紐時賞析／對加州人而言 荷包與綠能間的抉擇

To Californians, It’s Pocketbooks Vs. Green Ideals

對加州人而言 荷包與綠能間的抉擇

California has long prided itself as an environmental trailblazer. It was the first state to set its own vehicle emission rules and the first to outlaw plastic shopping bags.

加州長期以來以環保先鋒的身分而自豪。它是美國首個制定車輛排放法規的州，也是第一個禁止塑膠購物袋的州。

In 2020, Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, went so far as to seek a ban on the sale of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035. Standing in front of several electric cars, he warned automakers against being on “the wrong side of history.”

2020年，民主黨州長紐森甚至提出2035年起將禁止銷售新的燃油車。站在數輛電動車前，他警告汽車製造商不要「站在歷史錯誤的那一方」。

So it surprised environmentalists this year when Newsom and Democratic lawmakers began backtracking on signature green initiatives. They rebuked the state’s coastal preservation commission for regulatory overreach and rolled back the landmark California Environmental Quality Act, better known as CEQA, to address the state’s severe housing shortage.

故當紐森與民主黨議員開始在標誌性的綠色倡議上開倒車，讓環保人士感到驚訝。他們譴責該州海岸保護委員會過度監管，並撤銷旨在解決該州住房嚴重短缺、具里程碑意義的「加州環境品質法」。

Then, to environmentalists, came the unthinkable: pushing legislation to keep oil refineries open and make oil drilling easier.

然後，環保人士遭遇無法想像的事情：立法機關推動維持煉油廠的運作與簡化石油鑽探。

“It’s a complete 180,” said Hollin Kretzmann, a lawyer at the Climate Law Institute, part of the nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity, which focuses on protecting endangered species.

氣候法研究所的律師科瑞茨曼說：「這完全是180度大轉彎」。該所隸屬於非營利組織生物多樣性中心，致力於保護瀕危物種。

Even in liberal California, Democrats say they have been stung by their party’s tailspin after last year’s losses in national elections. They understand that voters are frustrated with the high cost of living in California, and they are trying to show that they are doing something about it.

即使在自由派的加州，民主黨人也說在去年全國大選鎩羽後他們的黨陷入混亂而受到打擊。他們理解選民因加州高昂的生活成本感到沮喪，而他們試圖展現正為此採取行動。

If they gain traction by tilting toward pocketbook issues, even at the expense of long-held environmental orthodoxy, it could provide lessons to Democrats nationally even if it angers activists locally.

如果向民生議題靠攏能獲得支持，即使犧牲長期主張的環保純正理念，惹惱當地維權人士，但能提供全國民主黨人經驗。

Gas prices have long been higher in California than elsewhere — they are about 45% higher than the national average at the moment — but lawmakers are worried that costs could skyrocket if they don’t help the oil industry immediately. And the transition to electric vehicles has not advanced to a point where drivers — or politicians — can ignore prices at the pump.

加州汽油價格長期以來一直高於其他地區，目前高於全國平均水平約45%，但立法者憂心，若不立即協助石油產業，成本可能會飆升，且電動車的轉型還沒發展到能讓駕駛人或政治人物無視油價的程度。

“Climate leadership is not $10-a-gallon gas — we need California to be an inspiration and not a cautionary tale,” said Assembly member Cottie Petrie-Norris, a Democrat from Orange County who chairs the energy committee in the state Assembly. “For decades, there were policymakers and advocates who somehow thought we could set really high goals and wave a magic wand and deliver on them.”

來自橘郡的民主黨州議員，也是州議會能源委員會主席的培翠諾瑞斯說，「氣候領導力不是每加侖10美元的汽油，我們需要加州成為激勵而非警世的榜樣」。「數十年來，有些政策制定者和倡議者不知何故認為我們可以好高騖遠，然後揮揮手就能實現目標」。

“We are all out of magic wands,” she said.

她說，「我們已經沒有靈丹妙藥」。

文／Soumya Karlamangla，譯／江昱蓁

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【張佑生】

加州名目GDP在全球排名第四，僅次於美、中、德，高於日本，財力如此雄厚，仍得為綠能發電的高成本傷神。Pocketbook原意是女用手提包，報導中指財力。美國前總統柯林頓競選時喊出的「笨蛋！問題在經濟」，具體而言就是People vote their pocketbooks. 經濟活動決定上層建築，即為此理。

報導中的inspiration and not a cautionary tale，對比巧妙，應該是榜樣而非負面教材，也可接note/lesson：The story is a cautionary tale of what can happen when greed takes over.

魔術表演時魔術師隨手一揮就有奇蹟出現，手中的魔術棒(magic wand)衍伸意義為靈丹妙藥。孟子說：「七年之病，求三年之艾」，magic wand指的是對棘手問題不切實際的快速解方。台灣社會是否也期待「一個政策（或一面神主牌）解決所有能源難題」？There is no magic wand to secure a just peace. 看看俄烏戰爭與以色列對加薩的輾壓，便可知道，要實現公正的和平，談何容易！