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VOA慢速英语2014 草根活动人士获得戈德曼环境奖

时间:2014-06-10 13:50:47

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Grassroots Activists1 Receive Goldman Environmental Prize 草根活动人士获得戈德曼环境奖

From VOA Learning English, this is Science in the News. 

I’m Anna Matteo.

And I’m Christopher Cruise.

Today on the program, we tell about the winners of a major environmental prize. We also tell about the first amendment2 of China’s environmental protection law since 1989. And we report on a new international agreement to protect the world’s oceans.

Activists Claim Goldman Environmental Prize

Six environment activists recently received the 2014 Goldman Environmental Prize. The Goldman Prize is presented every year. The $175,000 award recognizes people who have struggled against opposition3 to protect the world.          

One of the six winners is Desmond D’Sa of South Africa. He grew up in Durban and worked in a chemical factory. Gas and oil processing centers, paper mills and chemical factories surrounded his poor, working class neighborhood. Half the 300,000 people who live there have asthma4 -- a disease affecting their lungs. And, many suffer from cancer. 

An industrial explosion led Desmond D’Sa to organize opposition to expansion of a toxic5 landfill near his neighborhood. Harmful wastes were left in the area.

Mr. D’Sa describes the effort he organized. 

“We have health workshops. We take bucket samples to ensure they know what’s causing all the illnesses. And so we (have) developed the knowledge base. We have agitated6. We have lobbied. We were able for the first time in the history of this country to get the industry bosses to be held accountable for the(ir) actions.”

The landfill was forced to close. The award winner is now fighting plans to expand the port of Durban. The expansion would increase pollution, and displace thousands of people without paying for their land. He is working on this campaign even after threats to his life and property. 

“But we’ve shown that as a united force, you can stop environmental racism7. And we’ve shown communities that there needs to be a new way of doing business.”

Biologist Rudi Putra of Indonesia is the Goldman Prize winner representing island nations. The majority of the world’s palm oil grows in those countries. The oil is used in everything from cookies, chocolate and baby food to beauty and soap products.

Palm oil plantations8, or farms, are replacing the forests in Sumatra. That Indonesian island rates among the planet’s richest in differing ecosystems10 -- a community of organisms and their environment. He has succeeded in getting village chiefs, local officials and the police to join him on his personal campaign. But he says there is much more to do.

“Recently, we started an international petition against damage to the ecosystem9, and we got over 1.4 million signatures worldwide, which were submitted to the Indonesian government to cancel their plans to develop the rainforest here. We are determined11 to win this battle, too.”

Scientist Suren Gazaryan from Russia represents Europe in the 2014 Goldman Awards. He organized a blockade to stop plans by former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to build a home in protected forest land near the Black Sea. President Vladimir Putin had removed the area’s guarantee of legal protection to let work on the project continue. 

“We started a social media campaign against the project that recruited 10,000 people. This showed the public that the very people responsible for creating these laws were the first to violate them.”

Suren Gazaryan won that battle. He returned to the Black Sea to fight the building of a summer house for President Putin in a protected old-growth forest. The scientist was falsely accused of threatening security guards, and fled to avoid prison. Today he continues his environmental work in Estonia.

“Looking forward, my main goal is to continue to try to change people’s consciousness so that they better-understand that nature isn’t something we can just sell off and get rich on. We have to preserve these places for future generations.”

Other Goldman prize winners include Ramesh Agrawal from India. He began a successful campaign to stop a huge coal mining project in an area already affected12 by pollution. He launched the campaign from his small Internet café’. 

Ruth Buendia from Peru is another winner. She caused suspension of a work on a dam. The dam would have displaced thousands of native people.

Finally, American lawyer Helen Slottje used her legal knowledge and skills to defend many towns set for gas-drilling operations.

The Goldman Environmental Prize is in its 25th year. Over time, it has been awarded to 163 activists from 82 countries.    

China Amends13 Environmental Law to Fight Pollution Problems

China’s parliament has passed a measure that observers say will help the country fight pollution. The new law increases the actions that environmental organizations may take against polluters. The law also identifies geographical14 “red lines” -- areas that require special protection. And it gives Chinese officials more power to punish offenders15

Experts say the law will help force government officials and businesses to work for stronger protection of the environment. This marks the first time China’s environmental protection law has been amended16 since 1989. 

Lawmaker Xin Chunying says the amendment will have an important effect on the future of China’s environmental protection efforts. 

“The revision of the environmental law is a heavy blow (in the fight against) our country’s harsh environmental realities…”

China’s growing economy has lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty. But the country has suffered heavy environmental damage from its fast development. Many Chinese are dissatisfied with high levels of air, water and soil pollution. 

The government has said that China places importance on the environment. But for many years, local governments have been judged only on their economic performance. 

Xu Nan is deputy editor of China Dialogue, a website that watches environmental issues.

“A prominent change in this revision is that the administration of the environment has been given a legal framework. Some of the concerns included in the law were already somewhat in practice, but now we have a legal framework. This means that in China now there is a stronger and more official system of duty.”

The amendment gives environmental agencies legal power to seize offending polluters and demand severe punishment. It states that citizens have the right to collect information about the environment. 

Two years passed before China’s parliament was able to approve the measure. Lawmakers rejected three earlier versions, a mark of the fierce battle of interests behind the law. Class action cases against polluters were one major issue.  

The amendment has extended the right to act in environmental cases. Chinese media say now more than 300 organizations can take legal action to represent those harmed by pollution. 

