VOA常速英语2007年-US Wants More Balanced Approach to Climate Chan

By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
27 November 2007

The United States is urging the International Red Cross Movement to adopt, what it calls, a more balanced approach in dealing¹ with the consequences of climate change.  More than 1,500 representatives attending the 30th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement in Geneva this week are tackling a growing number of complex humanitarian² challenges.  Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from the conference. 

Climate change is one of the most hotly contested issues being debated at the 30th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.

Few people here seriously contest the need to deal with the humanitarian consequences of climate change.  But, delegates are divided as to how much emphasis to give to the issue.

The head of the U.S. Delegation³, John Bellinger, says the United States takes climate change seriously and will support next week's U.N. Climate Change Conference in Bali, Indonesia.

Turning to the Red Cross conference, he says he is concerned about the focus on climate change in the final declaration, which is still under discussion.  He says there is an over-emphasis on climate change as the only form of environmental degradation⁴ that poses challenges to the planet.

"We just think that it is important in fairness that one be balanced in recognizing that the natural disasters that in fact continue to befall most countries and that kill most people are things like earthquakes, cyclones⁵, tornadoes⁶, hurricanes," he said.  "A focus and concern on climate change is entirely⁷ appropriate.  We need to be careful that it is not a rush to focus on climate change to the exclusion⁸ of the traditional kinds of disasters that have caused the deaths and suffering of so many people around the world." 

The U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns that the planet is warming faster than previously⁹ predicted. 

The Nobel Prize winning group of scientists says carbon and other heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions¹⁰ must stabilize¹¹ by 2015 and then decline to head off the worst consequences from climate change.

A new report by the humanitarian group Oxfam says weather-related natural disasters have risen from 120 annually¹² in the 1980s to about 500 today.

Madeleen Helmer is Head of the Red Cross and Red Crescent climate change center in the Netherlands.  She tells VOA climate change triggers weather-related disasters.

"The consequence of climate change and its impact on the increase of weather-related disasters means we need to intensify¹³ the way we work," she said.  "We need to be more open for risks that we have not seen before:  Heat waves in areas where we have not seen heat waves, or prolonged heat waves, drought, floods, problems that are afflicting¹⁴ eastern Africa." 

Helmer says problems caused by climate change will not go away and must be addressed.

Other issues being discussed at the conference include the humanitarian needs of migrants and internally displaced persons and ways to deal with the impact of war.

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 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。

3 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

4 degradation   

n.降级；低落；退化；陵削；降解；衰变

参考例句：

• There are serious problems of land degradation in some arid zones.在一些干旱地带存在严重的土地退化问题。
• Gambling is always coupled with degradation.赌博总是与堕落相联系。

5 cyclones   

n.气旋( cyclone的名词复数 )；旋风；飓风；暴风

参考例句：

• The pricipal objective in designing cyclones is to create a vortex. 设计旋风除尘器的主要目的在于造成涡旋运动。 来自辞典例句
• Middle-latitude cyclones originate at the popar front. 中纬度地区的气旋发源于极锋。 来自辞典例句

6 tornadoes   

n.龙卷风，旋风( tornado的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Tornadoes, severe earthquakes, and plagues create wide spread havoc. 龙卷风、大地震和瘟疫成普遍的毁坏。 来自互联网
• Meteorologists are at odds over the working of tornadoes. 气象学者对龙卷风的运动方式看法不一。 来自互联网

7 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

8 exclusion   

n.拒绝，排除，排斥，远足，远途旅行

参考例句：

• Don't revise a few topics to the exclusion of all others.不要修改少数论题以致排除所有其他的。
• He plays golf to the exclusion of all other sports.他专打高尔夫球，其他运动一概不参加。

9 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

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。

11 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。

12 annually   

adv.一年一次，每年

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。

13 intensify   

vt.加强；变强；加剧

参考例句：

• We must intensify our educational work among our own troops.我们必须加强自己部队的教育工作。
• They were ordered to intensify their patrols to protect our air space.他们奉命加强巡逻，保卫我国的领空。

14 afflicting   

痛苦的

参考例句：

• Violent crime is only one of the maladies afflicting modern society. 暴力犯罪仅仅是困扰现代社会的严重问题之一。
• Violent crime is only one of the maladies afflicting modern society. 暴力犯罪仅仅是危害社会的弊病之一。