VOA慢速英语2015 专家称气候变化是一场医疗急救事件

Experts: Climate Change Is a Medical Emergency 专家称气候变化是一场医疗急救事件

Health and medical experts gathered in Washington this week for talks on climate change and public health. They met at the White House. The meeting was held a day after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released a report on climate change. The report explores the health and economic reasons for lowering climate changing emissions². The findings are similar to those of an independent research group, the Lancet Commission on Health and Climate.

The Lancet Commission report says the effects of climate change could threaten the past 50 years of gains in public health. Commission project leader Nicolas Watts³ says the changes in Earth’s climate have led to weather extremes. The extremes can create public health risks that he considers very dangerous and unacceptable.

Mr. Watts says the changes have led to less rainfall, and this has been linked to a drop in agricultural productivity. The reduced productivity has led, in turn, to an increase in malnutrition⁴, especially among children.

Studies have linked climate change to an increased likelihood of flooding in some areas. Mr. Watts says floods are linked to a rise in the rates of infectious diseases, cholera⁵ and problems that result from a breakdown⁶ of waste treatment systems. He also notes that the world is getting hotter. In 2003, 70,000 people in Europe died because of higher than normal temperatures.

"And those sorts of events are expected to increase in frequency and severity as time goes on." Nicholas Watts spoke⁷ to VOA on Skype.

The World Health Organization has warned that serious action is required to reduce global warming emissions. If the reduction does not happen, the WHO says, there will be serious results. By 2030, almost 250,000 people will die every year from the effects of global warming.

But the Lancet Commission report also describes growing evidence of the effects of actions to slow climate change. It says that such actions are good for global health. Outdoor air pollution is linked to almost three million deaths worldwide. About 1.2 million of those deaths are in China alone. Mr. Watts says a move from coal-fueled power plants to renewable energy, such as sunlight and wind power, can greatly reduce that danger.

He also says that moving to renewable energy will lead to fewer people being treated in hospitals and a drop in health care costs. He says this will, in turn, help struggling health budgets. Suggesting that people use active forms of transportation like bicycles may help reduce diabetes⁸ and obesity⁹, he adds.

The Lancet Commission suggests several ways to deal with climate change. They include closing coal power plants, increasing the use of renewable energy, investing in health systems and agreeing to support a global climate treaty. World leaders are expected to meet in Paris in December to sign that measure. Mr. Watts says that politics and complex issues will be debated. But no matter what, he says, the treaty is about public health.

"[W]hen you start to do that you realize that actually the responses to climate change aren't things that are necessarily hurt and they are not necessarily things that are going to result in a lower quality of life. In fact, most of what you want to do to respond to climate change is good for public health and it is actually a much brighter future."

Mr. Watts hopes the Commission's report helps unite health care experts behind a global treaty. He hopes that the treaty can respond to the risks of climate change. "What is good for the planet," he adds, "is good for patient care."

Words in This Story

emission¹ – n. something sent out or given off

malnutrition – n. the unhealthy condition that results from not eating enough food or not eating enough healthy food

global warming – n. the increase in the world's temperature that scientists say is caused by the increase of carbon dioxide and other gases in the atmosphere

outdoor – adj. done, used, or located outside a building

renewable – adj. able to be restored or replaced by natural processes

1 emission   

n.发出物，散发物；发出，散发

参考例句：

• Rigorous measures will be taken to reduce the total pollutant emission.采取严格有力措施，降低污染物排放总量。
• Finally,the way to effectively control particulate emission is pointed out.最后，指出有效降低颗粒排放的方向。

2 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

3 watts   

（电力计量单位）瓦，瓦特( watt的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• My lamp uses 60 watts; my toaster uses 600 watts. 我的灯用60瓦，我的烤面包器用600瓦。
• My lamp uses 40 watts. 我的灯40瓦。

4 malnutrition   

n.营养不良

参考例句：

• In Africa, there are a lot of children suffering from severe malnutrition.在非洲有大批严重营养不良的孩子。
• It is a classic case of malnutrition. 这是营养不良的典型病例。

5 cholera   

n.霍乱

参考例句：

• The cholera outbreak has been contained.霍乱的发生已被控制住了。
• Cholera spread like wildfire through the camps.霍乱在营地里迅速传播。

6 breakdown   

n.垮，衰竭；损坏，故障，倒塌

参考例句：

• She suffered a nervous breakdown.她患神经衰弱。
• The plane had a breakdown in the air,but it was fortunately removed by the ace pilot.飞机在空中发生了故障，但幸运的是被王牌驾驶员排除了。

7 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

8 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

9 obesity   

n.肥胖，肥大

参考例句：

• One effect of overeating may be obesity.吃得过多能导致肥胖。
• Sugar and fat can more easily lead to obesity than some other foods.糖和脂肪比其他食物更容易导致肥胖。