中國政府應該並且加快治理空氣

Airpocalypse

“空氣末日”(Airpocalypse)

(noun) – the shockingly high levels of air pollutants plaguing major Chinese cities, particularly in winter in the colder north of the country, where coal-burning is the main source of electricity and heating.

名詞，指中國主要城市中極其嚴重的空氣污染，特別是在冬季的華北地區，那裏的氣候較爲寒冷，供電和供暖主要靠燒煤。

This portmanteau word was coined at the start of 2013 as dark sulphurous clouds of pollution descended on Beijing, blocking out the sun and sending residents scurrying to buy face masks, air filter machines and air tickets to escape the smoggy Armageddon.

這個英文合成詞（由air和apocalypse合成——譯者注）是2013年年初被創造出來的。當時，含有硫等污染物的毒霧降臨北京城，遮天蔽日，北京的居民紛紛急忙去購買口罩和空氣淨化器，或乘飛機逃離這個霧霾籠罩的“末日決戰場”。

In January and February the volume of harmful microscopic particulates in Beijing’s air reached 60 times the recommended healthy level and the Chinese government issued warnings to people not to go outside or even exert themselves while at home with the windows tightly closed.

2013年1月和2月，北京空氣中有害微粒的數量達到健康空氣建議標準的60倍，中國政府向民衆發出警報，建議大家不要外出，即便是在窗戶緊閉的室內也不要劇烈運動。

For many expatriates, especially those with children, the prospect of emphysema and lung cancer proved decisive, and there was an exodus throughout the year that gathered pace as school terms ended.

事實證明，對許多旅居北京（特別是帶着孩子一起的）的外國人而言，患上肺氣腫和肺癌的可能性是一種切實的擔憂。一年來，不斷有外國人逃離北京；隨着寒假的到來，這種外逃的步伐近來進一步加快了。

Some moved to Shanghai, where they hoped they would be able to avoid the hazy day of judgment, but in recent weeks China’s commercial capital has been enveloped in the same yellow-brown toxic blanket that has become commonplace in the capital.

一些外國人搬到了中國的商業首都——上海，希望在那裏可以躲過霧霾瀰漫的末日審判。但最近幾周，上海同樣被這種北京民衆已見怪不怪的黃褐色毒霧所籠罩。

At one of the larger international schools in Beijing a decision was made to build a giant hermetically sealed fresh-air dome over the sports field so that students can still play and exercise, even on the most heavily polluted days.

在北京一個規模較大的國際學校，校方決定建一個巨型密封式穹頂，罩在運動場上方，這樣一來，即便在污染最嚴重的日子裏，學生也能繼續玩耍和鍛鍊。

The growing concern is partly due to increased awareness about the issue.

人們日益擔心空氣，部分原因是他們對這個問題的意識增強了。

Not long after the 2008 Olympic Games, the US embassy installed a monitor on its roof to detect the level of PM2.5 – particulate matter measuring 2.5 micrograms or less, which can enter the human blood stream through our lungs – in Beijing’s air.

2008年奧運會後不久，美國駐華使館在屋頂上安裝了一個監測儀，用來監測北京空氣中PM2.5的水平。PM2.5是指直徑小於等於2.5微米的顆粒物，可通過肺部進入人體血液。

Initially the findings were published only on the embassy’s Twitter feed, limiting the impact because Twitter is blocked in China.

最初，美國駐華使館僅將監測結果發佈在自己的推特(Twitter)頁面上，影響程度有限，因爲推特在中國是被封禁的。

But with the rise of domestic Twitter-like services such as Sina Weibo, public campaigns by Chinese celebrities eventually forced the authorities to admit the scale of the problem and start publishing more accurate figures.

但隨着中國國內類似推特的服務興起（例如新浪微博），中國一些名人發起的公共運動最終迫使當局承認問題嚴重，並開始發佈更準確的數據。

Unlike “airpocalypse”, which does not yet have a Chinese equivalent, the term PM2.5 (pronounced “PM er dian wu” in Mandarin) has transcended linguistic barriers and is just as likely to be heard from the lips of the average Beijinger as from a native English speaker.

隨後，PM2.5這個外來語也跨越了語言的藩籬，成爲了北京老百姓耳熟能詳的詞彙，其普及程度和英語國家別無二致。

China’s ruling Communist party sees the issue as a potential omen of its eventual downfall as the country’s growing middle class increasingly questions the legitimacy of an authoritarian regime that cannot even guarantee its citizens clean air.

執政的中國共產黨意識到，空氣問題可能爲其敲響喪鐘，因爲該國不斷狀大的中產階級日益質疑，這個連讓公民呼吸清潔空氣都無法保證的威權政權，到底有何合法性？

The government has made some attempts to clean up polluting factories and steel mills, and has vowed to improve fuel standards and limit the number of cars on the country’s gridlocked roads.

中國政府已在清理污染環境的工廠和鍊鋼廠方面做出了一些努力，並已承諾要提高燃料標準、限制汽車數量（中國的交通擁堵情況已然非常嚴重）。

But as temperatures drop and the coal-fired power stations stoke their fires, residents in China’s biggest cities are bracing for another dark and depressing winter.

但隨着氣溫降低，燃煤火電廠燒旺爐火，中國大城市的居民面對的是又一個陰鬱的冬天。