Top of the EU's list to cut climate change emissions is a target of 'zero' for the number of petrol and diesel-driven cars and lorries in the EU's future cities. |
Cars will be banned from London and all other cities across Europe under a draconian EU masterplan to cut CO2 emissions by 60 per cent over the next 40 years. The European Commission on Monday unveiled a "single European transport area" aimed at enforcing "a profound shift in transport patterns for passengers" by 2050. The plan also envisages an end to cheap holiday flights from Britain to southern Europe with a target that over 50 per cent of all journeys above 186 miles should be by rail. Top of the EU's list to cut climate change emissions is a target of "zero" for the number of petrol and diesel-driven cars and lorries in the EU's future cities. Siim Kallas, the EU transport commission, insisted that Brussels directives and new taxation of fuel would be used to force people out of their cars and onto "alternative" means of transport. "That means no more conventionally fuelled cars in our city centres," he said. "Action will follow, legislation, real action to change behaviour." The Association of British Drivers rejected the proposal to ban cars as economically disastrous and as a "crazy" restriction on mobility. "I suggest that he goes and finds himself a space in the local mental asylum," said Hugh Bladon, a spokesman for the BDA. "If he wants to bring everywhere to a grinding halt and to plunge us into a new dark age, he is on the right track. We have to keep things moving. The man is off his rocker." Mr Kallas has denied that the EU plan to cut car use by half over the next 20 years, before a total ban in 2050, will limit personal mobility or reduce Europe's economic competitiveness. "Curbing mobility is not an option, neither is business as usual. We can break the transport system's dependence on oil without sacrificing its efficiency and compromising mobility. It can be win-win," he claimed. Christopher Monckton, Ukip's transport spokesman said: "The EU must be living in an alternate reality, where they can spend trillions and ban people from their cars. "This sort of greenwashing grandstanding adds nothing and merely highlights their grandiose ambitions." (Read by Renee Haines. Renee Haines is a journalist at the China Daily Website.) (Agencies) |
為嚴(yán)格執(zhí)行歐盟減少二氧化碳排量的總體規(guī)劃,歐盟將禁止汽車在倫敦和歐洲所有其他城市行駛。歐盟的目標(biāo)是在未來(lái)40年內(nèi)使碳排放量減少60%。 周一歐盟委員會(huì)公布了一個(gè)“歐洲單一交通區(qū)”計(jì)劃,目標(biāo)是在2050年前使“乘客的交通模式發(fā)生巨大的改變”。 該計(jì)劃還打算終結(jié)從英國(guó)到歐洲南部的廉價(jià)假日航班,爭(zhēng)取讓50%以上距離超過(guò)186英里的行程都通過(guò)鐵路完成。 歐盟減少污染物排放量的首要任務(wù)是讓汽油車、柴油車和卡車在未來(lái)的歐盟城市完全消失。 歐盟交通委員會(huì)的西姆?卡拉斯堅(jiān)稱將通過(guò)布魯塞爾指令和對(duì)燃料征收新稅迫使人們放棄乘坐汽車,采用“替代”的交通工具。 他說(shuō):“這意味著傳統(tǒng)能源汽車將從我們的市中心消失。接下來(lái)還會(huì)采取措施,通過(guò)法規(guī)和實(shí)際行動(dòng)改變大眾的行為?!?/p> 英國(guó)駕駛員協(xié)會(huì)拒絕接受這一提議,認(rèn)為此舉對(duì)經(jīng)濟(jì)的影響是災(zāi)難性的,而且對(duì)人們流動(dòng)的限制也過(guò)于“瘋狂”。 英國(guó)駕駛員協(xié)會(huì)的發(fā)言人休?布拉頓說(shuō):“我建議他給自己在當(dāng)?shù)氐木癫≡赫覀€(gè)位置?!?/p> “如果他想讓各處都停止運(yùn)轉(zhuǎn),讓我們跨入一個(gè)新的黑暗時(shí)代,那他就做對(duì)了。我們必須讓一切繼續(xù)前進(jìn)。這個(gè)人是精神錯(cuò)亂了?!?/p> 在2050年完全禁車令之前,歐盟計(jì)劃在未來(lái)20年內(nèi)將汽車使用量減半??ɡ瓜壬裾J(rèn)歐盟的這一計(jì)劃會(huì)限制個(gè)人行動(dòng)或降低歐洲的經(jīng)濟(jì)競(jìng)爭(zhēng)力。 卡拉斯稱:“我們并不會(huì)選擇限制流動(dòng),或犧牲經(jīng)濟(jì)。我們可以打破交通系統(tǒng)對(duì)燃油的依賴,而不犧牲效率和流動(dòng)性。這可以是一個(gè)雙贏的局面。” 英國(guó)獨(dú)立黨的交通發(fā)言人克里斯多夫?蒙克頓說(shuō):“歐盟一定生活在另外一個(gè)時(shí)空,在那里他們可以花錢無(wú)數(shù),而且可以讓人們不用乘坐汽車。” “這種打著環(huán)保旗號(hào)的嘩眾取寵的行為于事無(wú)補(bǔ),只會(huì)讓他們的宏圖偉志顯得更不切實(shí)際?!?/p> 相關(guān)閱讀 倫敦2012年奧運(yùn)前打造“最環(huán)?!背鞘?/a> 聯(lián)合國(guó):臭氧層將于2048年恢復(fù)原狀 日本政府呼吁國(guó)民縮短洗澡時(shí)間 節(jié)能減排 (中國(guó)日?qǐng)?bào)網(wǎng)英語(yǔ)點(diǎn)津 陳丹妮 編輯:馬文英) |
Vocabulary: draconian: (of a law, punishment, etc.) extremely harsh and severe(法律、懲罰等)嚴(yán)厲的;殘酷的 masterplan: 總體規(guī)劃 envisage: to imagine what will happen in the future(想像;設(shè)想;展望) Brussels directive: 布魯塞爾指令,又稱EC指令,是歐盟頒布的強(qiáng)制性指令 alternative: that can be used instead of something else(可供替代的) mobility: the ability to move or travel around easily(移動(dòng)的能力;易于行走的能力) bring something to a grinding halt: 使?jié)u漸停下來(lái) off one's rocker: 發(fā)瘋;神經(jīng)失常 greenwash: 綠漂(事實(shí)上不環(huán)保的廠商,做表面工夫維持環(huán)保形象) grandstanding: (especially in business, politics, etc.) the fact of behaving or speaking in a way that is intended to make people impressed in order to gain some advantage for yourself(尤指在商業(yè)、政治等方面)嘩眾取寵;炫耀 grandiose: seeming very impressive but too large, complicated, expensive, etc. to be practical or possible(華而不實(shí)的;浮夸的;不切實(shí)際的) |