面對俄國猛攻 烏克蘭力保供電無虞

As Ukraine struggles to hold back Russian advances, the country's officials say they are once again facing the formidable challenge of keeping electricity flowing as Moscow's forces increasingly strike power plants.

當烏克蘭苦於阻擋俄羅斯推進之際，該國官員表示，隨著莫斯科的軍隊不斷加強打擊發電廠，他們再度面對保持供電的嚴峻挑戰。

To conserve energy, the government has ordered nationwide rolling blackouts for Monday night, broadening the smaller regional ones that have become the norm in recent weeks.

為了節省能源，烏克蘭政府已下令周一晚間全國分區輪流停電，擴大了最近幾周已成為常態的較小地域性輪流停電。

“This is another front line in the war,” said Maxim Timchenko, the head of DTEK, Ukraine's largest private electricity company, on social media last week. He said the company's workers were engaged in a "race against time" to restore power to consumers.

烏克蘭最大私營電力公司DTEK負責人季姆琴科上周在社群媒體表示，「這是戰爭的另一條前線」。他說，公司的工人忙於「跟時間賽跑」，以恢復向用戶提供電力。

The nationwide blackout, scheduled from 6 p.m. to midnight, will affect the entire country for the first time this year, but it is unclear if it will continue past Monday.

全國性停電預定從下午6時至子夜，今年將第一次影響整個國家，但目前並不清楚是否會持續超過周一。

The winter of 2022-2023 was especially hard on Ukrainians after Russian forces struck many power plants, leaving much of the population without heat in the bitter cold. But after that, Ukrainian forces became more adept at shooting down incoming missiles and had more weapons at their disposal to do so. At least until this spring.

俄軍打擊許多發電廠後，2022至2023年的冬季對烏克蘭人格外艱難，大部分民眾在嚴寒中沒有供暖。但之後，烏克蘭軍隊變得更善於擊落來襲飛彈，也擁有更多武器可以辦到。至少直到今年春天。

As Ukrainian troops run low on weaponry, especially after the United States slowed down deliveries of arms, they have been less able to protect themselves against Russian barrages that have also become more sophisticated.

隨著烏軍武器耗盡，特別在美國放慢提供軍械之後，他們已更難保護自己，抵禦變得更老練的俄羅斯彈幕。

Stepped-up attacks by Russia are raising fears that power cuts will not only affect consumers but that they will also hurt Ukraine's defense industry when it is most needed.

俄羅斯的加強攻擊引發憂心，因為停電不只影響用戶，也會損害烏克蘭現在最需要的國防工業。

Besides imposing blackouts, Ukraine is asking for assistance from its Western partners, requesting power grid equipment and emergency electricity imports. On Sunday, Ukraine imported power from Romania, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary and Moldova.

除了強制停電，烏克蘭正要求西方夥伴協助，給予電網設備跟緊急電力進口。周日，烏克蘭從羅馬尼亞、斯洛伐克、波蘭、匈牙利和摩爾多瓦進口電力。

Ukraine is also requesting more air defense systems, especially the U.S.-made Patriot system, both to protect its electricity grid and to help it resist the Russian offensive in the northeastern Kharkiv region that started 10 days ago. Deep State, a group that analyzes combat footage and has close links to the Ukrainian army, said Sunday that Russian forces had advanced in 10 different locations in Ukraine's east and south, but had not captured any new villages.

烏克蘭也正請求給予更多防空系統，特別是美國製的愛國者系統，既保護電網，也協助抵抗俄羅斯10天前在東北部哈爾科夫州展開的攻勢。與烏軍密切聯繫的戰鬥畫面分析團體「深層政府」周日表示，俄軍已在烏克蘭東部和南部的10個不同位置推進，但沒有占領任何新的村莊。

「永久化學物質」訴訟將如洪水襲來

The defense lawyer minced no words as he addressed a room full of plastic-industry executives. Prepare for a wave of lawsuits with potentially “astronomical” costs. Speaking at a conference this year, the lawyer, Brian Gross, said the coming litigation could “dwarf anything related to asbestos,” one of the most sprawling corporate-liability battles in U.S. history.

