Plastic and traces of hazardous chemicals have been found in Antarctica, one of the world’s last great wildernesses, according to a new study. Researchers spent three months taking water and snow samples from remote areas of the continent earlier this year. These have now been analysed and researchers have confirmed the majority contained “persistent hazardous chemicals” or microplastics. The findings come amid growing concern about the extent of the plastic pollution crisis which scientists have warned risks “permanent contamination” of the planet. Earlier this week, the UN warned it is one of the world’s biggest environmental threats and said although 60 countries were taking urgent action more needed to be done. The new report by researchers at Greenpeace is part of global campaign to create the world’s biggest ocean sanctuary in the seas around Antarctica to protect the fragile ecosystem from industrial fishing and climate change. Frida Bengtsson(弗里达•本特森), of Greenpeace’s Protect the Antarctic campaign, said the findings proved that even the most remote areas of the planet were not immune from the impact of manmade pollution. “We need action at source, to stop these pollutants ending up in the Antarctic in the first place, and we need an Antarctic ocean sanctuary to give space for penguins, whales and the entire ecosystem to recover from the pressures they’re facing,” she said. Seven of the eight sea-surface water samples tested contained microplastics such as microfibres. Seven of the nine snow samples tested contained detectable concentrations of the persistent hazardous chemicals. Researchers said the chemicals are widely used in many industrial processes and consumer products and have been linked to reproductive and developmental issues in wildlife. They said the snow samples gathered included freshly fallen snow, suggesting the hazardous chemicals had come from contaminated rain or snowfall. Prof Alex Rogers(亚历克斯•罗杰斯)，a specialist in sustainable oceans at the Oxford Martin school, Oxford University, said the discovery of plastics and chemicals in Antarctica confirmed that manmade pollutants were now affecting ecosystems in every corner of the world. And he warned the consequences of this pervasive contamination remained largely unknown. “The big question now is what are the actual consequences of finding this stuff here? Many of these chemicals are pretty nasty and as they move up the food chain they may be having serious consequences for the health of wildlife, and ultimately humans. The effects of microplastics on marine life, likewise, are largely not understood,” he said.
There is relatively little data on the extent of microplastics in Antarctic waters, and researchers said they hoped this new study would lead to a greater understanding of the global extent of plastic and chemical pollutants. Bengtsson said, “Plastic has now been found in all corners of our oceans, from the Antarctic to the Arctic and at the deepest point of the ocean, the Mariana trench. We need urgent action to reduce the flow of plastic into our seas and we need large-scale marine reserves – like a huge Antarctic ocean sanctuary which over 1.6m people are calling for – to protect marine life and our oceans for future generations.”
There is relatively little data on the extent of microplastics in Antarctic waters, and researchers said they hoped this new study would lead to a greater understanding of the global extent of plastic and chemical pollutants. Bengtsson said，“Plastic has now been found in all corners of our oceans, from the Antarctic to the Arctic and at the deepest point of the ocean, the Mariana trench. We need urgent action to reduce the flow of plastic into our seas and we need large-scale marine reserves – like a huge Antarctic ocean sanctuary which over 1.6m people are calling for – to protect marine life and our oceans for future generations.”The samples were gathered during a three-month Greenpeace expedition to the Antarctic from January to March 2018. The Guardian joined the trip for two weeks in February. A decision on the sanctuary proposal, which is being put forward by the EU and supported by environmental campaign groups around the world, will be taken at the forthcoming meeting of the Antarctic Ocean Commission in Tasmania in October.
【参考译文】
人类福祉的改善是现代最伟大的成就之一。这样一个富足的年代也引发了难以预测的全球健康危机：全球有20亿人要么超重，要么肥胖。一直以来，发达国家的人更加容易患上肥胖症。但是，现在发展中国家也面临着同样的危机。肥胖率在高收入国家达到了峰值，但是在其它地方，这一数字也正在加速攀升。综合世界卫生组织和世界银行的调查结果来看，2016年世界上有一半的肥胖儿童分布在亚洲，四分之一分布在非洲。发展中国家的城市居民越来越容易患上肥胖症。根据印度国家营养研究所(India’s National Institute of Nutrition)的数据，城市人口中超过1/4的男性和近1/2的女性超重。
这场危机将考验各国政府的政治决心，他们过去的工作重心是终止饥饿。现在他们必须意识到那些能让城市更加便捷高效的因素同样会让城市居民更加容易患上肥胖症。现在的城市居民能够享受各种各样的美食，国际快餐连锁店也在发展中国家遍布开来。这样的饮食习惯加上久坐的生活方式，进一步加剧了城市居民的健康风险。除此之外，越来越多家庭的空闲时间也被电视、电影和电子游戏所占据。
这些趋势不禁让人担心发展中国家的人们可能还没富裕起来就已经被富贵病所困扰。这些疾病转而又会对健康体系造成影响。东南亚每年花在治疗糖尿病、心血管疾病等肥胖并发症上的医疗保健费用已高达100亿美元。对于仍在努力满足基本医保健需求的国家来说，这些疾病无疑是雪上加霜
较之日益增长的超重人口最终产生的医疗费用，实施与税收、城市设计、教育以及食品流通系统推广相关的政策可能有助于以更低的成本控制肥胖。一些国家已经开始试行通过直接干预的方式来控制肥胖，如对非健康食品和饮品征税。泰国、文莱和新加坡已经实行苏打税。南非预计会在2018年4月开始征收糖税。加利福利亚的伯克利市政府认为仅仅靠征税，还不足以解决肥胖问题。该市征收上来的糖税被用于支持儿童营养和社区健康项目。此举强调了教育的重要性。
很多倡议中都包含着承诺。城市设计对重塑生活方式和公共健康体系十分重要。提高公共空间的吸引力可以促使居民离开他们的汽车和客厅。最近一项关于上海和杭州城市社区的研究发现，在中国城市中，居住在步行街区的居民比居住在步行街区较少的居民更加健康。
最后，追求更健康的生活方式，我们可以从杂货店过道开始入手。各国政府应该鼓励在农业生产系统、城市杂货店和食品供应商之间建立更为紧密的联系。这些倡议也有助于城市居民更好地了解食品采购机制，以此提高人们对天然食品和健康生活方式之间关系的认识。控制非健康食品与鼓励健康饮食和积极生活方式的政策相结合的举措，是各国政府对不断上升的肥胖率的积极回应。无论是从经济还是从社会角度来说，改善公共健康都是发展中国家应该实施的一项重要政策。引用最新《全球营养报告》中的一个观点：减少肥胖可推动全球发展。
热点试题1：2019-2003年翻译资格考试catti三级笔译真题汇总 
热点试题2：翻译资格考试英语笔译初级模拟题363篇
|
试题来源:[2019翻译资格考试焚题库] 想获得2019试题答案，请扫描二维码，加入我们！ 快速联系通道：432919366 |
|
