南太平洋小岛被塑料垃圾淹没：每平米高达671件

　　An uninhabited island in the South Pacific is littered with the highest density of plastic waste anywhere in the world, according to a study.

　　据一项研究称，南太平洋的一个荒芜人烟的小岛上充斥着全球最高密度的塑料垃圾。

　　Henderson Island, part of the UK’s Pitcairn Islands group, has an estimated 37.7 million pieces of debris on its beaches.

　　亨德森岛是英属皮特凯恩群岛的一部分，其海滩上的塑料垃圾预估高达3770万件。

　　The island is near the centre of an ocean current, meaning it collects much rubbish from boats and South America.

　　这个小岛靠近一个洋流中心，因此来自捕鱼船丢弃的废品和南美洲的塑料垃圾极易被冲至岸上。

　　Researchers hope people will "rethink their relationship with plastic".

　　研究人员希望人们能“反思与塑料的关系”。

　　The joint Australian and British study said the rubbish amounted to 671 items per square metre and a total of 17 tonnes.

　　澳大利亚和英国联合进行的这项研究发现，其每平方米塑料垃圾多达671件，垃圾总量17吨。

　　"A lot of the items on Henderson Island are what we wrongly refer to as disposable or single-use," said Dr Jennifer Lavers from the University of Tasmania.

　　澳大利亚塔斯马尼亚大学詹妮弗.莱弗斯教授说，“亨德森岛的很多东西都被我们错误的称为垃圾或者一次性物品。”

　　The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, described how remote islands act as a "sink" for the world’s rubbish.

　　这项发表在美国《国家科学院学报》上的报告描述了这样一个偏远的岛屿如何成了全世界的“垃圾场”。

　　In addition to fishing items, Henderson Island was strewn with everyday things including toothbrushes, cigarette lighters and razors.

　　除了渔具外，亨德森岛还满是牙刷、烟头和剃须刀等日常生活用品。

　　"Land crabs are making their homes inside bottle caps, containers and jars," Dr Lavers told the BBC.

　　莱弗斯教授接受BBC采访时说，“寄居蟹都在瓶盖、箱子和罐子里安家。”

　　"At first it looks a little bit cute, but it’s not. This plastic is old, it’s sharp, it’s brittle and toxic."

　　“起初你可能觉得这很可爱，事实并非如此。这些塑料制品陈旧，锋利，它们易碎，且有毒。”

　　A large number of hard hats of "every shape, colour and size" were also discovered, the marine scientist said.

　　这些海洋科学家表示，这里还发现了大量的“形状、颜色、尺寸各异”的安全帽。

　　Henderson Island is listed by Unesco as a coral atoll with a relatively unique ecology, notable for 10 plant and four bird species.

　　由于其相对独立的生态环境，特别是生活着10种植物和4种鸟类，联合国教科文组织将其列为珊瑚环礁。

　　It is 190km from Pitcairn Island, about 5,000km from Chile, and sits near the centre of the South Pacific Gyre - a massive rotating current.

　　这里距皮特克恩岛190公里，离智利有5000公里，位于南太平洋环流中心附近，这是一个巨大的旋转气流。

　　The condition of the island highlighted how plastic debris has affected the environment on a global scale, Dr Lavers said.

　　莱弗斯教授说，这个小岛的情况突显了塑料垃圾在如何影响着全球范围内的环境。

　　"Almost every island in the world and almost every species in the ocean is now being shown to be impacted one way or another by our waste," she said.

　　她说，“结果显示，几乎世界每座小岛，海洋每个物种，都在被这些垃圾以某种形式影响着。”

　　"There’s not really any one person or any one country that gets a free pass on this."

　　“没有任何一个人、任何一个国家能够幸免。”

　　She said plastic was devastating to oceans because it was buoyant and durable.

　　她说，由于塑料垃圾浮力大、难降解，它对大洋是毁灭性的。

（编辑：何莹莹）