阿聯酋人想喝冰水 於是要從南極運一座冰山

What do you do if your nation has a severe water shortage and happens to be located in a bona fide desert?

如果你的國家嚴重缺水又正好位於茫茫沙漠，你會怎麼做？

If you have the resources, you turn to technology, which is what a company in the oil-rich United Arab Emirates is looking to do.

如果你有資本，便可以藉助技術的力量。一家位於產油大國阿聯酋的公司正準備這麼做。

The country, which gets less than four inches of rain per year, could solve its issue with water scarcity by towing icebergs from Antarctica to its shores.

阿聯酋這個國家的年降水量不足101.6毫米，不過只要從南極運冰山過來，就可以解決缺水問題。

It could take up to a year to bring an iceberg from Antarctica to Fujairah.

冰山從南極運到富查伊拉（七個酋長國之一）可能花上一年時間。

Once the iceberg is at UAE shores, the ice above the waterline would be chipped off, crushed into drinking water, which would then be stored in large water tanks and filtered.

一旦冰山到達阿聯酋海岸，水面以上的部分會被切下來壓碎，融化成淡水，然後保存在巨大的水缸裏並過濾。

The iceberg would also have a broader impact.

冰山還會發揮更大的作用。

The more icebergs, the more water vapor and clouds, creating a profound effect on the regional climate over a decade, turning the desert into “green meadows”.

運來的冰山越多，蒸發形成的水汽就越多，雲量增加，會對區域氣候帶來深遠的影響，十年後，當地的沙漠就會變成“綠草地”。

The melting icebergs would also add fresh water to the Arabian sea, returning biodiversity by balancing out the brine discharge from desalination plants.

冰山融化會爲阿拉伯海注入更多淡水，逐漸抵消海水淡化廠排放的濃鹽水，從而恢復當地海域的生物多樣性。

There would also be a boost for tourism from all the people interested in looking at the icebergs.

冰山還會吸引衆多遊客前來參觀，因而當地旅遊業也會增長。

The company has so far ran simulations and feasibility studies and looks to start the project in early 2018.

目前，這家公司已經開展了模擬和可行性研究，預計2018年初能夠開始這項運冰山的壯舉。