韩国加入全球污染最严重国家行列

South Korea has joined the ranks of the world’s most polluted countries, with air pollution in the first months of this year soaring to record levels.

韩国已加入全球污染最严重国家行列，今年头几个月的空气污染飙升至创纪录水平。

Long associated with Asian capitals such as Beijing or Delhi, hazardous smog has for weeks blanketed Seoul — a city now appearing among the world’s three most polluted in daily rankings.

有害烟雾最近已连续数周覆盖在首尔上空，这座城市现在在每日排名中名列全球三大污染最严重城市。长期以来，有毒烟雾都与北京或德里等亚洲国家首都有关。

And there is growing concern that much of the root cause of the toxic air, estimated to cost the country up to $9bn each year, lies at home and not in China as the government has claimed.

而且有越来越多的担心认为有毒空气的根源是在韩国国内，而不像韩国政府所称的在中国。据估计有毒空气每年要耗费韩国政府高达90亿美元。

Already this year authorities in South Korea have issued 85 ultrafine dust warnings, up more than 100 per cent from the 41 advisories in the same period last year.

韩国当局今年已经发布了85次超细粉尘警告，比去年同期41次公告高出了100%以上。

Classified as a first-degree carcinogen by the World Health Organization, the invisible nanoparticles known as PM2.5 penetrate deep into the respiratory system and can trigger a variety of illnesses, including cancer.

这种肉眼不可见的纳米颗粒被称为PM2.5，被世界卫生组织(World Health Organization)列为一级致癌物，能够渗入呼吸系统深部，引发包括癌症在内的多种疾病。

An OECD report found that up to 9m South Koreans could die prematurely by 2060 as a result of current levels of air pollution — the worst projection among members of the group of mainly rich countries.

经合组织(OECD)的一份报告指出，由于目前的空气污染水平，到2060年前可能最高会造成900万韩国人过早死亡，这是在这群富裕国家成员中最糟糕的预测。

Many in South Korea blame pollutants wafting in from China — but experts say much of the pollution is homegrown.

许多韩国人指责这些污染物是从中国飘来的，但专家表示大部分污染是“国产货”。

“The government is sitting idly by while passing the buck to China,” said Kim Shin-do, a professor of environmental engineering at the University of Seoul.

首尔市立大学(University of Seoul)环境工程教授Kim Shin-do表示：“政府一边将责任推诿给中国，一边坐视不管。”

“Only after we handle our own air pollution problems can we grasp the extent of air pollution or fine dust [coming from] the deserts in China and Mongolia.”

“我们只有先处理好自己的空气污染问题，才能掌握空气污染或(来自)中国和蒙古沙漠的细粉尘的程度。”

The South Korean environment ministry attributes up to 80 per cent of the fine dust to overseas sources during periods of pronounced pollution.

在污染明显时期，韩国环境部将高达80%的细粉尘归咎于海外来源。

But Prof Kim believes China is to blame for only 20 per cent of South Korea’s fine dust. Environmental group Greenpeace puts the figure at 30 per cent.

但Kim Shin-do认为中国仅对韩国细粉尘的20%负责，环保组织绿色和平(Greenpeace)认为这一数字为30%。

Pollution-tracking website AirVisual this week found three South Korean cities and no Chinese cities among the world’s 10 most polluted.

追踪污染的网站AirVisual本周发现三座韩国城市跻身全球十大污染城市，而中国城市没有入选。

Much of the country’s pollutants come from vehicle emissions and construction or industrial sites. Power plants also play a crucial role — and energy officials are pushing to develop even more coal-powered capacity.

韩国大部分污染物来自车辆排放和建筑工地或工业场所，电厂也起到了关键作用，而韩国的能源官员还在推动发展更多燃煤电厂。

The government operates 53 coal-powered plants and intends to construct 20 more in the next five years. Ten ageing plants will be shut by 2025.

韩国政府现运营53座燃煤电厂，且计划在未来5年再增加20座。到2025年前将关闭10座老化的电厂。

Between 2005 and last year, the capacity of the country’s coal-fired power plants increased almost 95 per cent. Burning of the fossil fuel — a source of carbon dioxide emissions and smog — accounts for about 40 per cent of the country’s energy generation.

2005年至去年，韩国燃煤电厂产能增长近95%。燃煤发电约占韩国发电量40%，这种矿物燃料的燃烧是二氧化碳排放和烟雾的来源之一。

Meanwhile, nuclear power’s share has slipped to 30 per cent of power generated from 40 per cent in 2005 amid safety concerns and following a series of scandals.

同时，由于安全问题和一系列丑闻，核电在发电量中的比例从2005年的40%下降到30%。

“Most of the pollutants come from our living environment but the government has been blaming cars, China and even cooking mackerel fish for years,” said Kim Dong-sul, a professor at Kyung Hee University.

庆熙大学(Kyung Hee University)教授Kim Dong-sul表示：“大多数污染物来自我们的生活环境，但政府多年来一直怪罪到汽车、中国，甚至烹饪鲭鱼头上。”