塑料垃圾令全球海洋窒息

A staggering 8m tonnes of plastic waste are entering the world’s oceans every year, or the equivalent to five grocery bags filled with plastic for every foot of coastline in the world, according to the first scientific assessment of the problem.

根據對海上塑料垃圾問題的首次科學評估，全球每年流入海洋的塑料垃圾達到令人震驚的800萬噸，相當於全球每英尺海岸線都流入5只塞滿塑料的食品袋。

The joint US-Australian study, released at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting in San Jose, analysed waste production data from 192 countries to conclude that between 4.8m and 12.7m tonnes of “mismanaged plastic” entered the oceans in 2010; 8m tonnes is the central estimate.

這一由美國和澳大利亞聯合開展的研究，是在美國科學促進會(American Association for the Advancement of Science)聖何塞年度會議上公佈的。該報告根據來自192個國家的垃圾產出數據，經分析得出，2010年流入海洋的“不受管理的塑料垃圾”在480萬噸到1270萬噸之間，800萬噸的數據是上述區間取中位數得出的估計結果。

Plastic in the oceans is becoming a serious ecological problem for marine life, as well as an ugly pollutant washed up on beaches and floating on the open seas.

塑料垃圾不但是海岸上及海面上影響觀感的廢棄污染物，對於海洋生物來說，它們正成爲嚴重的生態問題。

Large pieces such as intact plastic bags are a hazard for animals from turtles to dolphins, which can become entangled or swallow them with fatal results. More insidious is the weathering of plastic debris into tiny particles that can be ingested even by microscopic invertebrates.

對於從海龜到海豚在內的海洋生物，完整的塑料袋等大塊塑料垃圾是一大威脅。它們可能會被這些塑料袋纏住或將其吞噬，從而導致致命後果。此外，更不易被人察覺的是，這些塑料廢品被分解成微小顆粒後，甚至會被微觀層面的無脊椎生物吞噬。

The study, which also appears in the journal Science, lists the world’s 20 biggest national sources of mismanaged plastic waste. The top 19 are all middle and low income countries, with the US in 20th position.

這份研究報告也發表在學術雜誌《科學》(Science)上，該報告列舉了全球20個最大的塑料垃圾來源國。其中，前19位都是中低收入國家，第20位則是美國。

The worst offenders are in Asia, with China responsible for 28 per cent of all mismanaged waste, followed by Indonesia with 10 per cent.

問題最嚴重的是亞洲國家。其中，來自中國的廢品佔了所有廢品的28%，印尼以10%的比例落於其後。

The amount of plastic going into the oceans is increasing fast, keeping pace with global plastic production, said the study leader Jenna Jambeck of the University of Georgia.

這項研究的帶頭人、美國佐治亞大學(University of Georgia)的詹娜•簡貝克表示，流入海洋的塑料垃圾總量正在迅速增長，速度正在趕上全球的塑料生產量。

“In 2025 the annual input would be about twice the 2010 input or 10 bags full per foot of coastline,” she said. “The cumulative input in 2025 would be nearly 20 times our 2010 estimate: 100 bags of plastic per foot of coastline in the world.”

她說：“2025年，每年流入海洋的塑料垃圾將是2010年的兩倍，差不多相當於每英尺海岸線上流入10袋塑料垃圾。到2025年，累計塑料垃圾流入量將是我們2010年估值的20倍，相當於全球每英尺海岸線上放100袋塑料垃圾。”

Developed nations have the infrastructure to dispose properly of the vast majority of their plastic or recycle it. Poorer countries do not. Altogether about 3 per cent of the world’s total plastic waste ends up in the oceans through littering or dumping.

發達國家擁有相關的基礎設施，能夠處理絕大部分塑料垃圾，或將其回收利用。相比之下，較貧窮的國家則沒有這種條件。總的說來，全球全部塑料垃圾中，約有3%會由於亂扔亂倒，最終流入海洋。

A huge investment will be needed to save the oceans and their inhabitants from choking on human plastic debris.

要想拯救海洋，防止海洋生物不會因人造塑料廢品而導致窒息，必須投入鉅額資金。

“Solutions will require a combination of local and global efforts,” said Prof Jambeck. “A shift in how we manage waste could provide jobs and opportunities for economic innovation — and it could improve the living conditions and health of millions of people.”

簡貝克教授表示：“解決這個問題，需要全球和各地共同努力。改變廢品管理方式可能會創造就業，還可能爲經濟創新創造機遇。這麼做還有助於改善數百萬人的生存條件和健康水平。”