VOA新闻杂志2022--联合国气候变化会议将以中东为中心

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UN Climate Change Conference to Center on Middle East

This year's United Nations climate change conference, known as COP27, is being held in Egypt in November.

Because of this, the conference will pay special attention to climate problems of the Middle East. The U.N. wants to talk about the damage that climate problems have already caused Middle Eastern economies.

Financing for climate change adaptation – the process of dealing¹ with the effects of climate change - will be an important issue.

In Iraq, sandstorms have hit cities often this year. The wind storms shut down businesses and sent thousands of people to hospitals.

In Egypt's Nile River Delta², rising soil salt levels are eating away farmland. And in Afghanistan, drought has helped fuel the movement of young people from their homes to cities in search of work.

Average temperatures in the Middle East have risen far faster than the world's average in the past 30 years. That information comes from the International Monetary³ Fund. And in recent weeks, temperatures in some parts of the region have reached 50 degrees Celsius⁴.

Lama El Hatow is an expert on environmental climate change.

"More and more states are starting to understand that it's necessary" to act, she said.

Egypt, Morocco and other countries in the region have been increasing programs for clean energy production, like solar energy.

Countries meeting at COP-27 want to push for more international financing to help Middle Eastern countries deal with climate change problems.

The U.N. has warned that the Middle East's crop production could drop 30 percent by 2025. The region is expected to lose 6 to 14 percent of its GDP by 2050. The World Bank says the reason for the lost economic activity is water scarcity⁵. In Egypt, rain levels have fallen 22 percent in the past 30 years.

Droughts are expected to take place more often and to be more severe. The U.S. space agency NASA says the Eastern Mediterranean⁶ area has had its worst drought in 900 years. That is bad news for countries like Syria and Lebanon where agriculture depends on rainfall.

The climate damage could also have bad social effects.

Karim Elgendy is with Chatham House, a policy group based in London.

Elgendy said many people in the Middle East who lose jobs in agriculture or tourism will move to cities looking for work. Such changes, Elgendy said, will likely increase unemployment in cities and could raise social problems and affect security.

Changing infrastructure⁷ and economies to deal with the damage will be costly⁸. The IMF estimates that all these changes will cost 3.3 percent of the region's GDP every year for the next 10 years.

The spending has to go toward many needs. These include better water use systems and new agricultural methods. Other costs include increasing social programs and public information campaigns.

One of the top issues for developing nations at this year's meeting will be to press rich nations to provide billions of dollars in promised climate financing.

So far, most of the money provided has gone to helping⁹ poorer countries pay for reducing greenhouse gas emissions¹⁰ — a process known as "mitigation."

Developing nations also want richer countries to show how they will carry out a promise from the last climate meeting to provide $500 billion in financing over the next five years. The idea is to ensure at least half the financing is for adaptation, not mitigation.

However, inflation and a possible economic recession could make big nations slow to act.

International officials often pay attention to emissions reductions, El Hatow said. She said the countries of Africa, the Middle East and other places in the developing world are not the biggest causes of climate change. But, many of these countries will deal with the worst effects of it.

"We need to talk about financing for adaptation," she said, "to adapt to a problem they [developing countries] did not cause."

Words in This Story

drought – n. a long period of time during which there is very little or no rain

region – n. a part of a country, of the world, etc., that is different or separate from other parts in some way

GDP (Gross Domestic Product) --n. The total value of all goods and services produced in a country in one year

scarcity – n. a very small supply : the state of being scarce

tourism —n. the business of providing hotels, restaurants, entertainment, etc., for people who are traveling

infrastructure –n. the basic equipment and structures (such as roads and bridges) that are needed for a country, region, or organization to function properly

1 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

2 delta   

n.（流的）角洲

参考例句：

• He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。
• The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔，形成了一个三角洲。

3 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

4 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

5 scarcity   

n.缺乏，不足，萧条

参考例句：

• The scarcity of skilled workers is worrying the government.熟练工人的缺乏困扰着政府。
• The scarcity of fruit was caused by the drought.水果供不应求是由于干旱造成的。

6 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

7 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

8 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

9 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

10 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。