煤炭是地球上储量最丰富的能源，但目前反对使用煤炭的声浪日益高涨。煤炭巨大的碳排放量引起气候变化，从而引起公众的担忧，煤炭与其他能源相比竞争力下降。
以美国为例，页岩油气的出现造成部分煤炭因价格过高而被排挤出市场。美国去年煤炭需求接近9.2亿吨，由于天然气价格下跌，今年煤炭需求将减少6000万吨到8000万吨。 数据显示，煤炭满足了全球约30%的能源需求，供应了40%的电力。在人口第一和第二大国的中国和印度，煤炭所满足的能源需求比例高达70%左右。
中国的煤炭消费量在去年已经下降，煤炭进口下滑了11%，这是10年来的首次下降。中国的经济增速已经放缓，同时也做出极大努力减少煤炭的使用以减少污染。由于燃煤发电厂没有满负荷运行，再加上煤炭供应充足，造成国际煤炭价格压低。煤出口价格从去年的峰值下跌了约60%。
【参考译文】
Coal is the most abundant energy source in the world, but opponents to its use are more vocal than ever. It is concern at coal’s role in creating carbon emissions and hence climate change. Coal’s competitiveness against other types of fuel has fallen. In the US, for example, the emergence of shale gas has meant some coal output has been priced out of the market. US coal demand last year was close to 920m short tons. But falls in the price of natural gas will cut US coal demand by 60m-80m tons this year.
Statistics show that coal provides about 30 percent of global energy needs and generates more than 40 percent of the world’s electricity. In the world’s most
populous countries, China and India, the percentage of energy needs met by coal is even higher at about 70 percent.
Coal consumption in China fell in last year, with imports down 11 percent, the first fall in a decade. Economic growth has slowed, while China is also making strenuous efforts to cut coal use to reduce pollution. Coal-fired electricity plants are running at little over half their installed capacity and, combined with abundant supply, this has pushed down global coal prices. Export coal prices have fallen about 60 percent from the peak of last year.
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2019年翻译资格考试三级笔译练习题：煤炭
