VOA常速英语2007年-UN Conference Agrees to Launch Negotiations for

By Nancy-Amelia Collins
Bali, Indonesia
15 December 2007

The U.N. Climate Change Conference in Bali ended Saturday with an agreement to begin negotiations¹ for a new treaty on global warming. VOA's Nancy-Amelia Collins, who covered the conference, reports from Jakarta that the agreement came after the United States fell into line at the last minute.

After two days of nearly round-the-clock negotiations, the success of the U.N. conference hinged on one point: would the U.S. delegation² agree to a proposal by the developing nation bloc³, the G77, for rich nations to give more financial assistance to poor nations to develop clean technology?

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who had addressed the conference earlier in the week, returned to Bali to make a last-minute appeal for flexibility⁴.

"You have in your hands the ability to deliver to the people of the world a successful outcome," he said. "I appreciate that you have worked very hard for many days and nights, but let me be clear: your work is not yet done."

Shortly afterwards, the assembly burst into applause when the head of the United States delegation, Paula Dobriansky, made a dramatic announcement: the U.S. was dropping it opposition⁵ to the G77 plan.

"So with that Mr. Chairman, let me say to you that we will go forward and join consensus⁶ in this today," she said.

The chair of the G77 countries, Munir Akran, said developing countries had to struggle at the conference to make their voices heard.

"We the developing countries have had an uphill battle at this conference to project and to protect our legitimate⁷ interests. We have had to fight every inch of the way to secure reflection of our objectives and interests," said Akran.

The consensus is being called the "Bali roadmap." It took 13 days, a day longer than planned, for agreement to be reached.

The roadmap officially launches the most ambitious plan yet in the battle to reduce man-made greenhouse gases, which are thought to be warming the earth's climate. The new climate change treaty will be the subject of two years of negotiations. The new treaty will eventually replace the Kyoto Protocol⁸ on climate change, whose terms expire in 2012.

Under U.S. pressure, the roadmap did not include the specific emission⁹ reduction targets that most of the participating nations, led by the European Union, wanted written into the document.

The U.S., backed by Canada and Japan, said specific targets should be set during the negotiations now set to begin.

The roadmap did, however, say a report by the U.N.'s panel of scientists, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, should be used as a guideline. The roadmap placed the IPPC's recommendation for a 25 to 40 percent emission reduction target in the footnotes.

Negotiators will be charged with finding ways to reduce greenhouse gases and help developing nations clean technology and financial assistance.

1 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

2 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。

3 bloc   

n.集团；联盟

参考例句：

• A solid bloc of union members support the decision.工会会员团结起来支持该决定。
• There have been growing tensions within the trading bloc.贸易同盟国的关系越来越紧张。

4 flexibility   

n.柔韧性，弹性，（光的）折射性，灵活性

参考例句：

• Her great strength lies in her flexibility.她的优势在于她灵活变通。
• The flexibility of a man's muscles will lessen as he becomes old.人老了肌肉的柔韧性将降低。

5 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

6 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

7 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

8 protocol   

n.议定书，草约，会谈记录，外交礼节

参考例句：

• We must observe the correct protocol.我们必须遵守应有的礼仪。
• The statesmen signed a protocol.那些政治家签了议定书。

9 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。