WIPO China: Air Quality Monitoring for a Healthier Environment for All
本文原载于2024年第1期《WIPO杂志》。
The article was originally published in the issue 1/2024 of WIPO Magazine.
2023年7月，纽约市的天际线笼罩在加拿大野火造成的烟雾中，导致有害的空气质量。碳质气溶胶的存在造成空气污染，对气候变化和健康产生重大影响。
New York City skyline draped in smoke from Canadian wildfires in July 2023, causing hazardous air quality. The presence of carbonaceous aerosols causes air pollution, which has a significant impact on climate change and health.
图：NYC Stock Photos / iStock / Getty Images Plus
Photo: NYC Stock Photos / iStock / Getty Images Plus
伴随森林火灾、城市内雾霾和污染的普遍存在，空气质量成为全球各个国家、地区和地方当局及公民关注的主要问题。但如果不测量某个东西，就无从管理它。这就是斯洛文尼亚的Aerosol Magee Scientific公司发挥关键作用的地方，该公司是一家领先的测量空气质量的空气监测系统开发商和制造商。《WIPO杂志》最近采访了Aerosol的首席执行官马泰亚·福尔什纳里奇，以了解该公司如何帮助政策制定者制定清洁空气战略，以及知识产权如何支持其在这一关键领域的创新动力。
With widespread forest fires, inner city smog and pollution, air quality is a major concern for national, regional and local authorities and citizens everywhere. But you canʼt manage what you donʼt measure. This is where the Slovenian company Aerosol Magee Scientific, a leading developer and manufacturer of air monitoring systems to measure air quality, is playing a key role. WIPO Magazine recently met with Aerosolʼs CEO, Mateja Forštnarič, to find out how the company is helping policymakers develop clean air strategies, and how IP is supporting its innovation drive in this key area.
《WIPO杂志》：碳质气溶胶究竟是什么?
WM: What exactly are carbonaceous aerosols?
马泰亚·福尔什纳里奇：碳质气溶胶是一种主要的空气污染物，简单来说，由黑碳和有机碳组成。黑碳包含漂浮在空气中的粉尘和烟尘的微细颗粒。这些颗粒吸入后会深入肺部，进入人体，导致慢性健康问题，如心脏病、哮喘等。空气中的大多数颗粒物（PM）由黑碳和碳质气溶胶组成，占此类PM的80%。这就是为什么了解PM的组成和来源很重要，因为只有这样我们才能解决这个问题。
Mateja Forštnarič: Carbonaceous aerosols are a major group of air pollutants that, in simple terms, consist of black carbon and organic carbon. Black carbon consists of tiny particles of dust and soot that float in the air. On inhalation, these particles go deep into the lungs and enter the body, causing chronic health problems, Air Quality Monitoring for a Healthier Environment for All New York City skyline draped in smoke from Canadian wildfires in July 2023, causing hazardous air quality. The presence of carbonaceous aerosols causes air pollution, which has a significant impact on climate change and health. WIPO Magazine Issue 1/2024 39 like heart disease, asthma and others. Most particulate matter (PM) in the air consists of black carbon and carbonaceous aerosols, making up 80% of such PM. Thatʼs why itʼs important to understand the composition and source of PM, because only then can we tackle the problem.
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黑碳气溶胶是化石燃料和生物质不完全燃烧的产物。
Black carbon aerosols come from the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels and biomass.
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黑碳气溶胶是化石燃料和生物质不完全燃烧的产物。它们是由交通、船舶、飞机、工业活动和某些农业活动，以及野火和烧木取暖造成的。
Black carbon aerosols come from the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels and biomass. Theyʼre generated from traffic, ships, airplanes, industrial activity and certain agricultural practices, as well as wildfires and wood burning for heating.
它们对环境和健康的影响有多大?
And what is the scale of their impact on the environment and health?
黑碳吸收太阳的能量和光，导致全球变暖。它还影响云的形成和降雨模式。这就解释了为什么现在我们会经历更多风暴、降雨和洪水。此外，当黑碳沉积在雪和冰川上时，还会加速它们的融化。
Black carbon contributes to global warming because it absorbs the sunʼs energy and light. It also affects cloud formation and rainfall patterns. That explains why we are experiencing more violent storms, rains and floods. Also, when black carbon is deposited on snow and glaciers, it accelerates melting.
