VOA标准英语2009年-Conservation Groups Say Forest Carbon Mark

By Daniel Schearf
Bangkok
29 September 2009

Conservation groups say creating a global market for trading carbon credits from uncut forests is critical to fighting climate change and should be part of a United Nations-backed agreement being whittled¹ down in Bangkok. But, there are many challenges to expanding the carbon market.

 
Activists gather with others outside the UN climate talks in Bangkok, Thailand, 29 Sep 2009
The conservation group WWF on Tuesday told journalists any global deal on climate change should take into account the importance of forests in reducing greenhouse gas emissions².

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that cutting down forests accounts for 20 percent of greenhouse gases entering the atmosphere.

The WWF supports a U.N. scheme known as REDD, Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation³, which aims to develop economic incentives⁴ to save forests.

Under the REDD scheme, forest rich nations could sell carbon credits to polluters to offset⁵ their emissions.

"REDD is critical to a climate solution and financing is critical to make REDD work. In the long term, private capital could play a major role if certain conditions are satisfied," said Don Kanak, the chairman of the WWF's Forest Carbon Initiative. "We need the public sector⁶ to support sufficient financing in the near term to help forest countries become REDD ready."

Kanak was speaking on the sidelines of climate change talks in Bangkok where delegates from nearly 200 nations are trying to narrow down a climate change deal for negotiation⁷ later this year.

The WWF released a survey showing significant investor⁸ interest in forest carbon trading, but only if nations agree to a global emissions deal.

The survey of 25 major investors⁹ and analysts¹⁰ also showed the need for stronger legal support to manage the trade.

David McCauley, the top climate change expert at the Asian Development Bank, says some Asian countries with the greatest market potential include Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, and those along the Mekong River and the Pacific extending down into the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.

McCauley says the potential multibillion-dollar forest carbon market cannot be ignored but must be approached with caution.

"As you know, many of those countries also have a lot of challenges with respect to the strength of their institutions, especially in the forest sector, which, is one of the reasons that organizations like ADB sort of got out of the forestry¹¹ sector some years ago. So, we're very cautiously re-engaging. And, a lot of the work up front is going to have to focus on those concerns," said McCauley.

The Rainforest Action Network says another problem is the current definition being used in the negotiations¹² for "forest" includes tree plantations¹³.

The group says under those terms ancient forests could be destroyed and replaced with new trees without it being called deforestation.

1 whittled   

v.切，削（木头），使逐渐变小( whittle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He whittled a simple toy from the piece of wood. 他把那块木头削成了一个简易的玩具。
• The government's majority has been whittled down to eight. 政府多数票减少到了八票。

2 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。

3 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。

4 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

5 offset   

n.分支，补偿；v.抵消，补偿

参考例句：

• Their wage increases would be offset by higher prices.他们增加的工资会被物价上涨所抵消。
• He put up his prices to offset the increased cost of materials.他提高了售价以补偿材料成本的增加。

6 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

7 negotiation   

n.谈判，协商

参考例句：

• They closed the deal in sugar after a week of negotiation.经过一星期的谈判，他们的食糖生意成交了。
• The negotiation dragged on until July.谈判一直拖到7月份。

8 investor   

n.投资者，投资人

参考例句：

• My nephew is a cautious investor.我侄子是个小心谨慎的投资者。
• The investor believes that his investment will pay off handsomely soon.这个投资者相信他的投资不久会有相当大的收益。

9 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

10 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

11 forestry   

n.森林学；林业

参考例句：

• At present, the Chinese forestry is being at a significant transforming period. 当前, 我国的林业正处于一个重大的转折时期。
• Anhua is one of the key forestry counties in Hunan province. 安化县是湖南省重点林区县之一。

12 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。

13 plantations   

n.种植园，大农场( plantation的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Soon great plantations, supported by slave labor, made some families very wealthy. 不久之后出现了依靠奴隶劳动的大庄园，使一些家庭成了富豪。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• Winterborne's contract was completed, and the plantations were deserted. 维恩特波恩的合同完成后，那片林地变得荒废了。 来自辞典例句