经济学人下载:非洲禁塑令 禁止塑料袋只是一小步(2)

The ban was hailed by the United Nations Environment Programme as a breakthrough.
这个禁令被联合国环境规划署视为重大突破，推崇备至。

“Our oceans are being turned into rubbish dumps,” says Erik Solheim, the head of the agency.
艾丽奇·索尔海姆作为规划署署长讲道：“我们的海洋正在变成垃圾场。”

As Kenyans get richer and move to cities, the amount of plastic they use is growing.
当肯尼亚人变得富有并搬到城市之后，他们所使用的塑料袋数量也逐步上升。

By one estimate, Kenya gets through 24m bags a month, or two per person. (Americans, by comparison, use roughly three per person. )
据估计，肯尼亚一个月可以消耗掉2400万个袋子，平均一人消耗两个。（相比较而言，美国大约每人消耗三只袋子。）

Between 2010 and 2014 annual plastic production in Kenya expanded by a third, to 400,000 tonnes.
从2010年到2014年，肯尼亚塑料年产量增加了三分之一，达到了40万吨。

Bags made up a large part of the growth.
其中塑料袋的增长占了很大一部分。

Kenya has tried to ban polythene bags twice before, in 2007 and 2011, without much success.
在2007年和2011年，肯尼亚曾经两度禁止聚乙烯袋子的使用，但是并没有取得明显成效。

This latest measure is broader, but few are ready for it.
这项新措施涉及广泛，但是人们大多没有准备好。

The Kenyan Association of Manufacturers says it will cost thousands of jobs.
肯尼亚制造协会称这会减少上千个就业岗位。

Some worry that supermarkets will simply switch to paper bags, which could add to deforestation.
有人担心超市仅仅会换用纸袋，这样会导致森林砍伐现象加重。

And then there is the question of whether Kenyan consumers will accept it.
还有人考虑到肯尼亚的消费者是否会接受。

In Rwanda, since its ban was imposed, a thriving underground industry has emerged smuggling the bags from neighbouring Congo.
在卢旺达，自从禁令实行以来，从邻国刚果走私袋子的地下产业繁荣起来。

Packing in the plastic may be harder than it seems.
终止塑料袋似乎并没有看起来那样简单。