大量证据还表明，空气污染与包括癌症在内的神经系统、呼吸系统和免疫系统疾病有关。空气污染每年导致全球约700万人过早死亡。造成的人力和经济成本是巨大的。世界银行估计，由PM 2.5（直径小于或等于2.5微米的颗粒物）造成的空气污染导致的健康损害的每年成本为8.1万亿美元，相当于全球GDP的6.1%。
A great deal of evidence also links air pollution with neurological, respiratory and immunological diseases including cancer. Air pollution causes around 7 million premature deaths globally every year. The human and economic costs are huge. The World Bank estimates the cost of the damage to health of air pollution caused by PM 2.5 (fine particles with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less) is USD 8.1 trillion a year, equivalent to 6.1% of global GDP.
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空气污染每年导致全球约700万人过早死亡。
Air pollution causes around 7 million premature deaths globally every year.
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空气污染是一个可持续性问题。可持续性是我们的愿景和使命中不可或缺的一部分。我们全力以赴，为确保人人都能呼吸到更清洁、更健康的空气贡献力量。虽然我们是一家商业企业，但我们的核心使命是提高人们对这些空气污染物的来源及其负面影响的认识。
Air pollution is a sustainability issue. And sustainability is an integral part of our vision and mission. We are all fully committed to helping to ensure we can all breathe cleaner and healthier air. While we are a commercial business, raising awareness about the sources of these air pollutants and their negative impact is central to our mission.
位于西班牙瓦伦西亚的EUPHORE正在测试Aerosol Magee Scientific的新仪器。EUPHORE是一家主要的国际室外模拟实验室，用于开展大气污染、空气污染物影响、森林研究、气象学和气候学方面的研究。
Testing of new Aerosol Magee Scientific instruments at EUPHORE in Valencia, Spain, a major international outdoor simulation chamber for research on atmospheric pollution, air pollutant effect, forest research, meteorology and climatology.
图：Aerosol Magee Scientific
Photo: Courtesy of Aerosol Magee Scientific
用户为何求助于你们的空气质量监测设备?
Why are users turning to your air quality monitoring devices?
要想管理某个东西，首先需要对其进行测量，并且需要长期收集数据以了解趋势。我们的仪器测量和收集有关空气质量和污染源的数据。有了这些数据，领导者和决策者可以引入有针对性的措施，辅以相关导则、标准和政策，并监测这些措施的影响。我们的核心工作是开发和不断改进准确测量空气质量所需的仪器，并提供专业知识来解读它们产生的数据。
To manage something, you first need to measure it, and you need to collect data over the long term to understand trends. Our instruments measure and gather data on air quality and the source of the pollution. With these data, leaders and decision-makers can introduce and monitor the impact of targeted measures supported by relevant guidelines, standards and policies. Developing and continuously refining the instruments needed to measure air quality accurately, and providing the expertise to interpret the data they generate, is our core work.
在喜马拉雅山用Aerosol Magee Scientific的仪器对黑碳进行远程、高海拔测量。中国、印度、尼泊尔和巴基斯坦的一些组织用Aerosol Magee Scientific的仪器来帮助他们了解黑碳的影响。
Remote, high-altitude measurement of black carbon with Aerosol Magee Scientific’s instruments in the Himalayas. Aerosol Magee Scientific instruments are used by several organizations in China, India, Nepal, and Pakistan to help them understand the impact of black carbon.
图：Aerosol Magee Scientific
Photo: Courtesy of Aerosol Magee Scientific
您能举例说明仪器用在哪里吗?
Can you give us examples of where devices are being used?
我们的仪器安装在各大洲，从北极到南极，从亚马逊到撒哈拉，从地下深处的矿井到珠穆朗玛峰的山巅；安装在各地的监测机构和网络，从旧金山到上海，从都柏林到德里，以及中间的任何地方。我们为300多篇科学文章和会议报告做出了贡献，我们的仪器在8,000多篇科学论文中被引用。我们与世界各地领先的研究机构和组织合作，开展各种研究和发展项目。
Our instruments are installed on all continents, from the North Pole to the South Pole, from the Amazon to the Sahara, from mines deep in the ground to the heights of Mount Everest; and in monitoring agencies and networks from San Francisco to Shanghai, from Dublin to Delhi, and everywhere in between. We have contributed to more than 300 scientific articles and conference presentations, and our instruments are referenced in more than 8,000 scientific papers. We collaborate with leading research institutions and organizations around the world on various research and development projects.
为什么没有关于测量黑碳和其他碳质气溶胶的标准或法规?
Why are there no standards or regulations for the measurement of black carbon and other carbonaceous aerosols?
首先，因为气溶胶科学是一门年轻的科学。科学界直到21世纪才确定黑碳是气候变化的一个重要因素。第二，因为需要长期的测量和证据来说服决策者。
First, because aerosol science is a young science. The scientific community only identified black carbon as an important contributor to climate change in the 2000s. And second, because you need long-term measurements and evidence to convince decision-makers.
