对爱美的女士来说,去海边度假不用防晒霜简直是不可想象的事情,但是美国夏威夷州即将颁布的禁令就是针对防晒霜的,因为各种防晒产品已经危及到那里珊瑚礁的生存。
In an effort to save its at-risk coral reefs, Hawaii has become the first state to pass a law banning specific sunscreen products.
为了拯救夏威夷濒危的珊瑚礁,夏威夷州成为美国首个对特定防晒产品颁布禁令的州。
The new law prohibits the sale and distribution of sunscreens containing the chemicals oxybenzone and octinoxate. Scientists have found that these chemicals, when washed off the skin and into the ocean, can cause coral bleaching.
这项新法令禁止销售含有氧苯酮和桂皮酸盐的防晒产品。科学家发现防晒产品中的这些成分从人类身上被冲洗到海水中以后会导致珊瑚白化。
Coral reefs are fragile, yet vital, parts of the world's ecosystems, and they support the highest marine biodiversity in the world. Reefs are also essential to more than half a billion people who depend on them for food, jobs and recreation — with an estimated economic impact of $375 billion a year.
珊瑚礁十分脆弱,作为世界生态环境重要的一部分,珊瑚礁维持着世界最高的海洋生物多样性。同时,超过5亿人的食物、工作以及娱乐都要仰仗珊瑚礁资源。据估算,珊瑚礁每年可以创造出3750亿美元(合23769亿元人民币)的经济效益。
As early as the 1990s, scientists have examined the effects of sunscreen, and other personal products made with chemicals, on the environment. And a globe-spanning 2017 study examined coral reefs in the US Virgin Islands, Israel and Hawaii, and found that oxybenzone significantly leaches coral of nutrients. Some ecotourism sites and private resorts in the tropics already prohibit similar products.
在20世纪90年代初,科学家就调查出防晒霜和其他含有化学物质的个人用品对环境的影响。然后在2017年全球范围内的研究中发现在美属维尔京群岛、以色列和夏威夷群岛,氧苯酮会极大地滤掉珊瑚的养分。在一些热带的生态旅游景点和私人度假村已经禁止使用相似的防晒产品了。
Democrat Sen. Mike Gabbard of Hawaii introduced Senate Bill No. 2571, whose text states, "These chemicals have also been shown to degrade corals' resiliency and ability to adjust to climate change factors and inhibit recruitment of new corals."
夏威夷的民主党议员迈克·加巴德提出了第2571号参议院法案,在法案中提到,“这些化学成分也会降低珊瑚的可恢复性和适应气候变化的能力,而且还会抑制新珊瑚的生长。”
"When you think about it, our island paradise, surrounded by coral reefs, is the perfect place to set the gold standard for the world to follow," Gabbard told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
加巴德告诉《檀香山星广报》说:“想想看,你会发现,我们被珊瑚礁围绕的美丽家园正是全世界保护珊瑚礁的标杆和榜样的不二之选。”
An NPR article found that the chemicals appear in "more than 3,500 of the world's most popular sunscreen products," including those produced by the brands Hawaiian Tropic, Coppertone and Banana Boat, and different estimates place the number of products between 40 and 70 percent of products currently on the market.
美国公共广播电台网站上的一篇文章指出,这些化学物质在“超过3500种全世界最畅销的防晒产品”里都有出现,包括Hawaiian Tropic,Coppertone和Banana Boat等品牌,根据不同的估算结果,差不多有40%至70%的在售防晒产品都含有这些化学物质。
The proposed ban fairly exhaustively "includes but is not limited to lotion, paste, balm, ointment, cream, solid stick applicator, brush applicator, roll-on applicator, aerosol spray, non-aerosol spray pump, and automated and manual mist spray."
这项禁令详尽地“包含且不限于乳液、软膏、体露、药膏、乳霜、固体棒状涂抹器、刷子涂抹器、走珠式涂抹器、气体喷雾、非喷雾按压式、自动或手动喷雾”。
The bill passed both chambers of the state legislature; Hawaii's 25 state senators voted for the bill unanimously, while only four of the 51 members of the state's House of Representatives voted against it. If signed by Governor David Ige, the bill will take effect Jan. 1, 2021, and Hawaii will become the first state to enact such a law, perhaps setting the stage for more coastal states to take action.
目前该州参众两院都投票通过了这项法令;其中夏威夷25位州参议员全票一致通过,而州众议院51位成员中只有4位投了反对票。待夏威夷州长大卫·伊格签字后,这项法案将会在2021年1月1日正式生效,夏威夷也会成为第一个颁布这种法令的州,或许也为其他拥有珊瑚礁的州打下基础。
Sunscreen is not the only factor putting reefs at risk; scientists have shown CO2 emissions and ocean temperatures also affect the ecosystems.
防晒霜并非危害珊瑚礁的唯一因素;科学家表示,二氧化碳的排放和海洋温度的变化也会影响到生态系统。