100年前，冬季季風只會將零星的戈壁沙塵帶到香港。但現(xiàn)在，它帶來了更多來自近處的風沙。
A hundred years ago the winter monsoons brought little more than a sprinkling of Gobi desert dust to Hong Kong. But today they bring much more from sources closer to home.
在邊境彼岸，內(nèi)地的珠江三角洲地區(qū)將100年的工業(yè)化進程濃縮到20年，將沉睡的村莊轉(zhuǎn)變?yōu)槊咳?4小時不停工作的制造區(qū)。
Across the border, China's Pearl River delta region has crammed a century's worth of industrialisation into twenty years, transforming sleepy villages into 24-hour manufacturing zones.
香港最嚴重的污染可以追溯到佛山--一座距香港西北約150公里、擁有600萬人口的城市。佛山被稱作中國南部的陶瓷之都，在當?shù)氐目諝赓|(zhì)量圖上，這座城市經(jīng)常出現(xiàn)在最嚴重污染帶的中心。在這里，燒煤的窯爐噴出大量的黑色廢氣及二氧化硫和二氧化氮等化合物。
The worst of Hong Kong's pollution can be traced to Foshan, a city of 6m about 150km northwest of Hong Kong. Known as the ceramics capital of south China, Foshan is often featured on regional air quality maps at the centre of the darkest circle of pollution. Its coal-burning kilns spew out huge quantities of sooty waste and chemical compounds such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide.
這些污染物被從10月到4月最常見的北風帶到香港，導致香港冬季的污染嚴重加劇。
These pollutants are carried to Hong Kong by the northerlies that prevail from October to April, resulting in much worse pollution during the winter months.
在春夏兩季氣流扭轉(zhuǎn)方向后，或許可以指望反向的風緩解冬季的陰霾。但這已不再是確定無疑的，正如5月14日的大霧所展示的那樣。
After the air stream reverses course in the spring and summer, reciprocal winds could be counted on to bring some respite from the winter haze. But this is no longer guaranteed, as the smog of May 14 showed.
"過去幾年發(fā)生了根本性的變化，那就是，從東北或東南吹來的風都有可能帶來霧靄，"香港天文臺臺長林超英(CY Lam)表示。"我們可以看到來源確定是臺灣西部的霧靄。顆粒物可能來自很多方向。"
"In the past few years there has been a fundamental change- that is the probability of haze in the case of winds coming in from the northeast or southeast," said CY Lam, director of the Hong Kong Observatory. "We could see haze coming from clearly identified sources in western Taiwan. The particulate matter could come from many directions."
汽車和火力發(fā)電廠產(chǎn)生的污染，也在香港的污染中占據(jù)了相當比例，而被稱為"陸海風循環(huán)"的當?shù)毓物L模式更加劇了這種污染。在鋼筋混凝土打造的城區(qū)溫度升高時，污染物上升并飄向海洋，但又會被溫度較低的海風帶回香港。
Hong Kong's vehicles and coal-burning power plants also generate a fair share of pollution within the city, which is then exacerbated by local wind patterns and what is known as "land-sea breeze circulation". As concrete-clad urban areas heat up, pollutants rise and disperse over the ocean, only to be carried back into the city by cooler sea breezes.
香港科技大學(University of Science and Technology)大氣科學教授及專家劉啟漢(Alexis Lau)表示："當吹向海岸的風到達時，它實際上帶來了更多被污染的空氣，而非清新的海風。"
"When onshore wind comes it actually brings more polluted air instead of a very nice ocean breeze," says Alexis Lau, a professor and expert on atmospheric science at Hong Kong'sUniversity of Science and Technology.
為容納迅速增長的4500萬人口，珠江三角洲一帶的各個城市快速擴張，進一步增加了問題的復雜程度。劉啟漢表示："城市化導致的氣溫升高，加劇了陸海風循環(huán)，使外部的風更難進入，因此，污染物的消散也變得更加困難。"
The problem is compounded by the rapid spread of cities across the Pearl River delta to accommodate a burgeoning population of 45m. "Increased heat due to urbanisation strengthens the land-sea breeze circulation and makes it more difficult for outside winds to penetrate, so it is more difficult for the pollution to dispers," says Mr Lau.
香港政府尚未找到綜合方案，解決既影響旅客也影響居民的空氣質(zhì)量問題。與內(nèi)地的跨境合作進展緩慢，盡管邊境另一側(cè)有5萬多個港資工廠。
Hong Kong's government has yet to develop a comprehensive solution to tackle the air quality issues that affect tourists and residents alike. Cross-border collaboration with the mainland has proceeded slowly, even though there are more than 50,000 Hong Kong-invested factories across the border.
5年前，兩地政府承諾，到2010年，將按中國內(nèi)地的空氣質(zhì)量標準實現(xiàn)減排。內(nèi)地的標準在很多方面比香港標準更為嚴格。但是，如期實現(xiàn)目標似乎不太可能了。
Five years ago, the two governments pledged emissions reductions by 2010 according to mainland China's air quality standards, which are in many cases more stringent than Hong Kong's. But it appears unlikely that the targets will be met on time.
劉啟漢表示："如果減排真的發(fā)生了，我們應當能看到天空的狀況出現(xiàn)改善。但現(xiàn)在我們還沒有看到。"
"If the reduction is actually happening we should be able to see the sky improving," said Mr Lau. "This is not the case yet."
