Is plastic always bad?使用塑料制品一定是坏事吗?

时间:2024-03-07 02:14:21

(单词翻译:单击)

Is plastic always bad?使用塑料制品一定是坏事吗?

  众所周知,塑料污染对环境有很大的危害,但使用塑料制品一定是件坏事吗?举个例子:生产一个塑料袋所消耗的自然资源以及运输它所产生的碳排放其实比生产和运输一个棉布袋所消耗的资源、产生的碳排放要少很多。如果可以重复使用这个塑料袋,而不是用过一两次后便将其丢弃,那么这个塑料袋对环境的危害并不一定比其它材质的袋子大。本文讨论塑料制品是否也有益处。
  词汇:plastic pollution塑料污染
  Cotton or plastic: which kind of bag is better for the environment? Many of us would naturally say that the cotton bag is best, but that might only be true if you use that bag thousands of times. Surprised? Keep listening and we'll explain.
  There is no doubt that plastic is damaging for the environment in many ways. Producing it can cause toxins1 to be released into the atmosphere. It's used in great quantities and often disposed of after a single use, meaning even more then needs to be produced. Thrown-away plastic can sit in landfill sites for centuries, or alternatively can contaminate the sea causing harm to wildlife and breaking down into polluting microplastics.
  Because of these factors, many people are looking for ways to reduce their plastic use. However, the picture is not straightforward2. Let's return to our cotton bag. It's certainly more biodegradable than plastic, but this might be where the advantages end. The industrial production of cotton requires far more energy, along with water and pesticides3. As the bags are heavier, transporting them will lead to higher carbon emissions4. An article from Columbia University suggests that cotton shopping bags need to be used over 7,000 times before they are more sustainable than plastic ones.
  It's not just about shopping bags. Lightweight plastic components5 in cars and planes help reduce fuel use and emissions. If we didn't use so much plastic in clothing and footwear, the amount of land, water and chemicals that would be needed to produce enough natural textiles and leather would be enormous. Researchers have been looking to see if carbon could be sequestered6 during the production of plastics, reducing the amount in the atmosphere.
  One other characteristic of plastic might actually be the key to this issue. The fact that plastic lasts for centuries is what causes much of the environmental harm, but it also means it can be used to make items that can be re-used again and again. The problem is that we often don't. Plastic can cause serious harm to the environment, and efforts to throw less of it away can reduce this. Re-using it more could be one way to achieve this.
  词汇表
  environment 自然环境
  toxin 毒素
  atmosphere 大气
  dispose of 扔掉,处理
  thrown-away 丢弃的
  landfill 垃圾填埋场
  contaminate 污染,毒害
  microplastic 微塑料
  biodegradable 可降解的
  carbon emission 碳排放
  sustainable 可持续的,不破坏环境的
  plastic components 塑料零件
  textile 纺织物
  sequester 封存
  harm 危害
 

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1 toxins 18c3f40d432ba8dc33bad8fb82873ea8     
n.毒素( toxin的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The seas have been used as a receptacle for a range of industrial toxins. 海洋成了各种有毒工业废料的大容器。
  • Most toxins are naturally excreted from the body. 大部分毒素被自然排出体外。 来自《简明英汉词典》
2 straightforward fFfyA     
adj.正直的,坦率的;易懂的,简单的
参考例句:
  • A straightforward talk is better than a flowery speech.巧言不如直说。
  • I must insist on your giving me a straightforward answer.我一定要你给我一个直截了当的回答。
3 pesticides abb0488ed6905584ea91347395a890e8     
n.杀虫剂( pesticide的名词复数 );除害药物
参考例句:
  • vegetables grown without the use of pesticides 未用杀虫剂种植的蔬菜
  • There is a lot of concern over the amount of herbicides and pesticides used in farming. 人们对农业上灭草剂和杀虫剂的用量非常担忧。 来自《简明英汉词典》
4 emissions 1a87f8769eb755734e056efecb5e2da9     
排放物( emission的名词复数 ); 散发物(尤指气体)
参考例句:
  • Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
  • Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。
5 components 4725dcf446a342f1473a8228e42dfa48     
(机器、设备等的)构成要素,零件,成分; 成分( component的名词复数 ); [物理化学]组分; [数学]分量; (混合物的)组成部分
参考例句:
  • the components of a machine 机器部件
  • Our chemistry teacher often reduces a compound to its components in lab. 在实验室中化学老师常把化合物分解为各种成分。
6 sequestered 0ceab16bc48aa9b4ed97d60eeed591f8     
adj.扣押的;隐退的;幽静的;偏僻的v.使隔绝,使隔离( sequester的过去式和过去分词 );扣押
参考例句:
  • The jury is expected to be sequestered for at least two months. 陪审团渴望被隔离至少两个月。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Everything he owned was sequestered. 他的一切都被扣押了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

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