When I introduced London’s clean air zone – the ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) – more than seven years ago, no city had ever attempted anything quite like it. At the time, the scheme in central London provoked(激起，引发) fierce opposition. When I decided to expand it – first in 2021, to inner London, and then again in 2023 to the whole city, making it the biggest clean-air zone in the world – my detractors(批评者，诋毁者) were louder still. I had, they claimed, declared war on drivers in blind pursuit of a policy that may not even work.(他们声称，我是在盲目追求一项可能根本不起作用的政策，向司机宣战。) All the mainstream(主流的) political parties, including my own, were opposed. In recent years, though, those critics have gone quiet.
当我七年多前推出伦敦的清洁空气区——超低排放区（Ulez）时，还没有哪个城市尝试过类似的做法。当时，这一计划在伦敦市中心引发了强烈反对。当我决定将其扩展——先是2021年扩展到内伦敦，然后在2023年再次扩展到整个城市，使其成为世界上最大的清洁空气区——我的批评者们声音更大了。他们声称，我是在盲目追求一项可能根本不起作用的政策，向司机宣战。所有主流政党，包括我自己的政党，都表示反对。然而近年来，这些批评者已经安静下来。
There is now a mountain of(大量的) evidence to show that the Ulez has slashed(大幅削减) air pollution and improved air quality across London, and research published by Imperial College London earlier this year showed that this is already saving lives. Between 2019 (when I first introduced the Ulez) and 2024, estimated(估计的) deaths associated with(与……相关的) air pollution in the capital fell by around 40%. But a new, independent study published by Queen Mary University of London today goes further still, showing how – by helping to clean up the capital’s air – the Ulez is improving the lungs and lives of London’s children.
现在有大量证据表明，Ulez大幅减少了空气污染，改善了整个伦敦的空气质量，而伦敦帝国理工学院今年早些时候发表的研究表明，这已经在挽救生命。2019年（我首次推出Ulez时）至2024年间，伦敦与空气污染相关的估计死亡人数下降了约40%。但伦敦玛丽女王大学今天发表的一项新的独立研究更进一步，表明Ulez通过帮助净化首都的空气，正在改善伦敦儿童的肺部健康和生命。
Young children are the first to feel the impact of air pollution. They breathe faster than adults, and more often through their mouths, allowing more pollution to pass into their bodies. Their heads are lower to the ground, too, meaning they’re closer to vehicle exhausts pumping out(大量排放) poisonous chemicals. And, because they’re still growing, long-term exposure(暴露，接触) to air pollution can do lasting damage to their development, leading to problems such as asthma(哮喘), chronic(慢性的，长期的) obstructive(梗阻性的) pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer when they’re older.
幼儿最先感受到空气污染的影响。他们比成人呼吸更快，而且更常通过嘴巴呼吸，这使得更多污染物进入他们的身体。他们的头部也更接近地面，这意味着他们更靠近排放有毒化学物质的汽车尾气。而且，由于他们仍在成长，长期暴露在空气污染中会对他们的发育造成持久损害，导致他们长大后出现哮喘、慢性阻塞性肺病（COPD）和肺癌等问题。