雙語|專家:空氣污染將導致大規模移民

(原標題專家空氣污染將導致大規模移民

全球變暖和空氣污染並沒有因爲新冠疫情而停下腳步,世界上每1.3秒鐘就有一個人迫於氣候危機而移民,但是目前許多氣候移民者在法律上仍處於灰色地帶。專家預測,未來十年預計將有數以千萬計的人因爲全球變暖而移民。

Air pollution does not respect national boundaries and environmental degradation will lead to mass migration in the future, said a leading barrister in the wake of a landmark migration ruling, as experts warned that government action must be taken as a matter of urgency.

在一次里程碑式的移民裁決後,一位頂級律師表示,空氣污染不受國界限制,環境惡化將在未來導致大規模移民。專家警告稱,事態緊急,政府必須採取行動

Sailesh Mehta, a barrister specialising in environmental cases, said: “The link between migration and environmental degradation is clear. As global warming makes parts of our planet uninhabitable, mass migration will become the norm. Air and water pollution do not respect national boundaries. We can stop a humanitarian and political crisis from becoming an existential one. But our leaders must act now.”

專門處理環境案件的律師塞利斯·梅塔說:“移民和環境惡化之間的關聯很明顯。隨着全球變暖導致地球上的一些地區變得不適宜居住,大規模移民將成爲常態。空氣和水污染不受國界限制。我們可以阻止人文和政治危機威脅個人生存。但我們的領導人現在必須行動起來。”

He added: “We have a right to breathe clean air. Governments and courts are beginning to recognise this fundamental human right. The problem is not just that of Bangladesh and the developing world. Air pollution contributes to around 200,000 deaths a year in the UK. One in four deaths worldwide can be linked to pollution.”

他補充道:“我們有呼吸乾淨空氣的權利。政府和法院正開始意識到這一基本人權。問題不只存在於孟加拉和發展中國家。空氣污染每年導致英國約20萬人死亡。全球四分之一的死亡與污染有關。”

The comments follow a decision by a French court this week, which is believed to be the first time environment was cited by a court in an extradition hearing. The case involved a Bangladeshi man with asthma who avoided deportation from France after his lawyer argued that he risked a severe deterioration in his condition, and possibly premature death, due to the dangerous levels of pollution in his homeland.

梅塔發表這一評論前,法國的一家法院本週作出了一項裁決,據認爲這是法院首次在引渡聽證會援引環境作爲理由。在這一案件中,一名患有哮喘病的孟加拉男子因爲本國污染極爲嚴重而免於被法國驅逐出境。他的律師辯護稱,以他的身體條件引渡回國後可能會病情加重甚至過早死亡。

The appeals court in Bordeaux overturned an expulsion order against the 40-year-old man because he would face “a worsening of his respiratory pathology due to air pollution” in his country of origin.

波爾多的上訴法院推翻了對這名40歲男子的驅逐令,因爲他在孟加拉國將面臨“空氣污染導致的哮喘病惡化”。

Yale and Columbia universities’ environmental performance index ranks Bangladesh 179th in the world for air quality in 2020, while the concentration of fine particles in the air is six times the World Health Organization’s recommended maximum.

耶魯大學哥倫比亞大學發佈的環境績效指數中,孟加拉的空氣質量全球排名第179位。孟加拉空氣中的細顆粒物濃度世界衛生組織最大建議值的6倍。

Dr David R Boyd, UN special rapporteur on human rights and environment, agreed with Mehta’s analysis, telling the Guardian: “Air pollution causes 7 million premature deaths annually, so it is understandable if people feel compelled to migrate in search of clean air to safeguard their health. Air pollution is a global public health disaster that does not get the attention it deserves because most of the people who die are poor or otherwise vulnerable.”

聯合國人權和環境特別調查員戴維·R·博伊德博士同意梅塔的分析,他告訴《衛報》說:“空氣污染每年導致700萬人過早死亡,所以如果人們爲了守衛自身健康而被迫移民到空氣乾淨的地方是可以理解的。空氣污染這一全球性公共衛生災難沒有得到應有的重視,因爲多數死於空氣污染的人都是窮人體弱者。”

rapporteur [ˌræpɔːrˈtɜːr]: n. (受組織指定的)會務報告人,調查員

Alex Randall, coordinator at the Climate & Migration Coalition, said safe and legal routes to allow people to migrate needed to be established.

氣候與移民聯盟的協調員亞歷克斯·蘭德爾表示,需要建立允許人們移民的安全合法途徑

"Cases such as this, where air quality or other pollution become a reason for preventing deportation, are certainly important steps forward.

“空氣質量或其他污染成爲避免被驅逐出境的理由,像這樣的案例當然是前進路上的重要步伐。”

"However, these cases do not usually set legal precedents and people moving across borders due to climate change impacts remain in a legal grey area.”

“但是,這些案例通常不會被作爲合法先例,所以人們受氣候變化影響而移民依然處於法律的灰色地帶。”

According to the Environmental Justice Foundation, one person every 1.3 seconds is forced to leave their homes and communities due to the climate crisis but millions lack legal protection. It has called on all countries to rapidly and fully implement the Paris climate agreement.

環境正義基金會稱,每1.3秒鐘就有一個人迫於氣候危機而離開家鄉,其中數百萬人缺少法律保護。該基金會呼籲所有國家迅速全面地執行《巴黎氣候協定》。

A ruling by the United Nations human rights committee a year ago found it is unlawful for governments to return people to countries where their lives might be threatened by the climate crisis.

聯合國人權委員會一年前作出裁決,指出政府將人們遣返回氣候危機可能危及生命來源國是不合法的。

Tens of millions of people are expected to be displaced by global heating in the next decade.

未來十年預計有數以千萬計的人會因爲全球變暖而移民。