PBS高端访谈:非洲蝗灾引担忧（在线收听）

JUDY WOODRUFF: It sounds biblical, but as the world grapples with the COVID pandemic, the continent of Africa is facing another plague: locusts. As Nick Schifrin reports, the small insects pose a serious threat to food security throughout the region.

NICK SCHIFRIN: In East Africa, the air carries two plagues, locusts, swarms with as many as 50 billion insects. As COVID-19 threatens the people, locusts threaten livestock and their food.

SAMUEL LENTOROL, East Africa (through translator): They are being a menace, eating our grass and even getting into our homes. When we slaughter our livestock, we find locust faces in their stomachs. Without a doubt, they are affecting our health, our animals' health, and the environment.

NICK SCHIFRIN: In February, eight East African countries experienced an initial swarm, the largest for parts of the region in 70 years. And now a new wave is 20 times larger that the first wave.

KEITH CRESSMAN, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization: There are swarms that are, it's not uncommon to be, let's say, the size of Manhattan in New York City. So, they can be very big. In one day, that swarm can eat the same amount of food as everybody in New York and California combined.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Keith Cressman is the Food and Agriculture Organization's senior locust forecasting officer. He says, in a region that already struggling with food security, more than 33 million people are now food-insecure and require assistance.

KEITH CRESSMAN: Because this region is very, very vulnerable. For the past three years, they have faced droughts. This year, they have faced heavy rains and floods. So, already, you know, they're living in a very precarious situation.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Pesticides can fight the locusts. And the FAO is appealing for millions of dollars of aid to deliver more. But border closures because of COVID-19 can slow down deliveries. And locals gathering to combat the locusts, often without success, can spread coronavirus. The U.N. is instead pushing for the use of biopesticides and remote data collection, and is working with governments to ensure the people who are fighting the locusts can travel, despite travel restrictions.

KEITH CRESSMAN: The governments realize, you know, not only COVID-19 is serious, but also locust is serious. So they have given waivers to all of those involved in the locust campaign, and they're considered as essential services.

NICK SCHIFRIN: The outbreak originated in the Arabian Peninsula, where heavy rains in 2018 and 2019 created the insects' ideal breeding ground. Climate change might only be making the problem worse.

KEITH CRESSMAN: There's eight cyclones in 2019. Usually, there's none or one. So, you know, obviously something's going on with the weather. It could be climate change. But, you know, whatever it is, I mean, if we see this trend continuing, it's going to mean that there's going to be more desert locust upsurges like we're facing this year.

NICK SCHIFRIN: While the world fights the coronavirus, much of East Africa is battling a second threat, with no reprieve in sight.

For the PBS NewsHour, I'm Nick Schifrin.

朱迪·伍德拉夫：下面这则消息虽然听起来有些让人难以置信，但就在全世界都在对抗新冠的时候，非洲大陆正遭遇另一场浩劫——蝗灾。根据我台记者尼克发回的报道，蝗虫虽小，却给整个非洲地区的粮食安全构成了严重危机。

尼克：东非的空气裹挟着2种瘟疫，一种是新冠病毒，一种是数量多达500亿的蝗虫。在新冠威胁着人类生命的时候，蝗虫也威胁着牲畜和粮食。

塞缪尔，东非人（以下内容为译文版）：蝗虫的存在已成为一种威胁，蝗虫侵蚀着我们的草，甚至都跑到我们家里来了。我们宰牲畜的时候，在胃里发现了蝗虫。毫无疑问，蝗虫影响着我们的健康、动物的健康和环境。

尼克：2月的时候，东非有8个国家经历了第一波蝗虫来袭，那次是近70年来这部分地区经历的最大一次蝗虫侵袭。现在这一波的强度是第一次的20倍。

基思，联合国粮食农组织（FAO）：这次蝗虫的势头堪比纽约曼哈顿区。所以，蝗虫也可以产生很大的影响。某一天，蝗虫的食量可以达到纽约和加州人的总食量。

尼克：基思是联合国该组织负责预警蝗虫侵袭的高级工作人员。基思表示，这片区域已苦苦挣扎于粮食安全，3300多万人粮食紧缺、亟待援助。

基思：因为该区域非常脆弱。所以过去3年里都受旱灾影响。今年还遭遇了暴雨和洪灾。所以他们的处境很危险。

尼克：用杀虫剂可以对付蝗虫。FAO呼吁向受灾地区提供数百万美元甚至更多的援助。但新冠导致的边境封锁使得物资运送速度减慢。当地人聚集在一起对抗蝗虫，通常都没成功，反而会使疫情扩散。联合国则推荐大家使用生物杀虫剂和远程数据收集的方式。现在联合国正和各国政府一道确保抗击蝗虫的人可以出行，但必须要有出行限制。

基思：各国政府意识到，不仅新冠很严重，蝗灾也很严重。所以他们豁免了参与蝗灾活动的人，将此视为必要服务。

尼克：蝗灾起于阿拉伯半岛。在那里，2018年和2019年的大雨导致蝗虫滋生。气候变化可能只会让问题更糟糕。

基思：2019年有9次旋风。通常只有0次或1次。所以，一旦天气出现问题，那可能就是气候变化的问题。不过，如果这个趋势继续下去，那就意味着今年会有更多蝗虫灾害。

尼克：在全球抗击疫情的时候，东非的很多地区还有另一场战役要打，而且是持久战。感谢收听尼克发回的报道。