restoration of a healthy ecosystem by ecological circular agriculture, all kinds of creatures can survive on the land. Biodiversity re-establishes the ecological balance, so that the amount of pesticide use will be reduced to zero, in turn greatly reducing environmental pollution and food safety risks.
实际上，仅从碳排放一项指标来看，从化学农业向生态循环农业的产业转变，可以从根本上解决这个产业的能源问题和污染问题。实践证明，优化发展格局，转变产业形式，发展循环经济，是发展绿色经济，让GDP真正绿起来的根本手段。只有这样，才能够让人类社会永续健康地发展下去。
In fact, with only the indicator of carbon emission in mind, the transformation from chemical agriculture to ecological circular agriculture can radically solve the energy and pollution problems of this industry. Practice has proved that, to optimize the development pattern, to change the industrial form and to develop a circular economy are the fundamental means to develop a green economy and a green GDP. Only in this way can we realize the sustainable and healthy development of the human society.
