2016年CRI Beijing to Renew Efforts to Tackle Air Pollution in 2016

 

The Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau said on Wednesday that it fined local polluters 183 million yuan, or roughly 28 million US dollars last year, witnessing a drastic increase from 2014.

Captain of the bureau's environmental supervision¹ team Zhong Chonglei says the increase signaled authorities' commitment in tackling air pollution.

"The growth in the amount of fines and number of cases does not mean there were more polluters in Beijing. It means that we have intensified² our legal supervision. Some illegal behaviors may have slipped through the cracks before, but now we are putting an end to them."

The bureau said a major focus of its operations last year was to supervise and regulate pollution sources, especially during the winter months when indoor heating creates more challenges to maintaining air quality. Common problems also included dust created by industrial and construction sites, as well as burning of straws on farmlands and burning of garbage or other materials elsewhere.

Deputy Captain of the supervision team Zhao Zhiwei says in Beijing, the number of domestic pollution sources far exceeds that of industrial sources.

"Industrial air pollution has relatively³ lessened⁴, as the number of polluters has been cut down. About 90% of the cases we processed involved domestic sources or smaller polluters, such as small furniture makers⁵, auto⁶ repair shops, restaurants and such."

On January 1 this year, China's amended⁷ Air Pollution Control Laws took effect. The amendments⁸ established regional mechanisms⁹ in fighting air pollution, strengthened governmental responsibilities in regulating air quality, in addition to making information about air pollution and regulation more transparent¹⁰ to the public.

Researcher with the Beijing bureau Mu Liang said the amended laws differed from the previous version in their focus and approach.

"The previous version of the laws focused on the end of the polluting chain, only requiring companies to regulate their emissions¹¹. But the new version focuses on the end goal of improving air quality. If local governments can't meet air quality goals, then they need to make timed plans, which then need to be approved by their supervising governments. They need to aim for continual improvement in local air quality. This is a fundamental change from the previous version.

The new laws have been in effect for a week. Beijing authorities have already processed 11 cases of illegal emissions. Captain Zhong of the supervision team says they have laid out quarterly plans this year to respond to seasonally¹² specific pollution issues, in an attempt to fully¹³ implement¹⁴ the new laws.

For CRI, I'm Victor Ning.

1 supervision   

n.监督，管理

参考例句：

• The work was done under my supervision.这项工作是在我的监督之下完成的。
• The old man's will was executed under the personal supervision of the lawyer.老人的遗嘱是在律师的亲自监督下执行的。

2 intensified   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
• The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

4 lessened   

减少的，减弱的

参考例句：

• Listening to the speech through an interpreter lessened its impact somewhat. 演讲辞通过翻译的嘴说出来，多少削弱了演讲的力量。
• The flight to suburbia lessened the number of middle-class families living within the city. 随着迁往郊外的风行，住在城内的中产家庭减少了。

5 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

7 Amended   

adj. 修正的 动词amend的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He asked to see the amended version. 他要求看修订本。
• He amended his speech by making some additions and deletions. 他对讲稿作了些增删修改。

8 amendments   

（法律、文件的）改动( amendment的名词复数 )； 修正案； 修改； （美国宪法的）修正案

参考例句：

• The committee does not adequately consult others when drafting amendments. 委员会在起草修正案时没有充分征求他人的意见。
• Please propose amendments and addenda to the first draft of the document. 请对这个文件的初稿提出修改和补充意见。

9 mechanisms   

n.机械( mechanism的名词复数 )；机械装置；[生物学] 机制；机械作用

参考例句：

• The research will provide direct insight into molecular mechanisms. 这项研究将使人能够直接地了解分子的机理。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He explained how the two mechanisms worked. 他解释这两台机械装置是如何工作的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

11 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

12 seasonally   

参考例句：

• The price of vegetables fluctuates seasonally. 蔬菜的价格随季节变动。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They moved seasonally among various vegetation types to feed on plants that were flourishing. 它们还随着季节的变化而在各种类型植物之间迁移，以便吃那些茂盛的植物。 来自辞典例句

13 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

14 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。