VOA标准英语2011--Laos Faces Pressure to Alter Hydropower

Laos Faces Pressure to Alter Hydropower Ambitions

Laos plans to build a hydropower dam on the lower Mekong River, but neighboring countries say more study is needed. Analysts¹ say the high-level opposition² puts pressure on Laos to alter its hydropower ambitions.
A controversial proposal by Laos to build the first of 11 hydropower dams planned for the lower Mekong River has angered people who live near the river’s banks.
Perceived threat
Prailor Manmoon is an ethnic³ Lao woman living in Kong Nang, a Thai village on the Mekong River located downstream of the proposed Xayaburi hydropower dam.
On Sunday, as children played in the nearby Mekong River, Manmoon and her neighbors gathered to eat sticky rice and discuss the proposed Xayaburi dam.
Officials in neighboring Laos, an impoverished⁴ and land-locked communist state, say the dam would cut poverty and generate revenue.
But Manmoon and her neighbors say Xayaburi and other proposed hydropower dams threaten their village, where fishing is a main source of income.
"If a dam is built, maybe there will be a flood and it could kill us, or maybe the river levels will be really low, and we won’t have enough water to use or drink," Manmoon said.
Pushing forward
Across the river in Vientiane, the Lao capital, the Mekong River Commission’s Joint⁵ Committee was preparing for a highly anticipated meeting on the Lao dam proposal.
At the meeting Tuesday, Laos said the project should move forward, claiming the dam will comply with international standards.
But Laos’ lower Mekong neighbors - Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam - issued statements saying more information is needed about the dam’s potential trans-boundary environmental impacts.
Vietnam issued the strongest statement, calling for a 10-year moratorium⁶ on new Mekong dams.
No agreement
The four lower Mekong countries failed to make a joint decision on the dam, but agreed to hold ministerial-level talks later this year.
Analysts say government statements and the decision to elevate MRC talks to the ministerial level raises the political stakes of the Xayaburi controversy⁷.
Philip Hirsch is a professor of human ecology at the University of Sydney. He says that while the Mekong River Commission cannot stop Laos from building dams on the Mekong’s main stream, the Mekong River Commission’s protocols⁹ have allowed neighboring countries to put diplomatic pressure on Laos.
"If Laos was to go it alone [by building the Xayaburi dam] and not listen to the other countries, it would be doing so now against the express wishes of the other countries, and particularly against the express wishes of Vietnam, with which Laos has a very close relationship," noted¹⁰ Hirsch.
Face-off expected
Hirsch predicts there will be a face-off between ministers from Laos and neighboring Vietnam, which are both one-party communist states.
If the Xayaburi is built, Hirsch adds, it will be easier for other lower Mekong countries, particularly Cambodia, to build dams on the Mekong’s main stream.
Laos "cannot ignore" critical statements from its lower Mekong neighbors, according to a Vietnamese environmentalist who requested anonymity¹¹.
If Laos builds the dam over high-level opposition, the country may jeopardize¹² its reputation in the international community, the environmentalist said.
Under MRC protocol⁸, the four lower Mekong countries are required to notify their neighbors if they plan to build dams on the river’s main stream, but they do not need each other’s permission to proceed with dam projects.
China, which borders Laos, already operates four dams on the Mekong’s upstream reaches.
Environmental impact
Civil society groups and non-governmental organizations across the region have warned that building dams on the lower Mekong will hurt the environment and threaten food security and rural livelihoods¹³.
Stuart Chapman is conservation director for the World Wildlife Fund’s Greater Mekong Program. He says the Xayaburi dam would have adverse¹⁴ effects on sediment¹⁵ flows and fish migration¹⁶.
"The Mekong River is unique, both in terms of diversity of the fish and the volume of fish that travel up and down it," Chapman explained. "So essentially¹⁷ any dam that is built across the Mekong is going to be a blockage¹⁸ to many fish species as they try and migrate. If they can’t migrate, they don’t breed, and this will lead to a collapse¹⁹ of the fishery."
Chapman says some North American dams have installed "fish ladders" and other devices that help fish pass through dams. But the technologies would not help many species of Mekong fish survive, he says.
A recent World Wildflie Fund (WWF) study claimed the environmental impact assessment²⁰ conducted for the proposed Xayaburi dam does not meet international standards.
95 percent of the dam’s 1,260 megawatts of electricity would be sold to Thailand, and a Thai company would operate the $3.5 billion dollar project.
Preliminary work on the dam has already begun, according to Thai media reports.
Renewable energy
Carl Middleton, Southeast Asia program director for the environmental group International Rivers, said that instead of sourcing power from Mekong dams, Thailand should focus on improving energy efficiency and developing sources of renewable energy.
"I think what needs to be taken into account is a more holistic²¹ decision-making process that actually recognizes the implications for livelihoods and food security if mainstream²² dams are built [on the Mekong River]," Middleton said.
An independent study commissioned by the MRC warned in October that Mekong hydropower dams would exacerbate²³ food insecurity and cause "serious and irreversible" environmental effects.
Earlier this month, U.S. Senator Jim Webb warned in a statement that building dams on the Mekong’s mainstream would jeopardize fishing and rice farming in the Mekong River Delta²⁴.
