2007年VOA标准英语-London Leads By Example to Curb Pollution, Clim

By Mandy Clark
London
11 May 2007
 
watch London Pollution report

New York is hosting a Climate Change Summit next week (May 14th to 17th). Leaders from the world's largest cities will discuss how to reduce pollution. London will likely be held up as a role model in cutting back carbon emissions¹. The British capital is on the forefront in fighting climate change.

 
The roadways leading into London are marked for the beginnings of the "Congestion² Charging Zone"
London has declared war on climate change.

It is boosting bio-fuel in buses, charging cars that come into town and making 4x4 drivers pay even more. Pass the “big C” and you are in the congestion zone. Anyone who drives into the city gets slapped with a daily fee of around 16 dollars.

Gas guzzlers have been singled out as public enemy number one. The mayor branded those who drive SUVs as "idiots" and plans to punish them with a higher toll³ of roughly 50 dollars a day.

The current charging scheme has been in place for four years now, but the zone expanded further in February to nearly double its original size. The city says the larger area will reduce traffic by 15 percent by encouraging public transport.

 
Roger Lawson
But Roger Lawson from the Association of British Drivers says the toll system is failing to cut carbon emissions. "Both buses and taxis are typically diesel⁴ powered and their emissions are nowhere as clean as private cars. And if you get the average loading of about 10 people, which is what it is in London, then the pollution per person is actually similar, if not worse, than a private car."

The city mayor admits pollution from buses is a problem, but he has a plan for that, too.

London is trying out a handful of buses fueled by bio-ethanol.

If successful, double-deckers will be powered by the clean fuel made from Brazilian sugar cane⁵.

 
Drivers must pay to drive in the traffic-choked areas of London
That is on top of a fleet of hybrid⁶ diesel-electric buses already running in the capital. And there is also a low-tech solution -- get people riding their bikes to work. Seventy-two million dollars is getting spent this year to promote it

But Londoners are divided on the city's tough approach to traffic.

"London is one of the most expensive city's in the world to live in. It's making it more expensive, more difficult and harder to live,” said one Londoner.

"Prior to the Congestion Charge if you owned a car it was cheaper to travel into central London by car then by public transport,” said another person. “And I think that doesn't offer an incentive⁷ not to use their cars so introducing the congestion charge redresses⁸ that balance and potentially it offers a subsidy⁹ for people who want to go into London in the most eco-friendly way."

Transport is just one part of the mayor's climate change action plan. He wants to cut London's carbon emissions by 60 percent in the next 20 years.

The plan suggests that London should produce a quarter of its electricity from local, low carbon power generators¹⁰.

 
London is being proactive in combatting air pollution
And it also wants to use household waste to produce power. Experts estimate garbage could create electricity for two million homes and heat for more than 625,000 houses.

Doug Parr, an environmentalist with Greenpeace, says the new initiative is radical¹¹ but necessary. "Reputable people are saying this is the biggest threat that the world faces, above and beyond terrorism. Now we got to have serious political concerted responses to drive the technology and behavior change, to change our climate emissions and put them on a downward track. We cannot bet that this tiny percentage of scientists who deny global warming are right. It's too big a risk for the rest of us."

Cities produce 75 percent of global carbon emissions, according to British government scientists.

The world's big urban centers are the future battlegrounds in the fight against climate change and London is leading the charge.

 

1 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。

2 congestion   

n.阻塞，消化不良

参考例句：

• The congestion in the city gets even worse during the summer.夏天城市交通阻塞尤为严重。
• Parking near the school causes severe traffic congestion.在学校附近泊车会引起严重的交通堵塞。

3 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

4 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。

5 cane   

n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的

参考例句：

• This sugar cane is quite a sweet and juicy.这甘蔗既甜又多汁。
• English schoolmasters used to cane the boys as a punishment.英国小学老师过去常用教鞭打男学生作为惩罚。

6 hybrid   

n.(动，植）杂种，混合物

参考例句：

• That is a hybrid perpetual rose.那是一株杂交的四季开花的蔷薇。
• The hybrid was tall,handsome,and intelligent.那混血儿高大、英俊、又聪明。

7 incentive   

n.刺激；动力；鼓励；诱因；动机

参考例句：

• Money is still a major incentive in most occupations.在许多职业中，钱仍是主要的鼓励因素。
• He hasn't much incentive to work hard.他没有努力工作的动机。

8 redresses   

n.补偿，赔偿，矫正( redress的名词复数 )v.改正( redress的第三人称单数 )；重加权衡；恢复平衡

参考例句：

9 subsidy   

n.补助金，津贴

参考例句：

• The university will receive a subsidy for research in artificial intelligence.那个大学将得到一笔人工智能研究的补助费。
• The living subsidy for senior expert's family is included in the remuneration.报酬已包含高级专家家人的生活补贴。

10 generators   

n.发电机，发生器( generator的名词复数 )；电力公司

参考例句：

• The factory's emergency generators were used during the power cut. 工厂应急发电机在停电期间用上了。
• Power can be fed from wind generators into the electricity grid system. 电力可以从风力发电机流入输电网。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。