辯護律師在擠滿塑膠產業高管的房間裡發表談話時，態度直言不諱。內容是為一波可能產生「天文數字」金額的訴訟做好準備。律師格羅斯在今年的一場討論會表示，即將來臨的訴訟「會使與石棉相關的任何事相形見絀」，這是美國史上最龐大的企業責任論戰之一。

Gross was referring to PFAS, the “forever chemicals” that have emerged as one of the major pollution issues of our time. Used for decades in countless everyday objects — cosmetics, takeout containers, frying pans — PFAS have been linked to serious health risks including cancer. Last month the federal government said several types of PFAS must be removed from the drinking water of hundreds of millions of Americans.

格羅斯當時所提的是「全氟及多氟烷基物質（PFAS）」，這種「永久化學物質」已成我們時代主要汙染議題之一。PFAS數十年來用於無數日常用品，包括化妝品、外帶容器、平底鍋，被認為和癌症等嚴重健康風險有關。美國聯邦政府上月表示，必須從全美數億人口飲用水中，去除多種PFAS。

The chemicals, plastics and related industries are gearing up to fight a surge in litigation related to PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a class of nearly 15,000 versatile synthetic chemicals.

化工、塑膠和相關產業，正準備和PFAS相關訴訟激增搏鬥。PFAS是近1萬5000種多用途合成化學物質所屬的類別。

PFAS chemicals have been detected almost everywhere scientists have looked: in drinking water, in rain falling over the Great Lakes, even in Antarctic snow. They are thought to be present in the blood of nearly every American. Researchers have linked exposure to PFAS to testicular and kidney cancers, developmental delays in children, decreased fertility, liver damage and thyroid disease. The human-made chemicals are so long-lasting that scientists haven’t been able to reliably identify how long it might take for them to break down.

科學家檢視的幾乎所有地方都能偵測到PFAS：飲用水、美國五大湖的降雨，甚至南極的降雪。它們被認為存在於幾乎每一個美國人的血液中。研究人員認為，暴露於PFAS，和罹患睪丸癌、腎臟癌、孩童發展遲緩、生育能力下降、肝損傷和甲狀腺疾病有關。這種人造化學物質非常持久，以致科學家一直無法確認它們要多久才會分解。

The Biden administration has moved to regulate the chemicals, for the first time requiring municipal water systems to remove six types of PFAS. Last month, the Environmental Protection Agency also designated two of those PFAS chemicals as hazardous substances under the Superfund law, shifting responsibility for their cleanup at contaminated sites from taxpayers to polluters.

拜登政府已採取行動監管這些化學物質，首次要求市立供水系統去除六種PFAS。上月，美國環境保護署也依「超級基金法」，將其中兩種PFAS指定為有害物質，將汙染場址的清理責任從納稅人轉移到汙染製造者。

Both rules are expected to prompt litigation from water utilities, local communities and others suing for cleanup costs.

這兩項法規，預期會引發水利公司、當地社區和其他人針對清理費用提起訴訟。

PFAS were an industrial marvel when chemists at Dupont in the 1940s synthesized the material, a remarkably durable compound resistant to water, stains, heat and grease. It quickly became a mainstay in DuPont’s Teflon nonstick pans and 3M’s Scotchgard fabric protector. A powerful fire suppressant, it helped firefighters battle flames. Today, they are used for everyday items as varied as microwave popcorn bags, shampoos, raincoats and firefighting foam.

美國化工企業「杜邦」化學家在1940年代合成PFAS時，它被稱為產業奇蹟。這是種非常耐用的化合物，具有防水、抗汙、耐熱和抗油特性。它迅速成為杜邦的鐵氟龍不沾鍋和3M思高潔布料防汙劑的支柱。它也是一種強大的滅火劑，協助消防員撲滅火勢。如今，它們被用於各種日常用品，如微波爆米花包裝袋、洗髮精、雨衣和消防泡沫。