新浪首页 > 新浪教育 > 双语新闻:你知道你的电脑有多“绿”吗

双语新闻:你知道你的电脑有多“绿”吗
http://www.sina.com.cn 2006/08/29 10:32  钱江晚报

  How green is your computer

  Aug 25

  Disposing of computers, monitors, printers and mobile phones is a large and growing environmental problem. Some 20m-50m tonnes of “e-waste” is produced each year. According to the European Union, e-waste is now the fastest-growing category. Last month new rules came into force in both Europe and California to oblige the industry to take responsibility for it. In Europe the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive limits the use of many toxic materials in new electronic products sold in the European Union. In California mobile-phone retailers must now take back and recycle old phones.

  Many technology firms are already eliminating certain chemicals and offering recycling schemes to help their customers dispose of obsolete equipment. Yet there is a wide variation in just how green different companies are, according to Greenpeace, an environmental lobby group that launches a new e-waste campaign on August 25th. It has ranked the top mobile-phone and PC-makers based on their progress in eliminating chemicals and in taking back and recycling products.

  The RoHS rules ban products containing any more than trace amounts of lead, mercury, cadmium and other hazardous substances, including some nasty materials called brominated flame-retardants (BFRs). To do well in Greenpeace's rankings, firms must make sure both products and production processes are free of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and some BFRs that are not on the RoHS list. Greenpeace also wants companies to adopt a “precautionary principle” and avoid chemicals if their environmental impact is uncertain.

  Although not everyone will agree with Greenpeace's methodology, its ranking still has some merit. Nokia does well: the world's biggest handset-maker has already got rid of PVC from its products and will eliminate all BFRs from next year. But, Greenpeace grumbles, it is not sufficiently “precautionary” in other areas. Dell, however, scores well in this regard and on recycling, but loses marks for not having phased out PVC and BFRs yet, though it has set a deadline for doing so.

双语新闻:你知道你的电脑有多“绿”吗

  废弃的电脑、监视器、打印机和手机正在成为一个越来越严重的环境问题。每年全球要产生2000万-5000万吨电子废弃物。根据欧盟统计,电子废弃物是目前增长最快的垃圾。上个月在欧洲和加州,一条新的法令开始生效,迫使电子行业为此负责。在欧洲《有害物质限制条例》限制了在欧盟销售的新的电子产品中使用多种有毒物质。在加州,手机零售商必须回收和再利用旧手机。

  许多技术公司已经在淘汰某些化学物品,并开始提供再利用方案以帮助客户处置废弃的设备。“绿色和平组织”8月25日开始一项新的针对电子废弃物的运动。根据这个环境游说组织的统计,不同公司的环保程度差异很大。根据淘汰化学物质和回收以及再利用电子废弃物计划进程,“绿色和平组织”把手机和个人电脑制造商放在第一位。

  《有害物质限制条例》禁止产品含有超过微量的铅、汞、镉和其它有害物质,包括一些被称为溴化物阻燃剂的有害物质。要在“绿色和平组织”的评定中做得比较好,公司必须确保产品和生产过程中没有聚氯乙烯和某些没有列上《有害物质限制条例》的溴化物阻燃剂。“绿色和平组织”希望公司能采用“预防性原则”,避免使用对环境影响不确定的化学物质。

  尽管不是人人都同意“绿色和平组织”的方法,但是它的评定还是有一些优点的。诺基亚做得比较好。这个世界上最大的手机制造商在产品中已经不用聚氯乙烯了,并将从明年开始淘汰所有溴化物阻燃剂。但是“绿色和平组织”抱怨,诺基亚在其它领域“充分采取预防性措施”做得不够。戴尔在这方面和再利用方面得分很高,但是因没有淘汰聚氯乙烯和溴化物阻燃剂而失分很多,虽然戴尔已经设立了淘汰的最后期限。


发表评论

爱问(iAsk.com)

评论】【论坛】【收藏此页】【 】【多种方式看新闻】【下载点点通】【打印】【关闭


教育频道意见反馈留言板 电话:010-82628888-5747 欢迎批评指正

新浪简介 | About Sina | 广告服务 | 联系我们 | 招聘信息 | 网站律师 | SINA English | 会员注册 | 产品答疑

Copyright © 1996 - 2006 SINA Corporation, All Rights Reserved

新浪公司 版权所有
北京网通提供网络带宽