2017年CRI Acting mayor of Beijing vows to tackle haze

 

Acting¹ Beijing Mayor Cai Qi admits the current bout² of air pollution throughout the capital is a major concern.

He says like most people in the city, he is consistently checking the air quality index, and says public concern about the problem is both understandable and warranted.

"Society pays a lot of attention to the haze³. We all have to work, study, and live in Beijing, and I can completely understand if people have concerns, or anxiety, or even some complaints about the situation. I too feel very anxious about the continuous haze, as its impacting people's lives."

A major campaign to try to keep Beijing's air clean was launched last year.

The "war" against coal in rural areas, as well as high pollution vehicles, has had an effect, with the average daily level of PM2.5 coming in at 73 micrograms per cubic meter last year, down about 10 percent compared with 2015.

Despite the year-on-year reduction, authorities admit the pollution control measures are still lagging behind most people's expectations.

Cai Qi has also been grilled⁴ about a perceived discrepancy⁵ between the official AQI readings and what people are experiencing on a daily basis.

The acting Mayor admits their forecasting isn't always accurate.

"Right now we're having trouble enforcing the regulations, and are also running into technical issues which sometimes lead to miscalculations of both the duration and density⁶ of air pollution, especially during sudden outbreaks of smog. We are struggling somewhat in putting out accurate alerts, as well as how we are coping with the pollution."

Emissions⁷ from winter heating, as well as a lack of controls of heavy-duty diesel⁸ vehicles on the road, and a lack of oversight⁹ of heavy-polluting factories are creating challenges for air pollution control.

Cai Qi says plans are set to be implemented¹⁰ this year to try to fix this.

This will include pulling some 300-thousand high-polluting motor vehicles off the roads.

The last remaining coal-fired power plant in Beijing is set to be shut down once the winter heating season comes to an end in mid-March.

On top of that, hundreds of low-end manufacturing and polluting factories will also be closed, while the rest will be upgraded to meet higher pollution treatment standards.

Cai Qi says the main focus will be on eliminating coal from the air in Beijing.

"Through the three measures mentioned, we plan to cut coal consumption by 30 percent year on year, to less than seven million tons."

Coal-fired power plants in Beijing, once a staple¹¹ of the capital's skyline, have been systematically¹² moved out of the city over the past few years.

Similar moves with high-polluting factories are due to continue as the government implements¹³ its plan to integrate the Beijing-Hebei-Tianjin region into China's next mega-metropolis.

1 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

2 bout   

n.侵袭，发作；一次(阵，回)；拳击等比赛

参考例句：

• I was suffering with a bout of nerves.我感到一阵紧张。
• That bout of pneumonia enfeebled her.那次肺炎的发作使她虚弱了。

3 haze   

n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊

参考例句：

• I couldn't see her through the haze of smoke.在烟雾弥漫中，我看不见她。
• He often lives in a haze of whisky.他常常是在威士忌的懵懂醉意中度过的。

4 grilled   

adj. 烤的, 炙过的, 有格子的 动词grill的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• He was grilled for two hours before the police let him go. 他被严厉盘查了两个小时后，警察才放他走。
• He was grilled until he confessed. 他被严加拷问，直到他承认为止。

5 discrepancy   

n.不同；不符；差异；矛盾

参考例句：

• The discrepancy in their ages seemed not to matter.他们之间年龄的差异似乎没有多大关系。
• There was a discrepancy in the two reports of the accident.关于那次事故的两则报道有不一致之处。

6 density   

n.密集，密度，浓度

参考例句：

• The population density of that country is 685 per square mile.那个国家的人口密度为每平方英里685人。
• The region has a very high population density.该地区的人口密度很高。

7 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。

8 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。

9 oversight   

n.勘漏，失察，疏忽

参考例句：

• I consider this a gross oversight on your part.我把这件事看作是你的一大疏忽。
• Your essay was not marked through an oversight on my part.由于我的疏忽你的文章没有打分。

10 implemented   

v.实现( implement的过去式和过去分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• This agreement, if not implemented, is a mere scrap of paper. 这个协定如不执行只不过是一纸空文。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The economy is in danger of collapse unless far-reaching reforms are implemented. 如果不实施影响深远的改革，经济就面临崩溃的危险。 来自辞典例句

11 staple   

n.主要产物，常用品，主要要素，原料，订书钉，钩环；adj.主要的，重要的；vt.分类

参考例句：

• Tea is the staple crop here.本地产品以茶叶为大宗。
• Potatoes are the staple of their diet.土豆是他们的主要食品。

12 systematically   

adv.有系统地

参考例句：

• This government has systematically run down public services since it took office.这一屆政府自上台以来系统地削减了公共服务。
• The rainforest is being systematically destroyed.雨林正被系统地毀灭。

13 implements   

n.工具( implement的名词复数 )；家具；手段；[法律]履行（契约等）v.实现( implement的第三人称单数 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• Primitive man hunted wild animals with crude stone implements. 原始社会的人用粗糙的石器猎取野兽。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• They ordered quantities of farm implements. 他们订购了大量农具。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》