VOA慢速英语2019 IMO航运新规欲降低空气污染

New shipping¹ rules aimed at reducing air pollution will take effect in January 2020. The rules, put in place by the International Maritime² Organization, or IMO, will change the kind of fuel that ships can use.

旨在减少空气污染的新航运规则将于2020年1月生效。这些由国际海事组织(IMO)制定的规则将改变船舶的燃料种类。

Ships, for the most part, will no longer be able to use fuels with a sulfur³ content above 0.5 percent. Current rules permit a sulfur content of around 3.5 percent.

在很大程度上，船舶将不能够再使用硫含量超过0.5%的燃料。目前的规定允许硫含量限值在3.5%左右。

The IMO's stated goal is to reduce air pollution.

国际海事组织（IMO）的既定目标是降低空气污染。

However, experts and civil society leaders warn that the rules could have a bad side effect. Ship crews might dump more sulfur and nitrates into the ocean.

然而，专家和民间团体负责人警告称，这项新规可能会导致不良的负面影响。

After January 2020, ships will still be able to use higher-sulfur fuel if they have pollution cleaning devices called scrubbers.

2020年1月（新规实施）后，如果船舶上安装有洗涤器的污染清洁设备，那么就可以继续使用高硫燃料。

There are two kinds of scrubbers: open-loop scrubbers and closed-loop scrubbers. Open-loop scrubbers use water to remove sulfur coming through a ship's smokestack and pump the waste into the sea. Closed-loop scrubbers keep most of the water used in the cleaning process on the ship for disposal later at a port.

洗涤器分两种：一种是开环洗涤器和闭环洗涤器。开环式洗涤器利用水冲刷船只烟囱内的硫，并将废物排入大海。而闭环洗涤器将清洗过程中使用的大部分废水保留，待靠岸之后再处理。

A few countries will ban the use of open-loop scrubbers. Singapore and Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates are two examples. China is also set to extend a ban on scrubber discharge to coastal⁵ areas.

一些国家将禁止使用开环洗涤器。例如，新加坡和阿拉伯联合酋长国的富查伊拉。中国还将延长对沿海地区使用洗涤器的禁令。

"Were open-looped scrubbers ever a really good idea?" Bill Hemmings of the Clean Shipping Coalition⁶ asked industry figures at the IMO's headquarters in London.

清洁航运联盟的比尔·海明斯(Bill Hemmings)在国际海事组织伦敦总部询问了行业人士，“使用开环洗涤器真的是个好办法吗？”

Years of studies have examined whether open-loop scrubbers hurt human and marine⁷ life by putting dangerous chemicals into the water. The results, so far, have not been clear. The IMO has supported further study into the environmental impact of scrubbers.

多年来，人们一直在研究开环式洗涤器是否会将危险的化学物质排入水中，进而伤害人类和海洋生物。截至目前，尚未有定论。国际海事组织支持进一步研究洗涤器对环境的影响。

"It's a bit of a blind spot, and the optics of it are not great," said Alan Gelder to the Reuters news agency. Gelder is vice⁴ president of refining at consulting company Wood Mackenzie

艾伦·盖尔德对路透社表示，“这是一个盲点，它的光学效果不是很好。”盖尔德是咨询公司Wood Mackenzie炼油业务的副总裁。

"Though some studies suggest the impact of open-loop scrubbing is going to be very small given the great volume of seas, which already contain many sulphates, what it's doing is solving air pollution by producing a marine pollutant⁸ instead."

“尽管一些研究表明，考虑到已经含有大量硫酸盐的海洋漫无边际，开环洗涤的影响将非常小，但这一做法就是通过产生一种海洋污染物来解决空气污染。”

The stated aim of the new rules is to improve human health.

新规的既定目标是改善人类健康。

A study last year said that ship pollution with current sulfur levels caused about 400,000 premature⁹ deaths from lung cancer and cardiovascular disease. The study, which appeared in the journal Nature, also said the pollution caused about 14 million cases of childhood asthma¹⁰ every year. After 2020, experts think those numbers will fall to about 250,000 and 6.4 million, respectively.

去年的一项研究称，目前因高硫燃料造成的船舶污染导致约40万人过早死于肺癌和心血管疾病。这项发表在《自然》杂志上的研究还指出，污染每年导致约1400万儿童哮喘病例。专家们认为，2020年后，这两个数据将分别降至25万和640万左右。

Some people, however, are still doubtful of the new rules.

然而，一些人仍然对新规表示怀疑。

One oil trader told the Reuters news agency that the "huge changes" might not be as helpful as some might think.

一名石油交易员告诉路透社，所谓的“巨大变革”可能并不像一些人想象的那么有效。

"In the end you can still buy a piece of kit¹¹ that just dumps it [pollution] in the water," he said.

他说:“说到底，你还是可以买一套（清洁）设备，只是把污染废水排入海中。”

Words in This Story

disposal – n. the act of disposing of something: such as : the act of throwing something away

smokestack – n. a tall chimney on a factory, ship, etc., for carrying smoke away

discharge – n. a liquid or gas that flows out of something : the movement of a liquid or gas from something

impact – n. a powerful or major influence or effect

optics – n. (political context) the way the public perceives an event or course of action

volume –n. amount

kit – n. a set of tools or supplies that a person uses for a particular purpose or activity

1 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

2 maritime   

adj.海的，海事的，航海的，近海的，沿海的

参考例句：

• Many maritime people are fishermen.许多居于海滨的人是渔夫。
• The temperature change in winter is less in maritime areas.冬季沿海的温差较小。

3 sulfur   

n.硫，硫磺（=sulphur）

参考例句：

• Sulfur emissions from steel mills become acid rain.炼钢厂排放出的硫形成了酸雨。
• Burning may produce sulfur oxides.燃烧可能会产生硫氧化物。

4 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

5 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

6 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

7 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

8 pollutant   

n.污染物质，散布污染物质者

参考例句：

• Coal itself is a heavy pollutant.煤本身就是一种严重的污染物。
• Carbon dioxide may not be a typical air pollutant.二氧化碳可能不是一种典型的污染物。

9 premature   

adj.比预期时间早的；不成熟的，仓促的

参考例句：

• It is yet premature to predict the possible outcome of the dialogue.预言这次对话可能有什么结果为时尚早。
• The premature baby is doing well.那个早产的婴儿很健康。

10 asthma   

n.气喘病，哮喘病

参考例句：

• I think he's having an asthma attack.我想他现在是哮喘病发作了。
• Its presence in allergic asthma is well known.它在过敏性气喘中的存在是大家很熟悉的。

11 kit   

n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物

参考例句：

• The kit consisted of about twenty cosmetic items.整套工具包括大约20种化妆用品。
• The captain wants to inspect your kit.船长想检查你的行装。