中國燃煤的排放量導致"25萬人過早死亡"

Emissions from coal plants in China were responsible for a quarter of a million premature deaths in 2011 and are damaging the health of hundreds of thousands of Chinese children, according to a new study.

根據一項新的研究，中國燃煤電廠排放的氣體導致了2011年25萬人過早死亡的結果，並且損害着幾十萬中國兒童的健康。

The study by a US air pollution expert, commissioned by Greenpeace, comes as many areas in northern and eastern China have been experiencing hazardous levels of air pollution in recent weeks.

這項研究是由一名受綠色和平組織委任的美國空氣污染研究專家進行的。正好近幾周，中國北部和東部的許多地區一直遭受着嚴重級別的空氣污染。

In some eastern cities including Shanghai, levels were off the index that tracks dangerous pollution, with schools closing and flights being cancelled or diverted. Sales of air purifiers and face masks have soared with many retailers selling out of stock as residents try to protect themselves from the poisonous smog. In Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces visibility was reduced to less than 50 metres earlier this week and in the city of Nanjing a red alert for pollution was maintained for five consecutive days.

包括上海在內的一些東部城市中，污染等級超出了探測污染嚴重級別的指數，導致學校停課，航班取消或改變航道。空氣淨化器和麪具的銷售量一路飆升，許多零售商都賣出了已有的存貨，因爲市民們想保護自己，免受有毒煙霧的侵害。在江蘇省和浙江省，這周剛開始能見度就降到不足50米。在南京市，連續五天都持續着空氣污染紅色預警。

The analysis traced the chemicals which are made airborne from burning coal and found a number of health damages were caused as a result. It estimates that coal burning in China was responsible for reducing the lives of 260,000 people in 2011. It also found that in the same year it led to 320,000 children and 61,000 adults suffering from asthma, 36,000 babies being born with low weight and was responsible for 340,000 hospital visits and 141 million days of sick leave.

該分析中還追查了由燃煤而產生的空中飄浮化學物質，並且發現這些化學物質會導致許多損害健康的結果。據估計，2011年中國的燃煤導致26萬人減壽。並且在同一年，發現該污染還使32萬兒童和6.1萬成人遭受哮喘病的痛苦，3.6萬體重過輕的嬰兒出生。還導致了34萬次的病房探病和1.41億天的病假。

"This study provides an unprecedentedly detailed picture of the health fallout from China's coal burning," said Dr Andrew Gray, a US-based expert on air pollution, who conducted the research. Using computer simulations, Gray said he was able to "draw a clear map tracing the trail of health damages left by the coal fumes released by every power plant in China, untangling the contribution of individual companies, provinces and power stations to the air pollution crisis gripping the country."

安德魯?格雷博士（Dr Andrew Gray）是美國研究空氣污染的專家，並且進行了這次的研究。他說：“這項研究就中國燃煤對人體健康帶來負面影響的問題提供了一個前所未有的詳細概況。”通過電腦模擬，格雷說他可以“畫出一個清晰的地圖，追蹤探索中國每一個發電廠排放的煤煙所導致的損害健康的痕跡，弄清個體公司、省市還有發電廠各自導致空氣污染的程度，畢竟這次污染危機是關乎整個國家的命運。”

China's air pollution problems frequently make headlines around the world.

中國的空氣污染問題頻繁地登上各國的頭版頭條。

Isabel Hilton, editor of China Dialogue, an independent website that publishes information and debate on the environment in China, said coal is the main cause of the country's air pollution problems. Coal burning in China "produces heavy metal pollution and produces particulate pollution on a scale that is getting quite extraordinary," she said.

《中外對話》（China Dialogue）是一個討論中國環境問題及提供其資訊的獨立網站。它的編輯伊莎貝爾?希爾頓（Isabel Hilton）說，煤炭是國家空氣污染問題的主要原因。她還說中國的燃煤“導致重金屬污染和粉塵污染，其規模相當驚人。”

China is the world's largest consumer of coal, which is its main energysource, and is responsible for around half the world's coal consumption. The impacts of its reliance on coal are becoming more well known and recently there was much online discussion after an eight-year-old girl was diagnosed with lung cancer which her doctor blamed on air pollution.

中國是世界最大的煤炭消耗國，煤炭是中國最主要的能源，也將近佔據世界煤炭總消耗量的一半。中國對煤炭依賴的負面影響越來越被人們所熟知。最近，有個八歲的小女孩被診斷爲肺癌，醫生說是空氣污染所致，這一事件引起了網上熱烈的討論。

According to Gray's study, while the growth of coal consumption has slowed, 570 new coal-fired plants are either being built or are planned, and if they go ahead would be responsible for a further 32,000 premature deaths each year.

根據格雷的研究，雖然煤炭消耗量的增長速度下降了，但570個新燃煤電廠正處在建設或規劃中。所以，如果繼續下去，燃煤電廠的排放會導致每年增加3.2萬過早死亡的人。

In September, the Chinese government announced a plan to tackle the high levels of air pollution including for the first time measures to cut coal consumption. Under the plan, China aims to cut air pollution in some of the worst affected areas including Beijing by 2017.

九月，中國政府公佈了一項計劃來控制嚴重的空氣污染，包括首次公佈削減煤炭使用量的措施。根據計劃，中國旨在2017年前消除污染最嚴重地區的空氣污染，包括北京。

Hilton said that the reductions in the plan would not be enough to make a difference within a short time frame. "It is going to be difficult to make a difference very shortly. Much more radical things will have to happen," she said.

希爾頓說該計劃中的削減措施不會在短期內見效。她說：“在很短的時間內改變現狀非常困難。要有更多徹底的，根治性的措施。”

"The government has been forced into much greater transparency on the data," she added. "But I do think the ambition has to be raised quite a lot."

她還強調：“政府被迫在數據上提高了透明度，但我認爲這種決心應該再大一點才行。”