Approximately 60 million people depend on the Mekong River for their livelihoods.
Laos plans to build a hydropower dam on the lower Mekong River, but neighboring countries say more study is needed. Analysts say the high-level opposition puts pressure on Laos to alter its hydropower ambitions.
A controversial proposal by Laos to build the first of 11 hydropower dams planned for the lower Mekong River has angered people who live near the river’s banks.
Prailor Manmoon is an ethnic Lao woman living in Kong Nang, a Thai village on the Mekong River located downstream of the proposed Xayaburi hydropower dam.
On Sunday, as children played in the nearby Mekong River, Manmoon and her neighbors gathered to eat sticky rice and discuss the proposed Xayaburi dam.
Officials in neighboring Laos, an impoverished and land-locked communist state, say the dam would cut poverty and generate revenue.
But Manmoon and her neighbors say Xayaburi and other proposed hydropower dams threaten their village, where fishing is a main source of income.
"If a dam is built, maybe there will be a flood and it could kill us, or maybe the river levels will be really low, and we won’t have enough water to use or drink," Manmoon said.
Across the river in Vientiane, the Lao capital, the Mekong River Commission’s Joint Committee was preparing for a highly anticipated meeting on the Lao dam proposal.
At the meeting Tuesday, Laos said the project should move forward, claiming the dam will comply with international standards.
But Laos’ lower Mekong neighbors - Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam - issued statements saying more information is needed about the dam’s potential trans-boundary environmental impacts.
Vietnam issued the strongest statement, calling for a 10-year moratorium on new Mekong dams.
The four lower Mekong countries failed to make a joint decision on the dam, but agreed to hold ministerial-level talks later this year.
Analysts say government statements and the decision to elevate MRC talks to the ministerial level raises the political stakes of the Xayaburi controversy.
Philip Hirsch is a professor of human ecology at the University of Sydney. He says that while the Mekong River Commission cannot stop Laos from building dams on the Mekong’s main stream, the Mekong River Commission’s protocols have allowed neighboring countries to put diplomatic pressure on Laos.
"If Laos was to go it alone [by building the Xayaburi dam] and not listen to the other countries, it would be doing so now against the express wishes of the other countries, and particularly against the express wishes of Vietnam, with which Laos has a very close relationship," noted Hirsch.
Hirsch predicts there will be a face-off between ministers from Laos and neighboring Vietnam, which are both one-party communist states.
If the Xayaburi is built, Hirsch adds, it will be easier for other lower Mekong countries, particularly Cambodia, to build dams on the Mekong’s main stream.
Laos "cannot ignore" critical statements from its lower Mekong neighbors, according to a Vietnamese environmentalist who requested anonymity.
If Laos builds the dam over high-level opposition, the country may jeopardize its reputation in the international community, the environmentalist said.
Under MRC protocol, the four lower Mekong countries are required to notify their neighbors if they plan to build dams on the river’s main stream, but they do not need each other’s permission to proceed with dam projects.
China, which borders Laos, already operates four dams on the Mekong’s upstream reaches.
Civil society groups and non-governmental organizations across the region have warned that building dams on the lower Mekong will hurt the environment and threaten food security and rural livelihoods.
Stuart Chapman is conservation director for the World Wildlife Fund’s Greater Mekong Program. He says the Xayaburi dam would have adverse effects on sediment flows and fish migration.
"The Mekong River is unique, both in terms of diversity of the fish and the volume of fish that travel up and down it," Chapman explained. "So essentially any dam that is built across the Mekong is going to be a blockage to many fish species as they try and migrate. If they can’t migrate, they don’t breed, and this will lead to a collapse of the fishery."
Chapman says some North American dams have installed "fish ladders" and other devices that help fish pass through dams. But the technologies would not help many species of Mekong fish survive, he says.
A recent World Wildflie Fund (WWF) study claimed the environmental impact assessment conducted for the proposed Xayaburi dam does not meet international standards.
95 percent of the dam’s 1,260 megawatts of electricity would be sold to Thailand, and a Thai company would operate the $3.5 billion dollar project.
Preliminary work on the dam has already begun, according to Thai media reports.
Carl Middleton, Southeast Asia program director for the environmental group International Rivers, said that instead of sourcing power from Mekong dams, Thailand should focus on improving energy efficiency and developing sources of renewable energy.
"I think what needs to be taken into account is a more holistic decision-making process that actually recognizes the implications for livelihoods and food security if mainstream dams are built [on the Mekong River]," Middleton said.
An independent study commissioned by the MRC warned in October that Mekong hydropower dams would exacerbate food insecurity and cause "serious and irreversible" environmental effects.
Earlier this month, U.S. Senator Jim Webb warned in a statement that building dams on the Mekong’s mainstream would jeopardize fishing and rice farming in the Mekong River Delta.
Approximately 60 million people depend on the Mekong River for their livelihoods.

