香港空氣污染造成1,600人過早死亡

Air pollution prematurely killed 1,600 people in Hong Kong during the first half of this year, according to a new study out by the Clean Air Network, which blames such deaths on surging levels of local pollution.

香港非營利環保組織“健康空氣行動”(Clean Air Network)發佈的新研究顯示，今年上半年，香港空氣污染導致1,600人過早死亡。報告將這些死亡案例歸咎於當地污染水平飆升。

Many in Hong Kong have long liked to blame the city's poor air quality on noxious fumes wafting from the maze of factories across the border in mainland China. However, air quality data for the first-half of this year show that not only have Hong Kong's smog levels worsened, but the fault largely lies with local pollution sources such as the city's ageing vehicles.

香港很多人長期以來都愛將這座城市糟糕的空氣質量歸咎於從毗鄰香港的大批中國內地工廠飄過來的有毒煙塵。然而今年上半年的空氣質量數據不僅顯示香港霧霾程度加劇，而且罪魁禍首主要是本地污染源，比如該市老舊的車輛。

Clean Air Network, a Hong Kong-based environmental non-profit organization, says the city's old, dirty vehicles are causing its residents to choke. In the crowded commercial districts of Central and Western, which include the city's financial center as well as some of its most congested streets, levels of nitrogen dioxide, a key air pollutant, jumped 22%, according to their review (in Chinese) of the city's air quality. Their analysis found that such levels of pollution exceed World Health Organization-recommended safe limits by more than 60%.

健康空氣行動說，香港老舊車輛污染環境，令居民窒息。香港中西區等擁擠的商業區既是該市金融中心，又有一些最爲擁堵的街道。健康空氣行動對香港空氣質量的檢測顯示，這些地方的主要空氣污染物二氧化氮的濃度上升22%。他們的分析發現，這樣的污染水平比世界衛生組織(World Health Organization)推薦的安全上限高出60%以上。

Clean Air Network Chief Executive Officer Sum Kwong says pollution levels in Tung Chung--an outlying area that she says is influenced more by the overall regional air quality in the Pearl River Delta--have actually improved across the board, dropping by as much as 13% for certain types of pollutants.

健康空氣行動行政總裁鄺芯妍說，東涌的污染情況事實上出現了整體改善，某些污染物濃度至多下降了13%。東涌是香港較爲偏遠的地區，鄺芯妍說，這裏更多地受到珠江三角洲地區整體空氣質量的影響。

'Basically this shows that the pollution nowadays in Hong Kong is definitely roadside and definitely from local sources, and so the Hong Kong government has to do something,' said Ms. Kwong.

鄺芯妍說，基本上這種情況顯示出當前香港的污染肯定是路邊污染，肯定是來自本地污染源，港府應該有所行動。

Earlier this month, a study in mainland China found that poor air quality cut lifespans by more than five years. Even short-term exposure to high levels of air pollution can help trigger heart failure, arrhythmias and stroke.

本月早些時候，中國內地一項研究發現，惡劣的空氣質量導致人們減壽五年多。即使是短期置身於高度污染的空氣中也可能引發心力衰竭、心律失常和中風。

Old, diesel-fueled lorries spew out some of the city's most toxic air, and Hong Kong's government last year proposed a $1.3 billion scheme to help truck drivers buy new ones. But such a proposal doesn't address the city's aging taxi fleet, which has also fueled the problem. While Hong Kong recently introduced a dozen electric cabs, much of the city's iconic red taxis are in dire need of an upgrade, Ms. Kwong says.

老舊的柴油動力卡車噴出的尾氣是香港最大的毒害物來源之一，香港政府去年提出了一個耗資13億美元的項目，幫助卡車司機購買新車。但這個項目沒有針對該市的老舊出租車，後者也加劇了污染問題。鄺芯妍說，雖然香港近期推出了十幾輛電動出租車，但該市標誌性的紅色出租車有很大一部分亟需升級。

A decade ago, Hong Kong's old diesel cabs were scrapped in favor of those using cleaner-burning LPG fuel, a move widely praised at the time. 'Today they're a lot better, more environmentally friendly,' says Wong Cheung Keung, president of the Hong Kong Taxi and Public Light Bus Association.

10年前，香港的老式柴油動力出租車被廢棄，代之以使用更清潔的液化石油氣燃料的出租車，這一舉措當時受到廣泛稱讚。香港的士小巴商總會(Hong Kong Taxi and Public Light Bus Association)會長王仲強說，現在的出租車好多了，更爲環保。

However, Ms. Kwong says many of the catalytic converters attached to such vehicles have been in use for years and need to be replaced, says. Otherwise, such devices--which filter pollutants from vehicle exhaust and typically last only a handful of years--will 'just have no function, ' she says.

然而鄺芯妍說，這些車輛上安裝的許多催化轉換器都已經使用多年，需要更換。她說，否則的話，這些裝置就毫無用處。催化轉換器的作用是過濾汽車尾氣中的污染物，通常只能用幾年。

The government agrees. Last month, it said it plans to subsidize taxi and bus owners in a one-off scheme to replace such converters starting later this year.

香港政府同意這一看法。上個月，政府表示計劃從今年晚些時候開始向出租車和巴士車主提供一次性補貼，更換這種轉換器。

In the meantime, both Ms. Kwong and Mr. Wong say the government should do still more to clean up the city's air. 'The government should provide us with more incentives to support taxi drivers to change,' said Mr. Wong, adding that the government should offer subsidies to encourage taxi drivers--and not just truck drivers--to purchase newer vehicles to help keep the city's air clean.

與此同時，鄺芯妍說王仲強都說，政府應當加大力度淨化空氣。王仲強說，政府應當爲我們提供更多的刺激政策，鼓勵出租車司機改變，還說政府應當提供補貼，鼓勵出租車司機──而不僅僅是卡車司機──購買新車，以保持香港的空氣清潔。