[ti:United Nations: Pollution Deadlier than COVID-19] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]A United Nations report warns [00:03.52]that pollution is leading to more early deaths [00:07.44]around the world than the COVID-19 pandemic. [00:12.60]A U.N. environmental report says: [00:16.56]"Pollution and toxic substances [00:20.32]cause at least 9 million premature deaths, [00:24.40]double the number of deaths inflicted [00:27.48]by the COVID-19 pandemic during its first 18 months." [00:34.80]The U.N. blames pollution released by nations and by companies. [00:42.16]The report called for "immediate and ambitious action" [00:47.76]to ban some toxic chemicals. [00:52.56]Results from the report will be presented [00:56.00]to the U.N. Human Rights Council when it meets next month. [01:03.32]U.N. Special Rapporteur on human rights David Boyd [01:09.28]released the report Tuesday. [01:13.04]He said that the ways nations are dealing with [01:17.44]"the risks posed by pollution and toxic substances are clearly failing, [01:24.48]resulting in widespread violations [01:28.48]of the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment." [01:33.88]Last October, the U.N. Human Rights Council [01:38.52]voted to recognize the right to a safe, clean, healthy [01:44.48]and sustainable environment as a basic human right. [01:51.28]The resolution, which has no legal force, [01:55.48]adds to the list of rights that the U.N. considers basic human rights. [02:04.00]The report said pollution from pesticides, plastics [02:09.80]and electronic waste is causing widespread human rights violations. [02:17.64]Pesticides are chemicals used to kill insects that damage plants or crops. [02:26.08]The report also said pollution causes at least 9 million people [02:32.36]around the world to die early, or prematurely, each year. [02:40.68]The coronavirus is blamed for about 5.9 million deaths. [02:48.96]The report urges a ban on polyfluoroalkyl, [02:54.84]a manufactured substance used in household products such as cookware. [03:03.40]The substance has been linked to cancer. [03:07.44]It is considered a "forever chemical" [03:11.12]because it does not break down easily in the environment. [03:18.40]The report also calls for the clean-up of polluted places. [03:24.72]In extreme cases, it urges moving affected communities. [03:31.96]These include poor and indigenous groups [03:36.16]living in what the report calls "sacrifice zones". [03:42.84]That term was first used to describe nuclear test areas [03:48.72]where people could no longer live. [03:52.68]Its meaning was expanded in the report [03:56.28]to include any highly polluted place or a place [04:01.44]where people can no longer live because of climate change. [04:08.92]U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet [04:13.92]has called environmental threats the biggest global rights problem. [04:21.12]Environmental activists are increasingly using human rights laws [04:27.76]in climate and environmental cases. [04:34.56]I'm Mario Ritter Jr. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM