2007年VOA标准英语-Climate Change Threatens More Destruction in Af

By Phuong Tran
Dakar
24 September 2007

As heads of states from throughout Africa attend a U.N.-organized meeting in New York City to tackle global warming, African scientists and civil society leaders say crop production, lives, and entire villages on the continent are being destroyed because of governments' inaction. But leaders say they have few resources. Phuong Tran has more from VOA's Central and West Africa Bureau in Dakar.

Benin climatologist Michel Boko, the lead researcher for Africa on a U.N. scientific panel that studies climate change, says he is discouraged by governments not acting¹ on scientific reports that climate change causes many of the natural disasters they face.

"If they put it in a drawer, I do what I can, but I cannot oblige them to use it if they do not believe in science, that is a problem," said Boko. "Now if it will be really used by them. Basic knowledge is available in Africa, from [the scientific] community in Africa. But there is no connection between policy decision makers² and [the] scientific community."

Sometimes called global warming, climate change is an increase in temperatures largely believed to be caused by carbon-dioxide emissions³ that scientists say intensifies⁴ droughts and flooding.

Some government policy-makers, scientists and industrialists⁵ dispute these findings.

But scientists with the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change say global warming could cut African crop production by half in the next dozen years.

Some scientists link Africa's more intense flooding this year, which has displaced more than one million people, killed hundreds, and contributed to the spread of cholera⁶ and malaria⁷, directly to climate change.

Boko says despite government leaders' theatrical⁸ gestures of attending international environmental conferences, they do not support long-term environmental change at home.

"They are always looking at the duration of their own mandate⁹, how to be reelected in four to five years, and so on," said Boko. "They are always asking for some development projects, the benefits of which could be perceptible in short-term perspective. Global change is a matter of long- term perspective."

But in Senegal, officials say they are doing what they can with little money to find environmentally safe solutions to their energy problems. Senegal's rural electrification¹⁰ program director Ousseynou Ba says even though the process is slow, Senegal is trying.

Ba says despite start-up problems seven years ago when newly installed solar panels were stolen, the company has been able to run solar projects in almost 40 villages cut off from the national electricity network.

Ba says government officials draw up an annual plan of villages they want to provide solar energy, but the number of villages to receive power depends on donor¹¹ support.

Top U.N. climate change official Yvo de Boer has said 85 percent of the funding to fight climate change will come from businesses. De Boer suggests making businesses pay if they pollute over a certain limit in order to raise funds for new energy programs.

Also known as trading carbon credits, companies that pollute the least can sell their right to release carbon dioxide to companies that pollute more.

U.N. officials say climate change is one of the most wide-ranging humanitarian¹² challenges faced by African leaders, because of its impact on disease, poverty, food production, and population migration¹³ to cities or overseas.

Discussions from Monday's climate-change meeting are scheduled to continue in December at the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Bali.

The U.N. Secretary General is pushing for negotiations¹⁴ of a new international climate agreement to replace the Kyoto Protocol¹⁵, a voluntary agreement among more than 160 countries to cut carbon emissions that will expire in five years.

1 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

2 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 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。

4 intensifies   

n.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的名词复数 )v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• A clear atmosphere intensifies the blue of the sky. 纯净的空气使天空变得更蓝。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Blowing on fire intensifies the heat. 吹火使热度加强。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 industrialists   

n.工业家，实业家( industrialist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This deal will offer major benefits to industrialists and investors. 这笔交易将会让实业家和投资者受益匪浅。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The government has set up a committee of industrialists and academics to advise it. 政府已成立了一个实业家和学者的委员会来为其提供建议。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 cholera   

n.霍乱

参考例句：

• The cholera outbreak has been contained.霍乱的发生已被控制住了。
• Cholera spread like wildfire through the camps.霍乱在营地里迅速传播。

7 malaria   

n.疟疾

参考例句：

• He had frequent attacks of malaria.他常患疟疾。
• Malaria is a kind of serious malady.疟疾是一种严重的疾病。

8 theatrical   

adj.剧场的，演戏的；做戏似的，做作的

参考例句：

• The final scene was dismayingly lacking in theatrical effect.最后一场缺乏戏剧效果，叫人失望。
• She always makes some theatrical gesture.她老在做些夸张的手势。

9 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

10 electrification   

n.充电，电气化；起电；电化；带电

参考例句：

• Electrification of the countryside--yes, that, too, is impressive. 是的。农村电气化也是了不起的事。 来自演讲部分
• After electrification, it will readily stick to a wall or a ceiling. 起电后，它立即吸附到墙壁上或天花板上。 来自辞典例句

11 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。

12 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。

13 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

14 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。

15 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。