VOA慢速英语2020 科学家警告如果不保护自然 可能会出现更致命大流行病（在线收听）

Scientific experts have warned that deadly pandemics are likely to keep happening if action is not taken to protect natural environments.

科学专家警告称，如果不采取行动保护自然环境，致命的流行病很可能会继续发生。

Future pandemics will happen more often, spread faster and kill more people than COVID-19, the experts said. Such events are also expected to cause lasting harm to the world economy.

专家表示，与新冠肺炎相比，未来的大流行病可能会发生得更频繁，传播得更快并导致更多人死亡。预计这类事件也将会对世界经济造成持久损害。

The warning came in a report from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, an international expert group that advises governments. The group has more than 130 member states.

这一警告出自于生物多样性和生态系统服务政府间科学政策平台的一份报告，这是一家向政府提供建议的国际专家组织。该组织有130多个成员国。

The experts called for major efforts aimed at preventing pandemics rather than trying to contain them after they happen. The report urges major worldwide efforts to stop habitat destruction that can lead viruses to jump from wild animals to humans.

专家们呼吁作出重大努力，目的是预防大流行，而不是在大流行发生后再设法加以遏制。该报告督促在全球范围内作出重大努力，以制止可能会导致病毒从野生动物跃迁到人类的栖息地破坏。

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has estimated that three out of every four new or emerging infectious diseases in people come from animals. Scientists have said COVID-19 probably started in bats and began spreading among humans.

美国疾病控制与预防中心估计，人类新出现的每4种传染病中，就有3种来自于动物。科学家表似乎，新冠肺炎可能起源于蝙蝠，并开始在人类中传播。

In their report, the experts predict that about half of an estimated 1.7 million undiscovered viruses in nature might be able to infect people. Activities such as poaching or clearing forests to grow soy or palm oil can bring humans and disease closer together.

专家们在报告中预测，自然界大约有170万种未发现的病毒，其中大约有一半可能会感染人类。诸如偷猎或砍伐森林以种植大豆或棕榈油之类的活动可能会让人类更加接近于疾病。

Deforestation, agriculture expansion, urbanization and other land-use changes are responsible for about one-third of all new diseases that have emerged since 1960, the report says. The $100 billion global wildlife trade is also responsible for the spread of new and existing diseases.

该报告称，森林砍伐、农业扩张、城市化以及其它土地用途的变化要对1960年以来所有新发疾病中大约1/3的疾病负责。全球野生动植物贸易额达1000亿美元，它也要对新发和现有疾病的传播负责。

The experts predict that about $50 billion a year in pandemic prevention spending could save the world about $1 trillion a year, on average, in economic damage. They said that as of July, the economic cost from COVID-19 was at least $8 trillion and rising.

专家预计每年大约500亿美元的大流行预防开支可以为全球平均减少1万亿美元的经济损失。他们表示，截至7月，新冠肺炎造成的经济损失至少为8万亿美元，并且还在继续上升。

Peter Daszak was the report's lead writer. He is president of EcoHealth Alliance, an international health, environment and development organization. He said in a statement that even though the experts call for urgent action, "this is not a doom and gloom report saying the world's going to end and it's too late." Instead, Daszak said it should be seen as "an optimistic call for action."

彼得·达萨克是该报告的主要作者。他是生态健康联盟的主席，这是一家国际健康、环境和发展组织。。他在一份声明中表示，即使专家们呼吁采取紧急行动，“这也不是一份悲观沮丧的报告，不是说世界就要完蛋了，一起都为时已晚了。”达萨克表示，相反，它应该被视为一种“对行动的乐观呼吁。”

He noted that the current method for dealing with pandemics is to wait for them to emerge and then try to identify them before they spread. COVID-19 has demonstrated the problems with that plan. Officials attempted to contain COVID-19 after the disease was discovered last year, but it was already too late.

他指出，当前应对流行病的方式是等着流行病出现，然后在流行病蔓延之前发现它们。新冠肺炎已经证明了这种方案的问题所在。去年发现新冠肺炎之后，有关官员曾试图遏制住它，但是为时已晚。

"And here we are waiting for a vaccine and drugs to work," Daszak said. "It's not a good strategy. We need to do more."

达萨克表示：“现在我们在等着疫苗和药物起作用。这不是一种好策略。我们需要做更多事情。”