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要想管理某个东西，首先需要对其进行测量，并且需要长期收集数据以了解趋势。
To manage something you need to measure it first, and you need to collect data over the long term to understand trends.
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目前，只有包括PM 2.5在内的六种污染物受到监管。我们当然希望看到人们在这方面做得更多。然而，2021年，世界卫生组织（世卫组织）和政府间气候变化专门委员会（气专委）才首次承认，黑碳和碳质气溶胶正导致气候变化和不良健康后果。这是一个重要的进步，尤其是这些组织目前在敦促各国政府系统而持续地测量空气质量，特别是黑碳和碳质气溶胶的影响。只有依据这些数据，政府才能采取有效的、有针对性的行动，并制定减轻空气污染所需的政策、程序和标准。因此，事情正朝着好的方向发展，但仍有更多的工作要做。
At present, only six pollutants are regulated, including PM 2.5. We would certainly like to see more done in this area. However, in 2021, for the first time, the World Heath Organization (WHO) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) acknowledged that black carbon and carbonaceous aerosols are causing climate change and adverse health outcomes. This was a major step forward, especially as these organizations are now urging governments to systematically and continuously measure air quality, and the impact of black carbon and carbonaceous aerosols specifically. Only with these data can governments take effective, targeted action and develop the policies, procedures and standards needed to mitigate air pollution. So, things are moving in a good direction, but there is still more that needs to be done.
作为一家涉及绿色技术的企业，你们面临的主要挑战是什么?
What are the key challenges you face as a business involved in green technology?
随着决策者和政策制定者将空气污染纳入议程，以及公众对空气污染的关注日益增加，我们看到新技术和新参与者正进入市场。在这个不断发展的形势中，主要挑战是确保我们的技术与这些新兴技术相融合，同时继续创新和开发我们自己的解决方案。我们还面临着人才短缺的问题。为合适的岗位找到合适的人是一项巨大的挑战。当然，在提高人们对测量这些污染物及其影响的必要性的认识方面，我们面临着持续的沟通挑战。
As air pollution is now on the agenda of decision-makers and policymakers and public concern rises, we are seeing new technologies and new players enter the market. In this evolving landscape, the primary challenge is to ensure our technology integrates with these emerging technologies, while also continuing to innovate and develop our own solutions. Weʼre also facing a talent shortage. Finding the right people in the right place is a big challenge. And of course, we have an ongoing communications challenge in raising awareness about the need to measure these pollutants and their impact.
知识产权如何支持你们的业务?
How is IP supporting your business?
知识产权是我们商业成功的核心。它们使我们能够产生收入并发展业务。我们使用专利和商标来保护自己的创新和品牌。专利通过确保我们的尖端产品和技术是本公司专有的，为我们提供了市场竞争优势。一些竞争对手尝试模仿我们的专利解决方案，但没有成功。商标将我们的产品和服务与竞争对手的区分开来，使我们能够创造一个独特身份，与我们不断扩大的客户群产生共鸣。
Our IP rights are central to our commercial success. They enable us to generate revenue and grow our business. We use patents and trademarks to safeguard our innovations and our brands. By ensuring that our cutting-edge products and technologies remain exclusive to our company, our patents give us a competitive market advantage. Some competitors have already tried – unsuccessfully – to mimic our patented solutions. Our trademarks distinguish our products and services from those of our competitors and enable us to create a unique identity that resonates with our expanding customer base.
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知识产权是我们商业成功的核心。它们使我们能够产生收入并发展业务。
Our IP rights are central to our commercial success. They enable us to generate revenue and grow our business.
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您想对环境政策制定者说些什么？
And what is your message to environmental policymakers?
如果不先准确测量并持续监测某个东西，就无法管理它。这就是为什么长期测量黑碳和其他碳质气溶胶非常重要。我们的设备提供可靠和值得信赖的定量数据。只有当掌握了这些数据，科学家才能针对改善空气质量所需的有针对性的行动、政策和法规提出建议。还需要系统地监测这些措施在减少空气污染和负面健康后果方面的有效性。
You canʼt manage what you donʼt first accurately measure and continue to monitor. Thatʼs why itʼs important to measure black carbon and other carbonaceous aerosols over a long period. Our equipment provides reliable and trustworthy quantitative data. Only when you have these data can scientists advise on the targeted action, policies and regulations needed to improve air quality. And these measures require systematic monitoring as to their effectiveness in reducing air pollution and negative health outcomes.
在线阅读访谈全文，进一步了解气溶胶以及空气质量监测为何重要。
Read the full interview online and learn more about Aerosol and why air quality monitoring matters.
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