No.14 日本的"塑战"

第十四天:今天来看看日本如何对待本土严重的塑料问题。 Not so fantastic: can Japan end its love affairwith plastic? 没你想的那么美：日本能否终结对塑料的迷恋？ From bento boxes to individually wrappedbananas, plastic reigns supreme in Japan. But amid global concern about single-usewaste, new legislation could help end the country's love affair with plastic. 从便当盒到单根包装的香蕉，塑料制品在日本极度盛行。但在全球对一次性垃圾的普遍担忧下，新的立法或许有助于终结日本对塑料的痴迷。 The push comes ahead of the G20 summit, which Japan will host in Osaka in June. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government wants to use the meeting to push for an agreement on reducing marine plastic waste. 紧跟着新立法而来的，是日本将于六月在大阪市主办的 G20 峰会。日本首相安倍晋三及其政府希望借由此次峰会，来推动达成有关“减少海洋塑料垃圾污染”的协议。 But the country's own record on single-use plastic is hardly exemplary: Japan generates more plastic packaging waste per capita than any other country except the United States, according to the UN. 但日本本国在一次性塑料上的使用记录表明，日本很难起到示范作用。据联合国，日本人均塑料包装垃圾生成量仅次于美国，排名世界第二。 In 2018, Japan's government unveiled a proposal to start tackling the issue, with the goal of reducing the country's 9.4 million tonnes of plastic waste a year by 25 percent by 2030. A key part of the proposal is to require businesses to charge for plastic bags—a measure that has already been widely adopted around the world. 为解决塑料问题，日本政府于 2018 年颁布了一项提案。日本每年会产生大约 940 万吨塑料垃圾，而提案提出的目标是在 2030 年前将此数量减少 25%。该提案的一个关键点是要求企业对塑料袋收费，而这一措施已在全球范围内得到广泛采用。 With the national government moving slowly, local governments and businesses in Japan have in some cases taken up the mantle themselves. The town of Kamikatsu near Kyoto has set a goal of zero plastic waste by 2020, while Kyoto city has long required large retailers to charge for plastic bags. 由于日本中央政府进程缓慢，一部分地方政府和企业已经在某些情况下自发接过了责任。位于京都市附近的上胜町就设立了目标：在 2020 年之前实现塑料垃圾零排放。而京都市长期以来一直要求大型零售商对塑料袋收费。 Greenpeace and other environmental NGOs want Japan to commit to the boldergoal of reducing plastic waste by 50 percent by 2030 and more concretemeasures including bans on single-use plastics. “绿色和平”和其他非政府环保组织希望日本能够做出更大胆的承诺，在 2030 年之前减少 50%的塑料垃圾，并采取更多具体措施，包括禁用一次性塑料制品。 "The Japanese government needs more ambitious goals if they truly want to lead the G20 summit," said Kenji Ishihara, a campaigner with Greenpeace Japan. 石原健二是“绿色和平”日本分部的一位活动推广者，他说：“如果日本政府真的想要领导 G20 峰会，他们需要更具雄心的目标。”