英語ニュース 音読練習

中国の大気汚染への取り組み

出典：Newsy



As late as 2008, most Chinese did not consider the air quality to be a serious issue — even though it already was a serious issue.

The air quality in China has improved. Most people don't realize it, but in fact there has been concerted action in the last three years.

concerted action … 協調的な行動

It's actually Chinese leaders such as President Xi Jinping today who really are concerned about the air. After all, they live in a major city. If they want to take a walk, they breathe the same air as the average Chinese.

be concerned about … ～を心配している、懸念している

So they became increasingly aware of the serious health effects, especially contributing to lung cancer and so on. And therefore they began to ask that something has to be done.

Chinese leadership is trying to introduce the reconfiguration of how the environmental bureaucracy is being organized and trying to make it more centralized.

reconfiguration … 再構成
bureaucracy … 官僚制度、官僚組織

I think for many developing countries, and especially within China, there is this perception of very vigorous federal action by the U.S. government.

perception … 知覚、認識、見解
vigorous … 活発な、力強い

Chinese policymakers and scholars look at the U.S. in great admiration because they think actually we did the right thing in using the Clean Air and Clean Water acts to sort of empower the EPA to act as it does.

empower (sb) to do … （人が）～できるようにする

Leaders have a great challenge facing them, it's almost like an ethical responsibility to think hard, to act in a way that balances the benefits and bad effects of development.

ethical responsibility … 倫理上の責任、道義上の責任