For computer users, there’s no bigger thrill than tossing out your old PC and upgrading to a newer, faster (and cleaner) machine. With hardware designe

rs like Intel, pushing newer, faster products every year, and new software requiring ever more powerful machines, companies and consumers have little choice but to go along.

　　对计算机使用者来说，没有比扔掉你的旧计算机，升级为更新、更快〈更干净〉的机器更令人兴奋的事了。随着像英特尔这样的硬件设计公司每年推出更新更快的产品，以及新软件需要效能更强的机器，厂商和消费者除了跟着这种趋势走之外，别无选择。

　　But this rapid turnover is having a serious effect on the planet. Producing a personal computer consumes huge amounts of natural resources. A recent study by the United Nations estimates the energy required to produce a single new computer is equivalent to nearly two barrels of oil. And that doesn’t include the 22kg of chemicals or the 1,500kg of water used in the manufacturing process.

　　但是这种快速的升级换代对地球有很严重的影响。制造一台个人计算机要消耗大量的天然资源。据联合国最近进行的一项研究估计，制造一台新计算机所需的能源几乎等于两桶石油。这还不包括生产过程中使用的22公斤化学物质或是1,500公斤的水。

　　In fact, pound for pound, the process for making a car is about 500% more efficient than that for making a computer. That didn’t matter so much 20 years ago when personal computers were few and far between, but times have changed. These days, computers are found nearly everywhere and sales continue to grow. The number of PCs in use topped one billion in 2002.

　　事实上，与之相比，制造骑车的过程比制造计算机的效率高上约500倍。20年前个人计算机还相当稀少的时候，这件事并没有那么重要，但是时代不同了。现在到处都可以看到计算机，而且销售持续上升。使用中的计算机数量在2002年已经达到10亿。

　　Waste in production is only half the problem. Old computers, especially the monitors, are full of dangerous substances which need to be carefully recycled. The problem is sure to expand over the coming years as users replace their boxy CRT monitors with LCD flat panel displays.

　　生产过程中的浪费只是问题的一半。旧计算机〈特别是显示屏〉充满必须小心回收的危险物质。今后，随着使用者将箱型的阴极射线管屏幕换成液晶平面显示屏，这个问题将日益突出。

　　Europe now requires that 70% of parts from old computers be recycled, but the study’s authors say that’s also part of the problem. The solution, they insist, is for governments and companies to encourage people to use their computers longer, and upgrade rather than replace. But considering that much of the world’s recent economic growth has come from increased spending on computers and information technology, that advice may sound like wishful thinking.

　　欧洲现在要求旧计算机中70%的部分必须回收，但是研究报告的作者说这仍然只是问题一部分。他们坚持认为，解决方案是让政府和厂商鼓励大家延长他们计算机的使用期限，让计算机升级，而不要更换机器。但是考虑到全球最近的经济增长多来自计算机和信息技术消费的增长，这个建议听起来像是一厢情愿的想法。