發展循環經濟
2.4.3 Developing a circular economy
前面我們講過自然生態系統是循環的，整個生態過程沒有廢物，也不會出現能源危機。能不能模仿生態系統的原理建設沒有廢物和能源危機的經濟呢？中共「十八大」提出的循環經濟正是朝著這個方向所做的努力。
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.
美國西部是乾旱區，那裡有個亞利桑那州。1989～1995年期間，那裡發生了人類科學史上的一件大事——生態學家設計了一個非常大膽的試驗，他們要模擬地球！他們將4男4女8個科學家，完全封閉在1.5公頃的超大型「溫室」中，裡面設計了微城市、農田、熱帶雨林、海洋、荒漠、紅樹林，就是說，科學家創造了一個微型地球。他們要模仿地球的工作原理，證明人類必需的氧氣、水、食物均來自生態系統，生態系統的過程是循環的，物質是可以循環利用的。這個大型試驗被設計者稱為「生物圈二號」（一號是他們模擬的對象地球）。
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).
「生物圈二號」試驗計劃進行4年，但進行到兩年半後，試驗不得不中止。科學家不得不承認，人類無法模擬地球。
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「生物圈二號」工作過半年，回國後寫了幾篇科普文章介紹了其失敗的原因。根據我在「生物圈二號」實地工作的研究和分析，這個試驗失敗的真正原因是食物生產。這讓我想到了中國的那句老話：「民以食為天」。原來，那8名實驗者中沒有農民，科學家們不會種地，現場有設備、肥料和種子，但他們沒有農業生產的經驗，他們種下去的種子收穫不到足夠的糧食，8名可憐的科學家餓得要吃紅薯根！
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.
雖然生物圈二號試驗沒有運行到預定的期限，但它不完全是失敗的。試驗充分證明了地球生物圈的工作原理：陸地植被是氧氣和生態系統的能量來源；水分能夠在生態系統中循環利用；生物圈中的排洩物，經過森林、海洋、溼地、荒漠、農田等進行循環，還能夠繼續還原為資源加以利用。
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.
這個試驗非常發人深省。科學家的試驗證明，物質是可以循環的，廢物是可以利用的。也就是說，通過循環，廢物成為其他生產過程的資源和能源。循環不但能解決困擾城鄉的垃圾問題，而且也是解決能源危機的根本出路。如果利用「生物圈二號」的原理，使產業循環起來，就可以建立沒有能源危機、也沒有廢物汙染的綠色經濟！
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!
以農業為例。我們在2.1.4中談到過，由於農村勞動力不足，老人婦女依靠大量使用化肥、農藥、農膜、添加劑、除草劑來進行食物生產。在這個過程中，化肥、農藥、農膜、添加劑、除草劑都是商品，均來自工業生產。工業生產的過程中，消耗了能源，排放了汙染物；而這些產品的原料大量來自石油等化石資源，又進一步消耗了不可再生資源；大量使用除草劑和化肥，還導致除作物外的生物多樣性下降，土壤酸化或板結；由於生產力不足，很多地區的農民都將秸稈一把火焚燒，不但浪費了大量的有機營養物，而且造成了大面積的粉塵汙染。秋收季節，狼煙四起，甚至引起飛機無法起飛，高速公路無法通車。
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，這種產業模式下生產出的食物因為難以避免農藥殘留，本來用水就可以清洗的食物，食用之前還需要使用清潔劑清洗，進一步增加了來自化學原料的產品的消耗，帶來了能源消耗與環境汙染。此外，這種產業模式下生產後的土地，因為大量使用農藥、化肥和除草劑，加上農膜的殘留，造成耕地退化，土地越來越貧瘠，自身營養能力下降，從而需要補充更多的化肥，形成惡性循環；這樣的土地，保水能力非常差，會更多地消耗本已緊張的水資源……
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.
為了解決化學農業帶來的嚴重生態環境汙染和食品安全問題，我們在山東省平邑縣建立了生態循環農業試驗基地。研究結果顯示，發展生態循環農業可以大大減少化學物質的投入。
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.
農田廢棄的秸稈用來養牛，每頭牛可以生產1萬斤鮮牛糞，能夠替代200斤化肥。綜合利用有機肥可以提高土壤的健康狀況和自身營養能力，健康土壤中的大量有機質和細菌，還可以固定工業活動產生的碳，使廣大的農田成為碳匯資源。將化學農業改為有機農業，充分實現能量流動和元素循環，減輕了化學產品使用造成的環境壓力，耕地碳淨排放由2.7 噸CO2當量/公頃/年，變成淨吸收8.8 噸CO2當量/公頃/年，前後相差11.5噸CO2當量/公頃/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，生態循環農業因為恢復了健康的農田生態系統，使得各種生物能夠在土地上生存。生物多樣性使生態平衡重新建立，從而使農藥的使用量減少到零。不使用農藥，減少了很多的環境汙染和食物安全風險。
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.
實際上，僅從碳排放一項指標來看，從化學農業向生態循環農業的產業轉變，可以從根本上解決這個產業的能源問題和汙染問題。實踐證明，優化發展格局，轉變產業形式，發展循環經濟，是發展綠色經濟，讓GDP真正綠起來的根本手段。只有這樣，才能夠讓人類社會永續健康地發展下去。
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.