欧洲能源部长们今日举行会议，担忧冬季即将来临的天然气和柴油短缺问题。
European energy ministers meet today, fearing coming shortfalls of natural gas and diesel ahead of winter.
欧洲通常在夏季补充天然气储备，但霍尔木兹海峡油轮运输受限打破了这一策略，导致其储备量远低于往常。
Europe typically refills its gas stockpiles over the summer, but curbs on tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz have upended that strategy, leaving its reserves far lower than usual.
各国政府正试图通过增加进口来补充储备，但欧洲正与同样受中东冲突严重影响的亚洲国家争夺供应。欧洲官员还担心，美国潜在的柴油出口禁令将重创欧洲经济。
Governments are trying to replenish them by upping imports, but Europe is competing for supplies with Asian countries also badly hit by the Middle East conflict. European officials also worry that a potential US diesel export ban would hammer the continent’s economies.
一线（严峻的）希望是：专家表示，正在全球大部分地区造成破坏的厄尔尼诺天气模式，可能会提高欧洲的可再生能源产量并降低天然气需求。
One sign of (grim) hope: Experts say the El Niño weather pattern, which is causing devastation in much of the globe, could boost Europe’s renewables output and reduce gas demand. — Prashant Rao