昔日"雾都"伦敦重蹈覆辙

Britain faces court cases and unlimited fines after dangerous levels of minute particles breach EU levels.
由于空气粉尘浓度超过欧盟规定水平，英国面临法庭诉讼和高额罚款。

The City of London has been found to be one of the most polluted places in Europe after monitoring equipment recorded dangerous levels of minute particles for the 36th time this year. Under EU rules, Britain is allowed no more than 35 “bad air” days in the whole year, and now faces court cases and unlimited fines by Europe.

根据监控数据显示，今年伦敦市空气粉尘浓度第36次达到危险临界值，成为了欧洲污染最严重的城市之一。根据欧盟规定，英国一年内空气质量差的天数不能超过35天。现在其将面临欧盟法庭诉讼及高额罚款。

The breaching of the EU levels after just six months will embarrass the government, which was sent a final warning only three weeks ago from the European commission to improve air quality. Many other places in central London are close to the limit and can be expected to break the law within weeks.

仅仅六个月就超过欧盟全年限额，况且三星期前欧盟委员会刚刚发出最后警告，令其改善空气质量，这真是英国政府的一大耻辱。且伦敦区的其他地方监测结果也接近限额，未来几周内还有望超过。

The government has applied to Europe for a time extension until 2011 to comply with daily particulate pollution from traffic, but is not certain to be granted it because it has been flouting EU air quality laws since 2005 and is perceived by the environment commissioner Janez to have done little to address the problem.

英国政府已向欧盟申请延长时间至2011年，以治理交通造成的日常粉尘污染。但欧盟不一定会批准此申请，因为早在2005年，环境委员Janez就已发现其并未重视此污染问题，而无视欧盟空气质量法。

“Air pollution is bad for our health. It reduces human life expectancy by more than eight months on average and by more than two years in the most polluted cities and regions,” he said.

“空气污染对我们的健康有害。它会减少人的寿命，平均减少8个月，而在空气污染最严重的城市和地区，则可能达到两年。”他说。

The London Liberal Democrat MEP Sarah Ludford said: “This latest breach is yet another wake-up call for the mayor of London and the government. Research has shown that airborne pollution in London could be responsible for up to thousands of premature deaths a year: this is an invisible public health emergency.”

伦敦自由民主党欧洲议会议员Sarah Ludford说：“最近这次超标是对伦敦市长和我们政府的一记警钟。调查显示，伦敦的空气污染每年造成几千人死亡，这是个隐形的公共健康杀手。”

Poor air quality is now considered one of the biggest public health issues now facing the UK. A recent report by the House of Commons environmental audit committee included evidence that air pollution could be contributing to 50,000 deaths in the UK a year. A study （pdf） commissioned by Boris Johnson, mayor of London, calculated that more than 4,300 deaths are caused by poor air quality in the city every year, costing around 2 billion pounds a year.

空气质量差，是现在英国面临的一大公共健康危机。众议院环境监察委员会最近发表的一份报告证明，每年英国因空气污染造成的死亡数近5万人口。伦敦市长Boris Johnson的调查显示，每年伦敦空气污染造成的死亡数超过4300人，造成约20亿英镑的经济损失。

Simon Birkett, founder of the Campaign for Clean Air in London, said: “With the first of many London sites breaching the legal limit before the end of June, it is blindingly obvious now why the European commission sent the UK a second and final written warning for breaching these same legal standards, every year since 2005 in London, less than a month ago”.

“伦敦空气净化运动（Campaign for Clean Air in London）”的创始人Simon Birkett称：“伦敦的很多地方空气质量七月前就已超标，很显然，为什么欧盟委员最近会给英国第二次也是最后书面警告，且从2005年伦敦就每年超标，每年受警告。”

Jenny Bates, London campaigner for Friends of the Earth, said: “Boris Johnson must abandon plans that will make the situation worse, such as scrapping the western extension to the congestion charge, pursuing more river crossings for vehicles and supporting a 50% increase in flights from City airport. This means taking strong action himself, rather than relying on uncommitted government measures to do the job.”

伦敦社会运动人士，“地球之友（Friends of the Earth）”活动的参与者Jenny Bates认为，Boris Johnson必须放弃那些造成环境恶化的的计划。这些计划包括暂停向西推行收取交通拥挤费，为机动车建新的渡桥，以及支持伦敦机场航班增加50%。这意味着他要亲自实施计划，而不是依赖征服那些虚无缥缈的政策改善环境。

A spokesperson for Johnson said: “This is one of several central London locations which will receive a targeted package of measures to tackle pollution, for example applying dust suppressants to road surfaces and deploying the cleanest buses into these areas. Other initiatives include proposed age limits for taxis, converting the bus fleet to hybrid and investing record levels into cycling.

Johnson的发言人说：“我们将会针对伦敦的这些区域（空气污染严重）实施针对性的措施应对污染，如：在公路上使用粉尘抑制剂，向这些区域引进最干净环保的公交车。另外我们还打算推行的士报废年限计划，使用混合动力公交车，鼓励骑自行车。

We are also proposing to include the dirtiest lorries and vans in the London low emission zone by early January 2012. The new bus for London will be 40% less polluting than traditional diesel and we are spending millions to support the mainstream use of zero-polluting electric vehicles.

“同时我们也计划2012年一月之前在伦敦建立低排放区，卡车等最污染空气的机动车也在规划之内。这种新式公交车的排放污染将比传统柴油车减少40%，我们也正花费巨额投资，支持零污染电力机动车的使用。”

A Defra spokesman said: ”The mayor and London boroughs are responsible for local air quality in London. The mayor has published a draft air quality strategy which includes specific measures to reduce PM10 and NO2 pollution.

环境、食品及农村事务部（Defra）发言人说：“市长和伦敦行政区都对大伦敦的空气质量负有责任。市长已经发布一份空气质量行动计划草案，其中措施专门针对减少PM10和NO2的污染。

“We are confident that PM10 limits will be met in London by the 2011 deadline and the government has submitted evidence to the European commission to demonstrate this.”

“我们坚信，到2011年最后期限之前，伦敦的PM10水平将达到合格标准，政府已经就此向欧盟委员会提交了证据。”

Notes:
court case: 法庭判例。
例如：

Person who act on behalf of a minor is a defendant in a court case.
在一案子中代表未成年人被告的监护人。

time extension: 延期，延长时间。