印度空气污染相关死亡人数即将超过中国
周二发布的一份研究报告显示，印度即将超越中国成为全球空气污染致死人数最多的国家。空气污染是世界上危害最严重的环境杀手。
In 2015 both countries suffered about 1.1m premature deaths as a result of polluted air, with India just 18,000 behind China, the US-based research organisation Health Effects Institute found, making air pollution the fifth-highest cause of death among all health risks.
美国研究机构“健康影响研究所”(HEI)发现，2015年，中印两国因空气污染而过早死亡的人均为110万人左右，印度仅比中国少1.8万人，空气污染也由此成为各种健康风险中的第五大致死因素。
For years, China has endured more deaths than any other country as a result of exposure to PM2.5 pollution — particulate matter measuring less than 2.5 millionths of a metre in diameter.
多年来，中国PM2.5污染导致的过早死亡人数一直高于其他任何国家。PM2.5是指直径小于2.5微米的颗粒物。
But while air pollution-related deaths in China have come down slightly in the past decade, they have increased in India, from about 900,000 annually in 2005 to just under 1.1m in 2015, the HEI report says.
但HEI报告称，虽然过去十年里中国的空气污染相关死亡人数略有下降，但印度的数字却有所上升，从2005年的全年约90万人升至2015年的全年略低于110万人。
In India, the worst pollution is often found in New Delhi, the country’s capital and largest city, due to a combination of climatic conditions, rapidly increasing vehicle use and nearby heavy industry.
在印度，最严重的污染常出现在该国最大城市、首都新德里，这是气候条件、车辆使用量猛增以及附近重工业三者共同作用的结果。
WHO figures show that from 2011 to 2015, New Delhi had by far the highest levels of coarse particulates of any megacity in the world, with levels more than double those in Beijing.
世界卫生组织(WHO)数据显示，2011年到2015年，新德里空气中的粗颗粒物水平遥遥领先于世界其他任何特大城市，比北京高出一倍以上。
Experts say the improvement in Beijing has been achieved partly because air pollution there is now treated as a public health emergency. This means the government can order cars off the road and shut down schools and parts of industry if particulates are predicted to remain high for at least three days.
专家表示，北京的空气质量已有所改善，部分原因在于，空气污染在那里现已被视为突发公共卫生事件。这意味着，如果预期颗粒物浓度至少3天保持在高位，政府可下令汽车不得上路、学校停课、部分工厂停工。
