香港空气污染八月初创两年之最

Roadside air-pollution levels hit a two-year high in some parts of Hong Kong this week, obscuring the city's vistas in a sea of white haze and prompting the government to warn the young, the elderly and people with heart or respiratory illnesses to stay inside.

香港某些地区的路边空气污染水平八月份的第一周达到两年来最高水平，全香港陷入到茫茫白雾之中，港府为此发出警告：老人、小孩和患有心脏或呼吸疾病的人应避免外出。

Hong Kong's sky is typically bluer and cleaner in the summer months than in the rest of the year, as winds from the south blow in fewer pollutants and strong sea breezes offer relief, dispersing the dirty air. This week, though, the air was heavy with smog, as a nearby typhoon created a weather system that trapped pollutants and helped condense them, causing them to sink. At 7 a.m. on Thursday, roadside monitoring stations in the city's Central district recorded air-pollution index readings of 212, an extreme not seen in the area since dust storms hit Hong Kong in March 2010, bringing with them a cloud of noxious air.

在夏季，香港的天空一般会比其它季节更蓝、更干净，因为夏天会刮南风，带来的污染物会较少，而且强劲的海风也会减轻污染压力，吹散本来肮脏的空气。但那周香港的空气里烟雾弥漫，因为附近的台风形成了一个天气系统，它使污染物越聚越浓并下沉到地面。8月2日早上7点，香港中环的路边监测站录得的空气污染指数为212，创下自2010年3月大范围浮尘袭击香港以来该市的最高污染值。那次浮尘天气给香港带来了大范围的有害空气。

On Wednesday afternoon, some people walking through Central district cupped their hands over their mouths as they walked, while others donned white surgical masks in an attempt to stave off the air's choking pollutants.

8月1日下午，一些人走过香港中环区时都掩鼻而行，还有人戴着白色医用口罩，以避免直接吸入空气中令人窒息的污染物。

'It's gotten really bad. You can feel it,' said Andrew Shum, an office worker in his 40s who braved the dirty air in Wan Chai district on Thursday because he wanted a cigarette break. Though he works on the 35th floor of a skyscraper with harbor vistas, he says, too often, pollution masks the view: 'You pay top dollar in office rent, but you can't see a thing.'

40多岁的公司职员Andrew Shum说，空气太差了，是你可以感觉到的差。8月2日，他不顾香港湾仔区污浊的空气，在室外吸了会儿烟。他说，虽然自己的办公室在一幢可以看到海港景色的摩天大楼里，但空气中的污染物常常让人看不清海景。他说，你付了高昂的写字楼租金，但却什么也看不到。

Hong Kong has the second-worst roadside pollution levels of any major Chinese city, ranking only behind Urumqi, and its poor air quality regularly tops the list of concerns international businesses cite when considering whether to send employees to the city.

香港路边污染的严重程度在中国所有大城市中排第二位，仅次于乌鲁木齐。恶劣的空气质量常常成为跨国企业考虑将员工派驻香港时最担心的问题。

Environmental activists say that while weather is to blame for the latest surge in pollution, the government should still be doing more to address the root issues behind the city's grey skies, such as car emissions. 'The weather is just exacerbating the situation,' said Erica Chan, campaign manager at Clean Air Network.

环保人士说，虽然最近这次污染加剧有天气原因，但香港政府也应采取更多行动来解决造成香港天空灰暗的根本性问题，如汽车尾气排放等。香港环保组织健康空气行动(Clean Air Network)的负责人Erica Chan说，天气只是让污染状况恶化而已。