VOA标准英语2009年-More US Aid Proposed for Climate Change

By Cindy Saine
Capitol Hill
16 October 2009
 
Rotting carcass of camel that recently died because of
Somalia's relentless¹ drought
Some U.S. senators are calling for bipartisan action in Congress on climate change, ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December. On Thursday, a Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee took up the issue of how the United States and other developed countries should help poorer countries that are most vulnerable to the impact of climate change. 

Democratic Senator John Kerry and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham have joined forces to push Congress to pass a comprehensive climate change bill. In an opinion piece in the New York Times, they said they refused to accept that the United States cannot lead the world on the issue. The Senate is planning several hearings on climate change at the end of this month.

At a Senate committee hearing Thursday, experts called on Congress to substantially increase its funding for the world's poorest countries that are also the most vulnerable to climate change, including African countries, Bangladesh and Haiti. The experts said Sudan was an example of terrible droughts, and Bangladesh was an example of the threat of floods and rising sea levels, both made worse by climate change.

The Reverend Jim Ball is senior director of Climate Campaign for the Evangelical Environmental Network. He says an overwhelming majority of evangelical Christians² in the United States support strong action.

"Climate change is a natural disaster intensifier," he said. "It makes floods fiercer, hurricanes harsher, droughts drier. The one thing the world does not need are more victims of natural disasters."

 
Peter O'Driscoll
 
Peter O'Driscoll is executive director of ActionAid USA, a global anti-poverty agency. He says there is good news and bad news on climate change.

"The good news on climate is that the government of the United States is now fully³ engaged on the issue," said O'Driscoll. "The bad news is that the impacts of climate change are already wreaking⁴ havoc⁵ on food production, poverty eradication⁶ programs and on emergency response systems in developing countries."

O'Driscoll said those facing the worst consequences of climate change have done little or nothing to contribute to it.

"Perhaps the cruelest irony⁷ of the unfolding climate emergency, is that those most intensely and immediately affected⁸, are least responsible for the greenhouse gas emissions⁹ that are driving global warming," he said.

O'Driscoll said that women, as the poorest members of society, are the most adversely¹⁰ affected by climate change, and that their voices should be heard as solutions are sought. He singled out two women farmers, Joyce Tembenu of Malawi and Asya Begum from Bangladesh, who have been directly affected by climate change, and who are struggling to feed their families. He said the Senate's deliberations on climate change are crucial to millions of people around the world, and that increased funding for agricultural adaptation programs is urgently needed.

Retired¹¹ Air Force General Charles Wald, former deputy commander of United States European Command, said climate change has also become a national security issue, because it increases competition for scarce resources and could trigger new waves of refugees.

"What we are recommending is that we, the United States military, start putting climate change in our national security planning, that we, the United States demonstrate leadership in the world," he said. "In my travels around the world it is very apparent that hardly anything major in the world is ever going to happen without U.S. leadership, and the world is begging for that."
 
Wald says during his active military duty he did development work in Africa, and a study at the time confirmed that for every dollar spent on prevention, $10 was saved in response. He argued that the same principal needs to be applied¹² now to help the world's poorest countries prepare for climate change.

Some of the measures panel members discussed were planting mangrove¹³ trees or building seawalls in some places vulnerable to flooding, or creating floating gardens in other places, and growing drought-resistant crops in dry areas.

1 relentless   

adj.残酷的，不留情的，无怜悯心的

参考例句：

• The traffic noise is relentless.交通车辆的噪音一刻也不停止。
• Their training has to be relentless.他们的训练必须是无情的。

2 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

3 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

4 wreaking   

诉诸（武力），施行（暴力），发（脾气）( wreak的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Coal mining is a messy business, often wreaking terrible environmental damage nearby. 采矿是肮脏的行业，往往会严重破坏周边环境。
• The floods are wreaking havoc in low-lying areas. 洪水正在地势低洼地区肆虐。

5 havoc   

n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱

参考例句：

• The earthquake wreaked havoc on the city.地震对这个城市造成了大破坏。
• This concentration of airborne firepower wrought havoc with the enemy forces.这次机载火力的集中攻击给敌军造成很大破坏。

6 eradication   

n.根除

参考例句：

• The eradication of an established infestation is not easy. 根除昆虫蔓延是不容易的。
• This is often required for intelligent control and eradication. 这经常需要灵巧的控制与消除。

7 irony   

n.反语，冷嘲；具有讽刺意味的事，嘲弄

参考例句：

• She said to him with slight irony.她略带嘲讽地对他说。
• In her voice we could sense a certain tinge of irony.从她的声音里我们可以感到某种讥讽的意味。

8 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。

9 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。

10 adversely   

ad.有害地

参考例句：

• We commented adversely upon the imbecility of that message of telegraphic style. 我们对着这条电报式的愚蠢的留言发泄了一通不满。
• Widely fluctuating exchange rates may adversely affect international trade. 浮动幅度很大的汇率可能会对国际贸易产生有害的影响。

11 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

12 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

13 mangrove   

n.(植物)红树，红树林

参考例句：

• It is the world's largest tidal mangrove forest.它是世界上最大的红树林沼泽地。
• Many consider this the most beautiful mangrove forest in all Thailand.许多人认为这里是全泰国最美丽的红树林了。