隔离在家，空气竟然好了

Tens of thousands of lives have been saved due to reduced air pollution during coronavirus lockdowns, research shows.

研究显示，由于冠状病毒封锁期间，由于空气污染减少，数以万计的生命得以挽救。

Air quality expert Marshall Burke estimates that in China alone, dwindling harmful emissions “have saved the lives of 4,000 kids under five and 73,000 adults over 70.”

空气质量专家马歇尔•伯克估计，仅在中国，不断减少的有害排放“就拯救了4000名5岁以下儿童和73000名70岁以上成年人的生命。”

But, Burke warned that while his calculations “yield some very large reductions in premature mortality it seems clearly incorrect and foolhardy to conclude that pandemics are good for health.”

但是，伯克警告说，虽然他的计算“在很大程度上减少了过早死亡，但得出流行病有益于健康的结论显然是不正确的，也是愚蠢的。”

The Stanford University researcher explained that the positive effects he’s calculated “are just the health benefits of the air pollution changes”.

斯坦福大学的研究人员解释说，他计算出的积极影响“只是空气污染变化对健康的好处”。

There has obviously been massive disruption to every day life, with the coronavirus pandemic severely hitting economies from China to the UK, alongside thousands of deaths worldwide.

显然，冠状病毒大流行严重打击了从中国到英国的各个经济体，每天的生活都受到了巨大的干扰，同时全球也有数千人死亡。

Italy’s toll alone has already surged past 2,500 people.

仅意大利的死亡人数就已经超过2500人。

And the latest worldwide figures show that as of today, a terrifying 201,530 have been infected globally, while 8,007 have been killed by the new virus.

而最新的全球数据显示，截至今天，全球已经有可怕的201530人感染，8007人因病毒感染而失去生命。

Burke said that his stats “do not account for the many other short- or long-term negative consequences of social and economic disruption on health or other outcomes.

伯克说，他的统计数字“并不能解释社会和经济混乱对健康或其他结果造成的许多其他短期或长期负面影响。”

“These harms could exceed any health benefits from reduced air pollution.

“这些危害可能超过减少空气污染对健康的任何好处。”

“But the calculation is perhaps a useful reminder of the often-hidden health consequences.”

“但这一计算或许是一个有用的提醒，提醒人们经常隐藏的健康后果。”

His concerns are echoed by Gernot Wagner, a clinical associate professor at New York University’s Department of Environmental Studies.

他的担忧得到了纽约大学环境研究系临床副教授格诺瓦格纳的回应。

China, where the outbreak started, showed a marked reduction in pollution after the government imposed travel bans and quarantines.

在中国政府实施旅行禁令和隔离措施后，疫情爆发地的污染明显减少。

CO2 emissions fell by a quarter, or an estimated 200 million tonnes in the four weeks to March 1 – about half the amount Britain emits in a year.

二氧化碳排放量减少了四分之一，即在截至3月1日的四周内估计减少了2亿吨，约为英国一年排放量的一半。

And the data from Italy, which was hit hard several weeks later, has suggested a similar pattern.

而几周后遭受重创的意大利的数据也表明了类似的模式。

Air pollution has plummeted over northern Italy after the government introduced a nationwide lockdown to combat coronavirus, satellite imagery shows.

卫星图像显示，意大利北部地区的空气污染急剧下降，此前政府在全国范围内实施了一项针对冠状病毒的封锁措施。

An elderly Milan resident told The Sun Online that with Italy “almost totally locked down to contain the virus, roads are empty and there’s a lot of silence”.

米兰一位老年居民告诉《太阳报》在线记者，由于意大利“几乎完全被封锁以控制病毒，道路空空荡荡，一片寂静”。

The grandad added: “One positive aspect of this situation is that the air quality in Milano is a lot better.”

这位爷爷补充道：“这种情况的一个积极方面是米兰的空气质量好多了。”

Italy’s mass quarantining of its population has involved complete self-isolation.

意大利对其人口的大规模隔离涉及完全的自我隔离。

It has closed all schools, offices and services and ordered everyone without a compelling and authorized reason to stay home.

它已经关闭了所有的学校、办公室和服务设施，并命令所有人在没有令人信服的授权理由的情况下呆在家里。

The new coronavirus first appeared in Italy in January, but the outbreak surged dramatically in February in the small town of Codogno, about 60km (40miles) southeast of Milan.

今年1月，这种新型冠状病毒首次出现在意大利，但今年2月，在距米兰东南约60公里(40英里)的小镇科多诺(Codogno)爆发的疫情急剧增加。

Italian doctors have warned of a “catastrophic” situation, as more than 31,000 cases have been confirmed.

意大利医生警告称，情况将会是“灾难性的”，目前已有31000多例确诊病例。

The European Space Agency (ESA) said it had noticed a particularly marked decline in emissions of nitrogen dioxide (N02) – a noxious gas emitted by power plants, cars and factories – over the Po Valley region in northern Italy.

欧洲航天局(ESA)表示，他们注意到，在意大利北部波谷地区，二氧化氮(N02)的排放量特别明显下降，这是一种由发电厂、汽车和工厂排放的有害气体。

Claus Zehner, who manages the agency’s Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite mission, said: “Although there could be slight variations in the data due to cloud cover and changing weather, we are very confident that the reduction in emissions that we can see coincides with the lockdown in Italy causing less traffic and industrial activities.”

管理该机构“哥白尼哨兵-5P”卫星任务的克劳斯·泽纳说：“虽然由于云层覆盖和天气变化，数据可能会有轻微变化，但我们非常有信心，我们所看到的减排与意大利的封锁同时，交通和工业活动减少。”

Lower pollution emissions are also being recorded across Britain, as people work from home and stay clear of public transport and roads in an effort to stifle the spread of the killer bug.

随着人们在家工作，远离公共交通和道路，以遏制致命病菌的传播，英国各地的污染排放也在下降。