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A number of developing countries in Asia have in recent years adopted strict laws to protect the environment. But lawyers gathering¹ this week for a U.N. environment conference in Bangkok, say many courts fail to enforce environmental laws.

亚洲一些发展中国家近年来通过了严格的环境保护法。但是，这个星期在曼谷参加联合国环境会议的律师说，许多法庭未能执行环境法。

The lawyers dedicated² to environmental law say corruption³ and a lack of political will sway the decisions of many courts and prevent governments from applying penalties to polluters.

致力于实施环境法的律师说，腐败和缺少政治意愿影响了许多法庭的裁决，阻止了政府向污染环境者进行惩罚。

The lawyers spoke⁴ on the sidelines of the U.N. Environment Program's conference on environmental justice and enforcement in Bangkok.

这些律师是在联合国环境规划署在曼谷召开的会议的间隙说这番话的，会议的主题是环境司法及其执行。

M.C. Mehta, an attorney who has argued several landmark⁵ environmental cases in India's Supreme⁶ Court, is among the lawyers, judges, and officials from more than 40 countries attending the conference. He says India and other countries have put environmental laws on the books, but that is not enough.

梅赫塔律师也参加了这次由来自40多个国家的律师、法官和官员出席的会议。梅赫塔曾经在印度最高法院出庭为几个具有里程碑意义的涉及环境的案例进行辩护。梅赫塔说，印度和其它国家已经制定了环境法，但是这还不够。

"It is a question of accountability. The principle of accountability can be established when we in India have the laws. The environmental laws are there. But the enforcement is not there. If it remains⁷ in the constitution of India only, it is not going to help," Mehta said.

梅赫塔说：“这是一个有关责任的问题。在印度，我们制定了环境法以后就能够建立相关的责任原则。有了环境法，却没有执行这些法律。如果环境法仅仅存在于印度的宪法里是不会有什么帮助的。”

Dozens of other countries in Asia have similar problems. For instance, in China, the government has imposed tough new rules and restrictions⁸ on building new coal-fired power plants, but environmental experts say the rules are widely ignored.

亚洲的其它几十个国家存在类似的问题。例如，在中国，政府对于修建新的燃煤电厂建立了强硬的新法规，但是环境专家说，这些规章制度普遍被忽略。

In other countries, environmentalists say that penalties for polluting and other harmful activities are too low. They say, for instance, that illegal loggers in much of Southeast Asia will simply pay the fine and keep on cutting trees.

环境学家说，在其它一些国家，对污染和其它对环境有害的活动惩罚力度太小。专家说，例如，东南亚许多地方的非法伐木者，只不过把罚款交了，然后继续伐木。

Mehta pushed an Indian Supreme Court decision to make environmental education compulsory⁹ in schools. He says he believes that instilling¹⁰ fundamental environmental awareness¹¹ at the grassroots will lead to greater accountability by the authorities.

梅赫塔曾经推动印度最高法院做出裁决，要求学校进行环境义务教育。梅赫塔说，他认为，让基础环境意识渗透到基层将会导致政府机构承担更大的责任。

"If a child becomes aware, conscious, yes they can, the children, the youth, the women, the ones who are the real stakeholders, who are feeling every day the brunt of environmental pollution, they will force the authorities to do things," Mehta said.

梅赫塔说：“如果一个儿童能够发觉、意识到，儿童、青年、妇女和真正的利益相关者每天都感到受到环境污染的冲击，他们将迫使政府采取行动。”

Organizers say the three-day conference aims to raise awareness among judges in the region to improve their understanding of the judiciary's role in protecting the environment.

这次会议的组织者说，为期3天的会议旨在提高这个地区的法官的意识，改进他们对司法机构在保护环境的过程中所发挥的作用的理解。