世界关注中国禁用塑料袋.docVIP

世界关注中国禁用塑料袋 　　中国国务院办公厅年初发出通知，称购物袋已成为“白色污染”的主要来源，今后各地应禁止生产、销售、使用超薄塑料购物袋，并将实行塑料购物袋有偿使用制度。自2008年6月1日起，在所有超市、商场、集贸市场等商品零售场所实行塑料购物袋有偿使用制度，一律不得免费提供塑料购物袋。 　　塑料购物袋与人们的日常生活休戚相关，它为消费者提供便利的同时，由于过量使用及回收处理不到位等原因，也造成了严重的能源资源浪费和环境污染。特别是超薄塑料购物袋容易破损，大多被随意丢弃，成为主要的“白色污染”源。 　　目前环保已成为全世界高唱的主旋律，中国这次无疑体现了大国风范和责任感。问题是，塑料袋引发的环境问题绝非一朝一夕可以解决，之前也有不少国家做过类似尝试，这当中有成功的经验，也有失败的教训。全世界都迫不及待地想知道，中国能为世界的环保事业添上成功的一笔吗？ 　　 　　There is an old Chinese expression: if you want to correct something that others do, you should first correct it yourself. It’s an expression the Chinese government can claim it is following in its efforts to tackle one of the country’s most significant litter problems: the plastic bag. 　　The issue of 1)flimsy plastic bags may seem trivial on the list of environmental challenges facing one of the world’s emerging superpowers, but its 2)ramifications are more than 3)aesthetic. Discarded plastic bags disrupt waterways, 4)clog 5)sewers, and 6)choke soil. So, as one of its new year’s resolutions, China has pledged to ban the use of free and flimsy plastic bags by introducing levies. 7)As of June this year, plastic bags must be paid for, and they will be banned from all public transport, airports and scenic places. 　　Plastic is fantastic. It’s 8)versatile, durable, waterproof, convenient and very, very cheap. But with all the benefits of plastic bags comes a long list of 9)nagging problems, and the most problematic of all is their 10)sheer persistence. Depending on the thickness, plastic bags take between 20 and 1,000 years to break down in the environment. They release toxic gases when they burn; they create 11)stagnant pools which can become a 　　12)breeding ground for 13)malarial mosquitoes; and they 14)suffocate or disrupt the indigestion of animals that accidentally consume them. 　　So, how easy is it to re-gulate a 15)blanket ban on something so 16)integral―yet so destructive―to modern living? And does it work? In Europe, good waste management has meant that the 17)menace of