2009年2月12日星期四
2009年2月9日星期一
Carbon Trade 的问题
最近碳排放权交易方案在欧盟又成为了热门话题，部分原因是即将于年底在哥本哈根召开的[气候峰会](http://en.cop15.dk/)，更重要的原因是越来越多的人对这个方案的效果提出了质疑。就连一向支持碳排放权交易的能源公司发言人也指责碳交易有可能[成为新的次级投资](http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/jan/30/eu-carbon-trading-scheme)，更有人提出应该将碳交易制度[全盘推翻](http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/feb/01/emissionstrading-carbonoffsetprojects)。碳交易制度面临的问题，反映了将二氧化碳作为金融产品带入经济活动的过程中的困难。由于各种单位产值不同的经济活动都会产生数量不等的碳排放，为了建立一个实际可运行的统一碳市场，只有人为地规定配额和单位碳排放的价值。这个定价已经多次被指责为脱离了市场经济的实际，因此欧盟在去年底降低了配额总量，以确保碳排放的价值不会降低到损害减排积极性的水平。但时隔不久，碳交易价格就[再度崩溃](http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/feb/07/cost-carbon-credits-falls)。当前的经济形势决定了碳排放的总量在没有有意干预的情况下也会降低，而碳配额没有对此及时作出反应，使得大部分碳交易的参与者都有排放权可供出售，造成市场崩盘。在一般的市场活动中不待见计划经济的欧盟，在碳交易市场的设计上好像倒不自觉地采用了计划经济的手段，试图制定一个统一的碳排放帽子（cap）来处理纷繁复杂的经济活动，结果吃力不讨好。
如果说一个不合适的碳配额拖延了减排进程的话，那么欧盟[排放交易制度](http://ec.europa.eu/environment/climat/emission.htm)（ETS）规定的可以用发展低碳能源和生产技术替代实际减排的做法可能实际上会导致企业离减排目标越来越远。通过允许世界各国用京都会议规定的清洁发展机制（Clean Development Mechanism, CDM）节能项目来换取碳排放配额，ETS 实际上允许企业一边建设利用可持续能源的手段，一方面用换来的碳配额继续发展高排放的工业和项目。从理论上说，ETS 是把不该内部化的企业用于减排的投资内部化了，这部分投资的收益应该体现在减少的碳排放费用，但现在可以反而用来换取更多的配额和金钱。欧盟在减排问题上想当世界领头羊的愿望，这次让他们制定了一个自挖墙脚的政策。
ETS 制度关于换取排放配额的规定可以改变，但是计划经济式的总配额要改进很困难。比较可行的也许是碳税制度，不过在目前的经济环境下，碳税带来的消费减少的副作用，又跟各国政府刺激消费的手段背道而驰。当然，刺激消费还有别的办法，推动减排的办法却不多，而且科学界早已指出，[信贷危机不应阻碍对气候变化采取行动](http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2009/02/fred-pearce-senior-environment.html)。
如果说一个不合适的碳配额拖延了减排进程的话，那么欧盟[排放交易制度](http://ec.europa.eu/environment/climat/emission.htm)（ETS）规定的可以用发展低碳能源和生产技术替代实际减排的做法可能实际上会导致企业离减排目标越来越远。通过允许世界各国用京都会议规定的清洁发展机制（Clean Development Mechanism, CDM）节能项目来换取碳排放配额，ETS 实际上允许企业一边建设利用可持续能源的手段，一方面用换来的碳配额继续发展高排放的工业和项目。从理论上说，ETS 是把不该内部化的企业用于减排的投资内部化了，这部分投资的收益应该体现在减少的碳排放费用，但现在可以反而用来换取更多的配额和金钱。欧盟在减排问题上想当世界领头羊的愿望，这次让他们制定了一个自挖墙脚的政策。
ETS 制度关于换取排放配额的规定可以改变，但是计划经济式的总配额要改进很困难。比较可行的也许是碳税制度，不过在目前的经济环境下，碳税带来的消费减少的副作用，又跟各国政府刺激消费的手段背道而驰。当然，刺激消费还有别的办法，推动减排的办法却不多，而且科学界早已指出，[信贷危机不应阻碍对气候变化采取行动](http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2009/02/fred-pearce-senior-environment.html)。
2009年2月4日星期三
2009年1月30日星期五
Defiance: Landscape of War
The history of Belorussia in World War II is largely ignored at best. Given that, it has become so much harder to depict the story of the Bielski Partisans on the big screen. Only the fact is clear: that the Bielski brothers managed to save over 1,200 Jewish people by hiding in the Nalibocka forest from the mean war machine of the Nazis. What the Partisans did was hardly imaginable today, and may involve some extreme moral challenges that cannot be pictured without causing a emotional discomfort of the audiences.