A hundred years ago the winter monsoons brought little more than a sprinkling of Gobi desert dust to Hong Kong. But today they bring much more from sources closer to home.
在邊境彼岸，內(nèi)地的珠江三角洲地區(qū)將100年的工業(yè)化進程濃縮到20年，將沉睡的村莊轉(zhuǎn)變?yōu)槊咳?4小時不停工作的制造區(qū)。
Across the border, China's Pearl River delta region has crammed a century's worth of industrialisation into twenty years, transforming sleepy villages into 24-hour manufacturing zones.
香港最嚴重的污染可以追溯到佛山--一座距香港西北約150公里、擁有600萬人口的城市。佛山被稱作中國南部的陶瓷之都，在當?shù)氐目諝赓|(zhì)量圖上，這座城市經(jīng)常出現(xiàn)在最嚴重污染帶的中心。在這里，燒煤的窯爐噴出大量的黑色廢氣及二氧化硫和二氧化氮等化合物。
The worst of Hong Kong's pollution can be traced to Foshan, a city of 6m about 150km northwest of Hong Kong. Known as the ceramics capital of south China, Foshan is often featured on regional air quality maps at the centre of the darkest circle of pollution. Its coal-burning kilns spew out huge quantities of sooty waste and chemical compounds such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide.
這些污染物被從10月到4月最常見的北風帶到香港，導致香港冬季的污染嚴重加劇。
These pollutants are carried to Hong Kong by the northerlies that prevail from October to April, resulting in much worse pollution during the winter months.
在春夏兩季氣流扭轉(zhuǎn)方向后，或許可以指望反向的風緩解冬季的陰霾。但這已不再是確定無疑的，正如5月14日的大霧所展示的那樣。
After the air stream reverses course in the spring and summer, reciprocal winds could be counted on to bring some respite from the winter haze. But this is no longer guaranteed, as the smog of May 14 showed.
"過去幾年發(fā)生了根本性的變化，那就是，從東北或東南吹來的風都有可能帶來霧靄，"香港天文臺臺長林超英(CY Lam)表示。"我們可以看到來源確定是臺灣西部的霧靄。顆粒物可能來自很多方向。"
"In the past few years there has been a fundamental change- that is the probability of haze in the case of winds coming in from the northeast or southeast," said CY Lam, director of the Hong Kong Observatory. "We could see haze coming from clearly identified sources in western Taiwan. The particulate matter could come from many directions."
汽車和火力發(fā)電廠產(chǎn)生的污染，也在香港的污染中占據(jù)了相當比例，而被稱為"陸海風循環(huán)"的當?shù)毓物L模式更加劇了這種污染。在鋼筋混凝土打造的城區(qū)溫度升高時，污染物上升并飄向海洋，但又會被溫度較低的海風帶回香港。
Hong Kong's vehicles and coal-burning power plants also generate a fair share of pollution within the city, which is then exacerbated by local wind patterns and what is known as "land-sea breeze circulation". As concrete-clad urban areas heat up, pollutants rise and disperse over the ocean, only to be carried back into the city by cooler sea breezes.
香港科技大學(University of Science and Technology)大氣科學教授及專家劉啟漢(Alexis Lau)表示："當吹向海岸的風到達時，它實際上帶來了更多被污染的空氣，而非清新的海風。"
"When onshore wind comes it actually brings more polluted air instead of a very nice ocean breeze," says Alexis Lau, a professor and expert on atmospheric science at Hong Kong'sUniversity of Science and Technology.
為容納迅速增長的4500萬人口，珠江三角洲一帶的各個城市快速擴張，進一步增加了問題的復雜程度。劉啟漢表示："城市化導致的氣溫升高，加劇了陸海風循環(huán)，使外部的風更難進入，因此，污染物的消散也變得更加困難。"
The problem is compounded by the rapid spread of cities across the Pearl River delta to accommodate a burgeoning population of 45m. "Increased heat due to urbanisation strengthens the land-sea breeze circulation and makes it more difficult for outside winds to penetrate, so it is more difficult for the pollution to dispers," says Mr Lau.
香港政府尚未找到綜合方案，解決既影響旅客也影響居民的空氣質(zhì)量問題。與內(nèi)地的跨境合作進展緩慢，盡管邊境另一側(cè)有5萬多個港資工廠。
Hong Kong's government has yet to develop a comprehensive solution to tackle the air quality issues that affect tourists and residents alike. Cross-border collaboration with the mainland has proceeded slowly, even though there are more than 50,000 Hong Kong-invested factories across the border.
5年前，兩地政府承諾，到2010年，將按中國內(nèi)地的空氣質(zhì)量標準實現(xiàn)減排。內(nèi)地的標準在很多方面比香港標準更為嚴格。但是，如期實現(xiàn)目標似乎不太可能了。
Five years ago, the two governments pledged emissions reductions by 2010 according to mainland China's air quality standards, which are in many cases more stringent than Hong Kong's. But it appears unlikely that the targets will be met on time.
劉啟漢表示："如果減排真的發(fā)生了，我們應當能看到天空的狀況出現(xiàn)改善。但現(xiàn)在我們還沒有看到。"
"If the reduction is actually happening we should be able to see the sky improving," said Mr Lau. "This is not the case yet."