2006年VOA标准英语-UN, Companies Call For Climate Insurance For Th

By Cathy Majtenyi
Nairobi
14 November 2006

The United Nations and a group of international insurance and finance companies are calling Tuesday for creative ways to provide climate insurance to farmers and others affected¹ by climate change. Experts said they are pleased with the results of a pilot climate insurance scheme for farmers in Ethiopia that was implemented² earlier this year.

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Kenyan Environment Minister Kivutha Kibwana opens talks at UN Climate Change Conference in Nairobi, November 6, 2006  
  
U.N. officials warn that losses from droughts, storms, floods, hurricanes and other extreme weather events linked to climate change are doubling every 12 years.

The officials, from the U.N.'s Environment Program's Finance Initiative, say those hardest hit are the poor in developing countries in Africa and other parts of the world, especially those who rely on the land for their livelihoods⁴.

In a report released Tuesday, the UNEP's Finance Initiative and its working group of 15 global banks, insurance companies and asset managers call for new and creative ways to insure the poor against extreme weather events.

Paul Clements Hunt, coordinator⁵ of the Finance Initiative, explains the need for such an approach.

"Climate change is now certain. These institutions have calculated potential disaster losses reaching over one trillion U.S. dollars in a single year by 2040. In 2002, we had calculated that there were in the region of $150 billion of economic losses a year associated with natural weather events and natural disasters," he said.

Hunt said, under current climate trends and their resulting impacts on the economy, it would be almost impossible for countries to achieve the Millennium⁶ Development Goals set out by the United Nations.

New and innovative⁷ insurance schemes resulting from the combined efforts of governments, private companies, and donor⁸ funds can take many forms.

For instance, one program under consideration for pastoralists would see them receiving payments triggered when the condition and availability of forage⁹ for the livestock¹⁰ they tend deteriorate¹¹ below a pre-determined point.

The U.N. Environment Program's executive director, Achim Steiner, gives another example from his native Germany.
 

Achim Steiner, Executive Director of UN Environment Programme   
  
"A weather event that has often broken the backs of farming communities was hailstones," he said.

"So, under legislation in Germany, and I imagine a number of other countries also, farmers were essentially¹² obliged, all of them, to insure their crops, their fields against hailstorm damage, which brought the premium¹³ down significantly and ensure that no farmer in one year would essentially lose their entire livelihood³."

In March of this year, the World Food Program launched a humanitarian¹⁴ insurance pilot project in Ethiopia that concluded at the end of October. Under the program, farmers would receive payment if rainfalls were lower than expected.

No payments were made, as rainfall during that period was not below average.

World Food Program spokesman Peter Smerdon said that, nonetheless, experts were pleased with the pilot project's outcome.

"We now see it is feasible to use market mechanisms¹⁵ to finance drought risk in Ethiopia. This is the first time in history that humanitarian risk was transferred out of a developing country using such market mechanisms. It also shows that it's possible to develop objective timing¹⁶ and accurate indicators¹⁷ for triggering drought assistance," he said.

The climate insurance report was unveiled at the U.N.'s Climate Change Conference being held in Kenya's capital. Some 6,000 delegates from around the world are discussing the effects of climate change and what can be done about it.

The conference ends Friday.

1 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

2 implemented   

v.实现( implement的过去式和过去分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• This agreement, if not implemented, is a mere scrap of paper. 这个协定如不执行只不过是一纸空文。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The economy is in danger of collapse unless far-reaching reforms are implemented. 如果不实施影响深远的改革，经济就面临崩溃的危险。 来自辞典例句

3 livelihood   

n.生计，谋生之道

参考例句：

• Appropriate arrangements will be made for their work and livelihood.他们的工作和生活会得到妥善安排。
• My father gained a bare livelihood of family by his own hands.父亲靠自己的双手勉强维持家计。

4 livelihoods   

生计，谋生之道( livelihood的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• First came the earliest individualistic pioneers who depended on hunting and fishing for their livelihoods. 走在最前面的是早期的个人主义先驱者，他们靠狩猎捕鱼为生。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• With little influence over policies, their traditional livelihoods are threatened. 因为马赛族人对政策的影响力太小，他们的传统生计受到了威胁。

5 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？

6 millennium   

n.一千年，千禧年；太平盛世

参考例句：

• The whole world was counting down to the new millennium.全世界都在倒计时迎接新千年的到来。
• We waited as the clock ticked away the last few seconds of the old millennium.我们静候着时钟滴答走过千年的最后几秒钟。

7 innovative   

adj.革新的，新颖的，富有革新精神的

参考例句：

• Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
• He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。

8 donor   

n.捐献者；赠送人；(组织、器官等的)供体

参考例句：

• In these cases,the recipient usually takes care of the donor afterwards.在这类情况下，接受捐献者以后通常会照顾捐赠者。
• The Doctor transplanted the donor's heart to Mike's chest cavity.医生将捐赠者的心脏移植进麦克的胸腔。

9 forage   

n.(牛马的)饲料，粮草；v.搜寻，翻寻

参考例句：

• They were forced to forage for clothing and fuel.他们不得不去寻找衣服和燃料。
• Now the nutritive value of the forage is reduced.此时牧草的营养价值也下降了。

10 livestock   

n.家畜，牲畜

参考例句：

• Both men and livestock are flourishing.人畜两旺。
• The heavy rains and flooding killed scores of livestock.暴雨和大水淹死了许多牲口。

11 deteriorate   

v.变坏；恶化；退化

参考例句：

• Do you think relations between China and Japan will continue to deteriorate?你认为中日关系会继续恶化吗？
• He held that this would only cause the situation to deteriorate further.他认为，这只会使局势更加恶化。

12 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

13 premium   

n.加付款；赠品；adj.高级的；售价高的

参考例句：

• You have to pay a premium for express delivery.寄快递你得付额外费用。
• Fresh water was at a premium after the reservoir was contaminated.在水库被污染之后，清水便因稀而贵了。

14 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

15 mechanisms   

n.机械( mechanism的名词复数 )；机械装置；[生物学] 机制；机械作用

参考例句：

• The research will provide direct insight into molecular mechanisms. 这项研究将使人能够直接地了解分子的机理。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He explained how the two mechanisms worked. 他解释这两台机械装置是如何工作的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

17 indicators   

（仪器上显示温度、压力、耗油量等的）指针( indicator的名词复数 )； 指示物； （车辆上的）转弯指示灯； 指示信号

参考例句：

• The economic indicators are better than expected. 经济指标比预期的好。
• It is still difficult to develop indicators for many concepts used in social science. 为社会科学领域的许多概念确立一个指标仍然很难。