2015年经济学人 空气污染 呼吸不易

Air pollution

Not breathing easy

A Supreme¹ Court ruling forces the government to deal with dirty air

BRITISH air is much clearer than it once was: in 1952 one “pea souper” smog in London(see photo) caused the deaths of around 4,000 people in a week.

But it is not as clean as it could be. On April 29th the Supreme Court ordered the next government to come up with a plan by the end of the year to reduce the amount of nitrogen dioxide (NO-2),

a noxious² gas produced by diesel³ engines, in the atmosphere. The judgment⁴ could have big implications for several large infrastructure⁵ projects.

It also suggests how, after years of campaigning by greener types, dirty air is finally becoming a political issue.

Britain has long been exceeding limits set by the European Union on air pollution. In 2014 the Department for Environment,

Food and Rural Affairs reported that, in the previous year, annual mean limits for NO-2 had been breached⁶ in 38 out of 43 sites.

Certain roads in London, such as Oxford⁷ Street, a busy shopping thoroughfare, have seen some of the highest recorded measures of NO-2 in Europe.

The health effects of NO-2 have not yet been calculated for Britain, but are thought to be as potentially damaging as fine man-made particulate⁸ matter,

says Gary Fuller of King's College London. A report from a government advisory⁹ group in 2010 estimated that, if all fine particulate matter

(which is mostly caused by car fumes¹⁰ and the wear and tear of tyres on the road) were removed from the atmosphere,

it would increase the average life expectancy¹¹ of those born in 2008 by six months—and for those born in London by nine months.

Despite the mounting evidence of the harmful effects of dirty air, there has been little political desire to get it sorted.

Responsibility for cleaning up air pollution falls over several different government departments,

and may require unpopular decisions to be made about raising taxes or increasing environmental burdens on car companies.

And around a third of the dirty air in Britain is swept across from Europe. Politicians could often skirt the issue by pointing out that it was a Europe-wide problem.

But the ruling by the Supreme Court “takes political will out of the equation,” says Alan Andrews of ClientEarth,

the group of environmental lawyers who brought the case to the Supreme Court. The government will have to clear up the air within the next decade or so, regardless of costs.

However, in the next few months Sir Howard Davies, the leader of an independent Airports Commission,

is expected to issue a recommendation on where to expand airport capacity in the south-east.

The court ruling adds a “potential black mark” to the case for expanding either Heathrow or Gatwick,

Sir Howard's two potential options, says Matthew Farrow, the executive director of the Environmental Industries Commission, an industry group.

Levels of NO-2 are already above recommended levels around Heathrow, which is next to a busy motorway¹²,

and are expected to rise at Gatwick even without another runway. It could also delay plans for a new bridge in East London.

This means the next government will have to make some swift decisions about clearing up Britain's dirty air,

by introducing several “low-emission zones” to reduce the number of diesel cars and the like.

Measures to cut air pollution have been taken before. In 1956, after the smog in London, the government pushed through a Clean Air Act,

banning coal fires in people's homes. That decision was prompted by a crisis. The reasons for pushing through this reform may appear to be less dramatic,

but they are no less important.

1 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

2 noxious   

adj.有害的，有毒的；使道德败坏的，讨厌的

参考例句：

• Heavy industry pollutes our rivers with noxious chemicals.重工业产生的有毒化学品会污染我们的河流。
• Many household products give off noxious fumes.很多家用产品散发有害气体。

3 diesel   

n.柴油发动机，内燃机

参考例句：

• We experimented with diesel engines to drive the pumps.我们试着用柴油机来带动水泵。
• My tractor operates on diesel oil.我的那台拖拉机用柴油开动。

4 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

5 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

6 breached   

攻破( breach的现在分词 )； 破坏，违反

参考例句：

• These commitments have already been breached. 这些承诺已遭背弃。
• Our tanks have breached the enemy defences. 我方坦克车突破了敌人的防线。

7 Oxford   

n.牛津（英国城市）

参考例句：

• At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
• This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。

8 particulate   

adj.微小的；n.微粒，粒子

参考例句：

• A special group was organized to dig up the particulate of the case.成立了一个专门小组来查明该案件的各个细节。
• Lungs retain relatively insoluble particulate material.肺脏内留有不溶解的颗粒物质。

9 advisory   

adj.劝告的，忠告的，顾问的，提供咨询

参考例句：

• I have worked in an advisory capacity with many hospitals.我曾在多家医院做过顾问工作。
• He was appointed to the advisory committee last month.他上个月获任命为顾问委员会委员。

10 fumes   

n.(强烈而刺激的)气味，气体

参考例句：

• The health of our children is being endangered by exhaust fumes. 我们孩子们的健康正受到排放出的废气的损害。
• Exhaust fumes are bad for your health. 废气对健康有害。

11 expectancy   

n.期望，预期，（根据概率统计求得）预期数额

参考例句：

• Japanese people have a very high life expectancy.日本人的平均寿命非常长。
• The atomosphere of tense expectancy sobered everyone.这种期望的紧张气氛使每个人变得严肃起来。

12 motorway   

n.高速公路，快车道

参考例句：

• Our car had a breakdown on the motorway.我们的汽车在高速公路上抛锚了。
• A maniac driver sped 35 miles along the wrong side of a motorway at 110 mph.一个疯狂的司机以每小时110英里的速度在高速公路上逆行飙车35英里。