首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
Up to 600 stations for monitoring air pollution across England could be shut down under new government plans to save money by cu
Up to 600 stations for monitoring air pollution across England could be shut down under new government plans to save money by cu
admin
2015-04-29
44
问题
Up to 600 stations for monitoring air pollution across England could be shut down under new government plans to save money by cutting regulations.
Ministers want to remove obligations on local authorities to assess air quality in their areas, resulting in less monitoring. But environmental campaigners are accusing them of trying to hide one of the country’s biggest public health problems.
Government advisers have estimated that one type of pollutant—miniscule(微小的)particles from diesel engines, fossil fuel power stations and other sources—is killing 29,000 people a year in the UK, and costing health services about £ 16 billion.
But European air pollution limits meant to protect health are being breached in urban areas across the country, with the highest levels in London. According to the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs(Defra), the limits for the toxic exhaust gas, nitrogen dioxide, were exceeded in 40 of the UK’s 43 air quality zones in 2010.
But now Defra has launched a six-week consultation, due to close on 30 August, proposing a radical overhaul of the local air quality management regime that has been in place since 1997. The proposals are aimed at helping meet ministers’ "red tape challenge" to roll back legislation in order to help businesses(choice).
The favoured option is to drop existing requirements for councils to make detailed assessments of air pollution. Defra’s analysis shows that this could lead to the closure of 600 monitoring sites, all of which measure nitrogen dioxide and a quarter of which also test for pollution from tiny particles.
The closures could save councils nearly £ 50m over 10 years, Defra suggests. The proposals only apply to England, and have been rejected by the Scottish government on the grounds that they "would deliver no obvious benefit".
"The UK government wants to hide air pollution and cares nothing for public health," said Simon Birkett, director of the campaign group, Clean Air in London. He points out that the consultation is taking place in the summer holidays and describes the financial saving as illusory.
He added: "Worse, the changes would mean the loss of key protections in the planning system and the very monitors and expertise needed now to improve air quality. "
Prof. Duncan Laxert, the managing director of Air Quality Consultants in Bristol, said that much of our understanding of air pollution has come from local authority monitoring: "It will be a retrograde step if the government’s preferred option is to lose this local knowledge. "
Defra insisted that the aim is to "reinvigorate and refocus" local air quality management. It said that the current regime was " diagnosis driven" and that " the level of local reporting can distract resources from air quality improvement".
It can be inferred that the closures have been refused by the Scottish government for the reason that______.
选项
A、little money could be saved for the government
B、they would gain no conspicuous benefits
C、they were rejected by the Scottish people
D、they would distract resources from air quality improvement
答案
B
解析
推断题。第七段第二句给出了具体的原因:The proposals…have been rejected by the Scottishgovernment on the grounds that they“would deliver no obvious benefit”.B是对该句的转述,故为答案。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/1eHK777K
0
专业英语四级
相关试题推荐
Thegovernmentisnolongerpossibleto______allinformationandstifleeverycriticismintheInternetage.
TheUnitedStatescourtsystem,aspartofthefederalsystemofgovernment,ischaracterizedbydualhierarchies:therearebot
ThegovernmentandMicrosoftplantosellaroundtheworldBritain’snewsystemforonlinetransactionsbetweencitizensandgov
Manypeoplestumbleacrosstheircallinginlifeatunexpectedmoments,butforCharlotteReed,aprofessionalpetsitterinMan
Manypeoplestumbleacrosstheircallinginlifeatunexpectedmoments,butforCharlotteReed,aprofessionalpetsitterinMan
Manypeoplestumbleacrosstheircallinginlifeatunexpectedmoments,butforCharlotteReed,aprofessionalpetsitterinMan
随机试题
精索
文字处理软件是一种计算机系统软件,实现文字的电子化,对文字进行编辑、排版和打印。()
简述政策性金融机构的含义。
直丝弓矫治器如何清除第一序列弯曲
异形淋巴细胞的常见病因是
(2009)下述钢筋混凝土柱的箍筋作用的叙述中,不对的是()。
风险管理是基金公司经营管理的重要组成部分,以下表述符合风险管理全面性原则要求的是()。[2017年11月真题]Ⅰ.公司应建立具体的风险控制指标体系Ⅱ.风险控制必须覆盖公司的各项业务Ⅲ.风险控制必须覆盖公司的
关于政府债券论述正确的是( )。
根据我国选举法的规定,享有选举权的基本条件是()。
A、Theymustpayoffthetuitionfortheireducation.B、Theymusthavethemilitarytraining.C、Theymusttakepartincollegeco
最新回复
(
0
)