Good for the director Edward Zwick, he did not mean to compare the Bielskis with Steven Spielberg's German [Righteous among the Nations](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Righteous_Among_the_Nations) Oskar Schindler, nor did he want to produce a sentimental and moving epic as *Schindler's List*. He was very clear about the idea of the picture when he set out to make it: to tell a story about how Jewish people defy their fate of being slaughtered, not that about their being killed and rescued by Germans.
The story-telling may not be a *tour de force* like that of *Schindler's List*, nor does the film has a nemesis character like Amon Goeth, yet the viewing pleasure is not reduced. As always, Edward Zwick did not insert a stereotype evil character into his film, but throw us directly into the historical and ethnic environment of the movie's settings, and reveal layers and layers of conflicts. Again in this movie he managed to depict complex interaction between multitudes of humanity and a dramatic age full of overwhelming events, while keeping the audiences' fist clenched and them sitting at the edge of the chair.
A central conflict in this movie is brought to the face of our protagonists by their very purpose: to survive and defy the fate that has descended on their nation. In the huge, all-devouring grinder of the war, to escape being victims, the only way is to become the ones who impose destruction on the enemies. This brings the fundamental conflict into play: to what extent can one gain power while sustaining empathy and humanity. All the other conflicts, such as those between Jewish combatant and non-combatant, and between Jewish and German people, are all developed around the fundamental conflict. These conflicts work as prisms, which refract multiple facets of human nature, which makes the landscape of war more alive and more realistic. The behaviours of the groups of Jew is no longer innocent or morally perfect as some other war movies depicted, but are convincing and arousing compassion.
The director has done a good job telling a story of people in desperate conditions, and was greatly helped by a group of great actors, although many of them are not famous. Although not without caveats, in most part the acting is natural and compelling. You would feel that those are really Jewish people in that time, beaten-up, self-preserving, yet willing to fight beside their charismatic leader. Being often seeing real-life Jewish people, I thought Daniel Craig was too British to act as a Jewish leader, but he really brings out the leader's spirit. Yet in some action scenes he still reminds me of Bond.
Although the story can well be adapted into a high profile action movie, or at least an epic movie with the excitement of *Last Samurai*, Zwick has chosen to reflect the day-to-day struggle and sacrifice in the forest, this may make the movie less a block buster, but surely is not a bad thing if we consider its values in preserving a piece of forgotten history. Although there are some inconsistency in the plot, and the first half was a bit slow, *Defiance* is nevertheless one of the best movies depicting the brave struggles in WWII.
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2009年1月28日星期三
Co-op says No to bee-killing pesticides
Guardian Environment [reports](http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/jan/28/bees-coop-pesticide): One of the big UK supermarket chains, [Co-op](http://www.co-operative.coop/), has announced in its 10-point [Plan Bee](http://www.co-operative.coop/ethicsinaction/takeaction/planbee/what-The-Co-operative-is-doing-for-bees/) that it will ban the use of 8 neonicotinoid-based pesticides on own-brand fresh products. The pesticides banned are: Acetamiprid (啶虫脒), Clothianidin (噻虫胺或可尼丁), Dinotefuran (呋虫胺或丁诺特呋喃), Fipronil (氟虫腈), Imidacloprid (吡虫啉), Nitenpyram (烯啶虫胺), Thiacloprid (噻虫啉) and Thiamethoxam (噻虫嗪或阿克泰).
It is worthy pointing out that neonicotinoid-based pesticides are considered an ideal replacement of high-toxicity pesticides and are widely used in China and many developing countries, although its harm to beehives have been noticed in China as well. It is not clear now what measures China has taken to prevent or mitigate the impact of these pesticides on its bee populations.
It is worthy pointing out that neonicotinoid-based pesticides are considered an ideal replacement of high-toxicity pesticides and are widely used in China and many developing countries, although its harm to beehives have been noticed in China as well. It is not clear now what measures China has taken to prevent or mitigate the impact of these pesticides on its bee populations.
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