2007年VOA标准英语-Climate Change, Trade to Top APEC Agenda

By Nancy-Amelia Collins
Jakarta
03 September 2007

Climate change and trade liberalizations are expected to top the agenda at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation gathering¹ in Sydney this week. Regional security also will be addressed. But, as VOA correspondent Nancy-Amelia Collins reports from Jakarta, there is bound to be dissension on several of these issues among the 21 members of APEC.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard, the chairman of the annual Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Sydney, has placed climate change at the top of the agenda.

Mr. Howard says he hopes to use the APEC leaders summit on September 8 and 9 to create a new approach to fighting global warming, one that avoids setting pollution emission² targets.

Australia and the United States are the only developed nations that have refused to implement³ the Kyoto Protocol⁴. The more than 160 countries that ratified⁵ the pact⁶ have agreed to try to reduce their emissions⁷ of carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gases thought to contribute to global warming. 

However, only 36 developed countries are required to cut emissions. Developing nations, including economic powerhouses China, India and Brazil do not have to make mandatory⁸ cuts. Washington and Canberra have argued that mandatory caps only for developed nations are unfair and could be economically damaging.

Emmy Hafidz, the Southeast Asia director of the international environmental organization Greenpeace, says Mr. Howard's proposal is unlikely to go far enough to solve the problem.

"It's kind of ironic⁹. They are saying that they realize that climate change is coming, but I think the two countries - Australia and the United States - still do not want to acknowledge their mistakes, not ratifying¹⁰ the Kyoto Protocol," Hafidz said. "And actually U.S. and Australia, they have a plan to have their own initiative to reduce CO2. It's a double standard. They want to talk about it, but they don't want to do anything [about] their own country. And it's very unacceptable, I think."

John McKay, the director of the Australian APEC Study Center at Monash University in Melbourne, says another topic high up on the list for discussion will be the stalled Doha round of talks under the World Trade Organization, or WTO.

"I think there's going to be a lot of interest in trying to develop a way in which APEC can push these negotiations¹¹ along," McKay said. "APEC members have more than 50 percent of the world's trade and so they're quite a large pressure group and I think there's going to be a lot of interest in the WTO."

The WTO's Doha development round is aimed at cutting trade barriers to help developing nations prosper¹² from expanding global trade.

But the talks have stalled over disagreements on cutting barriers for agriculture, industrial goods and services.

McKay says the APEC members also will focus on regional economic integration¹³, and discussions are expected to start laying the groundwork for a vast trans-Pacific free trade area.

"The way in which APEC can perhaps make up for the lack of progress at the multi-lateral level and that will include discussions of a possible free trade area of APEC which would link together all of the APEC economies," McKay said.

But McKay warns there is likely to be dissension on the major issues.

"In the trade agenda, the continued debate of access for agricultural products into North Asia, particularly into Japan and South Korea will be a sticking point…. I think there's sticking points in terms of security agenda. There's been some attempts in the past to, for example, look at the North Korea issue within APEC," McKay said. "There is always differences between the United States and China in various kinds of security issues."

Yao Shunli from the China Center for Economic Research in Beijing says the recent turmoil¹⁴ in the world's financial markets also concerns APEC leaders.

"They worry about it, especially for the Asia Pacific region, for China, for ASEAN, for Japan, so this is a production chain in Asia. They produce goods for American markets and if there's a financial crisis there, especially in America, certainly Asia will be affected," Yao said.

McKay says while it is hard to get 21 governments from such vast different cultures to agree on everything, it is still worthwhile to hold the annual APEC meetings.

"I think talkfests by themselves are often very useful," McKay said. "I think bringing together the leaders of 21 major economies is not something to be dismissed very lightly. I think we need to talk about a whole range of issues. APEC's major contribution at the moment I think is in this leadership level so there is going to be, I hope, a lot of useful output from the APEC meetings in Sydney."

The APEC gathering begins Sunday, with senior officials from the member governments meeting. Throughout the week, there will be gatherings¹⁵ of international business leaders and economic ministers. Then on September 8 and 9, the leaders of the member economies hold their summit.

In addition, Australian Prime Minister Howard will host President Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in a three-nation summit to discuss regional security.

1 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

2 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。

3 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

4 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。

5 ratified   

v.批准，签认（合约等）( ratify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The treaty was declared invalid because it had not been ratified. 条约没有得到批准，因此被宣布无效。
• The treaty was ratified by all the member states. 这个条约得到了所有成员国的批准。

6 pact   

n.合同，条约，公约，协定

参考例句：

• The two opposition parties made an electoral pact.那两个反对党订了一个有关选举的协定。
• The trade pact between those two countries came to an end.那两国的通商协定宣告结束。

7 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。

8 mandatory   

adj.命令的；强制的；义务的；n.受托者

参考例句：

• It's mandatory to pay taxes.缴税是义务性的。
• There is no mandatory paid annual leave in the U.S.美国没有强制带薪年假。

9 ironic   

adj.讽刺的，有讽刺意味的，出乎意料的

参考例句：

• That is a summary and ironic end.那是一个具有概括性和讽刺意味的结局。
• People used to call me Mr Popularity at high school,but they were being ironic.人们中学时常把我称作“万人迷先生”，但他们是在挖苦我。

10 ratifying   

v.批准，签认（合约等）( ratify的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• They call their State Assembly a disgrace for ratifying the 35th. 他们把州议会通过的第35号修正案说成是可耻的行为。 来自辞典例句
• The Obama administration, unlike its predecessor, talks of ratifying the test-ban treaty. 该会议五年举办一次，回顾其间发生的事情。 来自互联网

11 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。

12 prosper   

v.成功，兴隆，昌盛；使成功，使昌隆，繁荣

参考例句：

• With her at the wheel,the company began to prosper.有了她当主管，公司开始兴旺起来。
• It is my earnest wish that this company will continue to prosper.我真诚希望这家公司会继续兴旺发达。

13 integration   

n.一体化，联合，结合

参考例句：

• We are working to bring about closer political integration in the EU.我们正在努力实现欧盟內部更加紧密的政治一体化。
• This was the greatest event in the annals of European integration.这是欧洲统一史上最重大的事件。

14 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

15 gatherings   

聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集

参考例句：

• His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
• During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次，其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。