塑料污染无处不在

In the deepest dive in a manned submersible, US explorer Victor Vescovo spotted and video-recorded a plastic bag and a pile of candy wrappers on the seabed. China Daily reporter Zhang Zhouxiang comments:

乘坐载人潜水器深潜时，美国探险家维克多·维斯科沃（Victor Vescovo）在海床上发现了一个塑料袋和一堆糖纸，他用摄影机录下了这一幕。《中国日报》记者张周祥（Zhang Zhouxiang）评论道：

His discovery of plastic waste 11.2 kilometers below sea level in the Challenger Deep in the Pacific Ocean, the deepest known point in the Earth's oceans, means there is nowhere on this planet plastic waste cannot reach, as it has been found on Mount Qomolangma and in both Arctic and Antarctic waters.

他在太平洋挑战者深渊（地球海洋已知的最深处）深约11200米处发现了塑料垃圾，这意味着地球上的塑料垃圾已无孔不入，更别提珠穆朗玛峰及南北极水域都曾发现了塑料垃圾。

Since the patent for plastics was registered in 1907, 8.3 billion tons of plastic products have already been produced, of which 6.3 billion have been disposed of without processing.

自1907年注册塑料专利以来，人类已生产83亿吨塑料制品，其中63亿吨塑料制品已成为废弃物。

Most of the discarded plastic products end up in the ocean. In the Pacific Ocean, plastic garbage and other waste have already formed an island that's 1.6 million square kilometers in size. That is the size of Mongolia.

大多数的塑料垃圾最终会流入海洋。在太平洋，塑料垃圾和其它废弃物已形成了一座面积为160万平方公里的岛屿，相当于整个蒙古。

Every year, about 8 million tons of plastic waste flow into the ocean. It is estimated that the total weight of plastic waste will reach 12 billion tons by 2050, more than the total weight of oceanic fish.

每年大约有800万吨的塑料垃圾流入海洋。据估计，至2050年，塑料垃圾的总重量将达120亿吨，超过海洋鱼类的总重量。

This plastic waste kills life in the oceans and on the land alike by filling in their stomachs so they cannot eat, or winding around their bodies so they cannot breathe. It pollutes the earth and prevents plants' roots from digging deep into the ground. Plastic micro-particles also join the water cycle and enter the bodies of animals, including humans. As humans are at the top of the food pyramid, plastic micro-particles accumulate inside our bodies.

塑料垃圾导致海洋动物和陆地动物死亡--塑料进入动物体内导致它们无法进食；塑料缠绕动物的身体导致它们无法呼吸。塑料污染着地球，阻止植物的根深埋。塑料微粒还会进入水循环，从而进入到动物（包括人类）体内。由于人类处于食物金字塔的顶端，因此塑料微粒会在我们体内积聚。

Want to do something to change the situation? Don't get plastic bags at the supermarket take your own reusable one instead. Give up fast delivery lunches and cook or go to the restaurant instead. Get into the habit of sorting your garbage.

想不想做出改变？超市购物时带上可重复使用袋，不使用超市的塑料袋。午餐不要点外卖，选择自己做或去餐厅。养成垃圾分类的习惯。

But that's so much easier said than done. Environmentalists have been calling for behavioral changes for at least three decades, yet we continue to use a growing amount of plastic products.

但说起来容易做起来难。过去三十年来，环保主义者一直都在呼吁我们做出行动上的改变，但我们使用的塑料产品还是在逐渐增多。