保定被列爲中國空氣污染最嚴重城市

The northern Chinese city that has pinned its hopes on the solar power industry tops China’s “most-polluted” list.

對太陽能發電產業寄予厚望的華北城市，在中國“污染最嚴重城市”榜單上位居首位。

Baoding, home to Yingli Solar, the world’s second-largest solar panel maker, was the most polluted among the 74 cities on an environment ministry list published on Monday.

全球第二大太陽能電池板製造商英利集團(Yingli Solar)總部所在的保定，在中國環保部週一發表的74個城市空氣質量狀況報告中，被列爲空氣污染最嚴重的城市。

Six others in the top 10 are in Hebei, the industrialised province that rings Beijing, where the government is struggling to cut the smog that envelops the capital routinely.

除保定外，空氣污染最嚴重的前10位城市中，還有6個來自於環繞北京的河北省。北京市政府正竭力驅散經常籠罩中國首都的霧霾。

In 2010, Baoding, 150km southwest of Beijing, was designated a low-carbon pilot, targeting urban growth without reliance on coal-fuelled heavy industry. Its roads are lined with solar-powered street lights, reflecting the importance to the local economy of the panel manufacturing industry.

2010年，地處北京西南方向150公里外的保定，被指定開展低碳試點項目，力求做到在不依賴需要燃煤的重工業的情況下推進城市發展。該市的路燈是太陽能供電的，反映出太陽能電池板製造業對當地經濟的重要性。

Overall, 90 per cent of the cities surveyed fell short of pollution targets, the ministry said. Eight managed to do so, an improvement on last year, when three hit the targets.

中國環保部表示，總體而言，被調查的城市有90%空氣質量不達標。8個城市達標，比上一年度只有3個城市達標的“成績”好一些。

The smog that blankets Chinese cities is becoming a source of public discontent, and the government has announced a series of targets and policies to reduce industrial and vehicle pollution in the most populous and prosperous centres. But orders to curb heavy industry are countered by strong government support for companies that are often the biggest local taxpayers and employers.

覆蓋中國城市的霧霾正成爲公衆不滿情緒的源頭之一，政府已宣佈了一系列目標和政策，力求在最繁榮、人口最多的中心城市減少工業和機動車污染。但是，遏制重工業的指令，在一定程度上被政府對此類企業（它們往往是當地最大的納稅人和僱主）的大力扶持所抵消。

Average levels of PM2.5, or fine particulate matter, stood at 93 micrograms per cubic metre last year in the region covering Hebei and Beijing, the ministry said. That level is “good” in the Chinese air quality grading system, although it is well above the national target of 35 micrograms. The US Environmental Protection Agency target is an annual average of 15 micrograms, with the level in any 24 hours averaging no more than 35 micrograms.

中國環保部稱，京津冀區域去年PM2.5（即細顆粒物）年均濃度爲每立方米93微克。按照中國的空氣質量分級制度，這一水平屬於“良好”，儘管它遠高於35微克的國家指標。美國環保局(EPA)的指標是年均15微克，而且在任一24小時期間的平均濃度均不超過35微克。

Spurred by the US embassy’s decision to tweet the readings of an air quality monitor on its roof, China now publishes data for most of its largest cities but is sensitive about poor results.

在美國駐華大使館決定通過Twitter發佈其樓頂上的空氣質量監測器讀數的推動下，中國目前發佈多數大城市的空氣質量數據，但對於糟糕的結果比較敏感。

The developers of a popular smartphone app that compares readings from the US embassy with government data were ordered to stop including the embassy figures in the lead-up to November’s Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation meeting. They have not been allowed to resume the comparison.

在去年11月北京舉行亞太經合組織(APEC)會議前夕，一個比較美國大使館讀數與中國官方數據的熱門智能手機應用的開發商，被勒令停止囊括美國大使館的讀數。他們至今沒有獲准恢復上述比較。

Ironically, US embassy readings were often lower than the city’s official readings during the Apec meeting.

諷刺的是，在APEC會議期間，美國大使館的讀數常常低於北京市的官方數據。

Baoding’s new status is bad news for the think-tanks and secondary government institutions the central government plans to relocate there to reduce congestion and pollution in Beijing.

保定的新地位對中國中央政府計劃遷至該市的智庫和二級政府機構來說是個壞消息。該計劃的目的是減輕北京的交通擁堵和污染。