中文导读

风力发电是最清洁的发电方式之一，但它对蝙蝠来说可能代价不小。10 月 26 日发表在《美国国家科学院院刊》（PNAS）上的一项研究，由美国联邦政府的科学家完成：他们把 277 座风电场提交的 499 份监测报告与统计模型结合起来，考虑到各地寻找蝙蝠尸体的方法不同，估算了 10 种常见蝙蝠的死亡数量。结果显示，1981 至 2024 年间美国约有 1,870 万只蝙蝠死于风力涡轮机；二十年前每年约 10 万只，随着风电场大量建设，从 2021 年起每年超过 150 万只。长途迁徙的灰蓬毛蝠受害最重，约 670 万只。研究还发现，靠近河流的风电场、叶片较长或离地较近的涡轮机，以及阿巴拉契亚山脊上的风电场尤其危险。科学家并不反对风电，而是希望企业据此选择更安全的地点和设计；在蝙蝠活动多、风速低时短暂停机，也能以很少的发电损失救下许多蝙蝠——本月发表的一项法国研究显示，这种做法让部分蝙蝠的死亡减少了八成以上。阅读时可留意文章如何按“发现—证据—解释”展开，以及 But、Still、So、Instead 如何连接问题、方法与应对。

正文

Wind power is one of the cleanest ways to make electricity. But a new study shows that it has a hidden cost for one group of animals. In the United States, the spinning blades of wind turbines may now kill more than 1.5 million bats every year.

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风力发电是最清洁的发电方式之一。但一项新研究表明，它对某一类动物有着不为人知的代价。在美国，风力涡轮机旋转的叶片如今每年可能导致超过 150 万只蝙蝠死亡。

The problem first became clear in 2003. On a mountain in West Virginia, wildlife scientists found several thousand dead bats at a new wind farm. Before that, people mostly worried about large birds, such as hawks and eagles. Since then, more than 28 kinds of bats have been found dead at wind farms across the country.

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这个问题最早在 2003 年显现。在西弗吉尼亚州的一座山上，野生动物科学家在一座新建的风电场发现了数千只死去的蝙蝠。在此之前，人们主要担心的是鹰、雕等大型鸟类。从那以后，全美各地的风电场已发现超过 28 种蝙蝠死亡。

Still, nobody knew the full number. Most information comes from reports that companies send to the government, but these reports use different methods, and some are not public. So a team of government scientists combined 499 reports from 277 wind farms with a statistical model. The model allowed for the different ways that workers searched for dead bats. The study, published on 26 October in the journal PNAS, looked at 10 common kinds of bats.

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不过，一直没有人知道完整的数字。大部分信息来自企业提交给政府的报告，但这些报告采用的方法各不相同，而且有些并不公开。于是，一个由政府科学家组成的团队把 277 座风电场的 499 份报告与一个统计模型结合起来。这个模型考虑到了工作人员寻找蝙蝠尸体的不同方式。这项研究于 10 月 26 日发表在《美国国家科学院院刊》（PNAS）上，研究对象是 10 种常见蝙蝠。

The team estimates that about 18.7 million of these bats died at wind turbines between 1981 and 2024. Twenty years ago, the number was about 100,000 a year. As more wind farms were built, it rose sharply. Hoary bats, which travel long distances each year, were hit hardest, with about 6.7 million deaths. Over four decades, wind turbines may have killed roughly as many bats as a serious disease that has destroyed many bat groups. One bat expert called the findings “shocking“.

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研究团队估计，1981 年至 2024 年间，约有 1,870 万只这类蝙蝠死于风力涡轮机。二十年前，这一数字约为每年 10 万只。随着越来越多的风电场建成，数字急剧上升。每年长途迁徙的灰蓬毛蝠受害最重，死亡约 670 万只。四十年来，风力涡轮机造成的蝙蝠死亡可能与一种摧毁了许多蝙蝠群落的严重疾病大致相当。一位蝙蝠专家称这些发现“令人震惊”。

The study also shows where the danger is greatest. More bats died at wind farms near rivers, and at turbines with long blades or blades that come closer to the ground. Wind farms on the mountain ridges of the Appalachians were especially deadly.

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研究还揭示了危险最大的地方。靠近河流的风电场，以及叶片较长或叶片离地面较近的涡轮机，造成的蝙蝠死亡更多。建在阿巴拉契亚山脉山脊上的风电场尤其致命。

These losses matter for people, too. Bats eat large numbers of insects, including mosquitoes and moths whose young can damage farm crops.

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这些损失对人类也很重要。蝙蝠会吃掉大量昆虫，其中包括蚊子，以及幼虫会危害农作物的蛾子。

The scientists do not argue against wind power. Instead, they hope their data will help companies choose safer places and designs. Another simple idea is to stop turbines for short periods when many bats are flying, especially when the wind is low. Earlier research suggests this can save many bats while losing only a little electricity. In a study of wind farms in France, published this month, such stops reduced deaths among some kinds of bats by more than 80 percent.

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科学家们并不反对风力发电。相反，他们希望自己的数据能帮助企业选择更安全的地点和设计。另一个简单的办法是在大量蝙蝠飞行时短暂停止涡轮机运转，尤其是在风力较小的时候。早前的研究表明，这样做可以救下许多蝙蝠，而只损失少量电力。本月发表的一项针对法国风电场的研究显示，这类停机让某些种类蝙蝠的死亡减少了 80% 以上。

新闻来源

• Science · Wind turbines kill ‘shocking’ number of bats each year (26 Oct 2026)
• New Scientist · Wind turbines have killed 19 million bats in 40 years in the US (26 Oct 2026)
• Journal of Applied Ecology · Site-specific curtailment thresholds substantially reduce bat mortality at wind energy facilities (19 Oct 2026)

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