1 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。

2 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。

3 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

4 impoverished   

adj.穷困的，无力的，用尽了的v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化

参考例句：

• the impoverished areas of the city 这个城市的贫民区
• They were impoverished by a prolonged spell of unemployment. 他们因长期失业而一贫如洗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

6 moratorium   

n.(行动、活动的)暂停(期)，延期偿付

参考例句：

• The government has called for a moratorium on weapons testing.政府已要求暂停武器试验。
• We recommended a moratorium on two particular kinds of experiments.我们建议暂禁两种特殊的实验。

7 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

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 protocols   

n.礼仪( protocol的名词复数 )；（外交条约的）草案；（数据传递的）协议；科学实验报告（或计划）

参考例句：

• There are also protocols on the testing of nuclear weapons. 也有关于核武器试验的协议。 来自辞典例句
• Hardware components and software design of network transport protocols are separately introduced. 介绍系统硬件组成及网络传输协议的软件设计。 来自互联网

10 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

11 anonymity   

n.the condition of being anonymous

参考例句：

• Names of people in the book were changed to preserve anonymity. 为了姓名保密，书中的人用的都是化名。
• Our company promises to preserve the anonymity of all its clients. 我们公司承诺不公开客户的姓名。

12 jeopardize   

vt.危及，损害

参考例句：

• Overworking can jeopardize your health.工作过量可能会危及你的健康。
• If you are rude to the boss it may jeopardize your chances of success.如果你对上司无礼，那就可能断送你成功的机会。

13 livelihoods   

生计，谋生之道( livelihood的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• First came the earliest individualistic pioneers who depended on hunting and fishing for their livelihoods. 走在最前面的是早期的个人主义先驱者，他们靠狩猎捕鱼为生。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• With little influence over policies, their traditional livelihoods are threatened. 因为马赛族人对政策的影响力太小，他们的传统生计受到了威胁。

14 adverse   

adj.不利的；有害的；敌对的，不友好的

参考例句：

• He is adverse to going abroad.他反对出国。
• The improper use of medicine could lead to severe adverse reactions.用药不当会产生严重的不良反应。

15 sediment   

n.沉淀，沉渣，沉积(物)

参考例句：

• The sediment settled and the water was clear.杂质沉淀后，水变清了。
• Sediment begins to choke the channel's opening.沉积物开始淤塞河道口。

16 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。

17 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

18 blockage   

n.障碍物；封锁

参考例句：

• The logical treatment is to remove this blockage.合理的治疗方法就是清除堵塞物。
• If the blockage worked,they could retreat with dignity.如果封锁发生作用，他们可以体面地撤退。

19 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

20 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

21 holistic   

adj.从整体着眼的，全面的

参考例句：

• There is a fundamental ambiguity in the use of word "whole" in recent holistic literature.在近代的整体主义著作中，“整体”这个词的用法极其含混。
• In so far as historicism is technological,its approach is not piecemeal,but "holistic".仅就历史决定论是一种技术而论，它的方法不是渐进的，而是“整体主义的”。

22 mainstream   

n.（思想或行为的）主流；adj.主流的

参考例句：

• Their views lie outside the mainstream of current medical opinion.他们的观点不属于当今医学界观点的主流。
• Polls are still largely reflects the mainstream sentiment.民调还在很大程度上反映了社会主流情绪。

23 exacerbate   

v.恶化，增剧，激怒，使加剧

参考例句：

• WMO says a warming climate can exacerbate air pollution.世界气象组织说，气候变暖可能会加剧空气污染。
• In fact efforts will merely exacerbate the current problem.实际上努力只会加剧当前的问题。

24 delta   

n.（流的）角洲

参考例句：

• He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。
• The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔，形成了一个三角洲。