On paper, the changes satisfy a number of demands that have been growing among China’s civil society. Still, observers say they will watch carefully how the new rules are enacted17.

Xu Nan says this is true for any kind of new legislation in China. She says just gaining official legal guidance is a good step. 

Conference Promises to Save the Oceans

Experts on the health of oceans recently called for action to fight climate change, overfishing, habitat loss and pollution. The experts met in The Hague at a conference with a very long name: the Global Oceans Action Summit for Blue Growth and Food Security.

The Netherlands served as host country for the summit. The Netherlands united with summit organizers and two international agencies to announce a joint18 effort on ocean health. The two are: the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, and the World Bank. 

Valerie Hickey works for the World Bank. She says the conference brought together over 600 people to discuss how best to support what she called “broad-based blue growth food security.”

“This was about making sure that we can invest in the oceans in a way that alleviates19 poverty, that shares broad prosperity, while turning down the heat.” 

Ms. Hickey is the World Bank’s sector20 manager for agriculture and environmental services. She says general agreement was possible at the ocean summit, unlike many meetings on climate change. 

She says summit delegates did not negotiate over the wording of a final statement. Instead, she says, the summit was a chance for more than 80 officials to promise, in her words, “real action in real time.”

Ms. Hickey said it was not necessary for people to speak only from government positions. She said the delegates agreed on a three-part plan to protect the oceans. She said the first part would be to set up partnerships21.

“We need to bring in the private sector. We need to increase our investments in small- and medium-size enterprises. Because at the end of the day, it’s local communities, it’s family fishers, it’s small-scale fishers who are going to drive broad-based blue growth in the ocean space.” 

She says the delegates also talked about the need to speed up action to make sure they can end illegal, ungoverned and unreported fishing. 

The third part of the plan, she says, calls for financing from new places and new partners to support blue growth programs. Ms. Hickey says she is sure that these suggestions will move from promises to action.

“Absolutely, I can say personally that we, as the World Bank, are committed to following up on the actions that we promised to do after the summit. It includes helping22 countries to undertake natural capital accounting23 of their ocean resources so they can begin to realize real returns from their ocean assets in a sustainable way.”                                   

Netherlands Agriculture Minister Sharon Dijksma served as chairperson of the summit. She praised the world community for showing a desire to move forward and act on ocean health and food security. 

This Science in the News was written by Jerilyn Watson. It was based on stories from VOA reporters Joe De Capua, Rosanna Skirble and Rebecca Valli. 


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 activists 90fd83cc3f53a40df93866d9c91bcca4     
n.(政治活动的)积极分子,活动家( activist的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
  • Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》
2 amendment Mx8zY     
n.改正,修正,改善,修正案
参考例句:
  • The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
  • The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。
3 opposition eIUxU     
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。
4 asthma WvezQ     
n.气喘病,哮喘病
参考例句:
  • I think he's having an asthma attack.我想他现在是哮喘病发作了。
  • Its presence in allergic asthma is well known.它在过敏性气喘中的存在是大家很熟悉的。
5 toxic inSwc     
adj.有毒的,因中毒引起的
参考例句:
  • The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
  • There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。
6 agitated dzgzc2     
adj.被鼓动的,不安的
参考例句:
  • His answers were all mixed up,so agitated was he.他是那样心神不定,回答全乱了。
  • She was agitated because her train was an hour late.她乘坐的火车晚点一个小时,她十分焦虑。
7 racism pSIxZ     
n.民族主义;种族歧视(意识)
参考例句:
  • He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
  • Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。
8 plantations ee6ea2c72cc24bed200cd75cf6fbf861     
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
9 ecosystem Wq4xz     
n.生态系统
参考例句:
  • This destroyed the ecosystem of the island.这样破坏了岛上的生态系统。
  • We all have an interest in maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem.维持生态系统的完整是我们共同的利益。
10 ecosystems 94cb0e40a815bea1157ac8aab9a5380d     
n.生态系统( ecosystem的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • There are highly sensitive and delicately balanced ecosystems in the forest. 森林里有高度敏感、灵敏平衡的各种生态系统。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Madagascar's ecosystems range from rainforest to semi-desert. 马达加斯加生态系统类型多样,从雨林到半荒漠等不一而足。 来自辞典例句
11 determined duszmP     
adj.坚定的;有决心的
参考例句:
  • I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
  • He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。
12 affected TzUzg0     
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。
13 amends AzlzCR     
n. 赔偿
参考例句:
  • He made amends for his rudeness by giving her some flowers. 他送给她一些花,为他自己的鲁莽赔罪。
  • This country refuses stubbornly to make amends for its past war crimes. 该国顽固地拒绝为其过去的战争罪行赔罪。
14 geographical Cgjxb     
adj.地理的;地区(性)的
参考例句:
  • The current survey will have a wider geographical spread.当前的调查将在更广泛的地域范围內进行。
  • These birds have a wide geographical distribution.这些鸟的地理分布很广。
15 offenders dee5aee0bcfb96f370137cdbb4b5cc8d     
n.冒犯者( offender的名词复数 );犯规者;罪犯;妨害…的人(或事物)
参考例句:
  • Long prison sentences can be a very effective deterrent for offenders. 判处长期徒刑可对违法者起到强有力的威慑作用。
  • Purposeful work is an important part of the regime for young offenders. 使从事有意义的劳动是管理少年犯的重要方法。
16 Amended b2abcd9d0c12afefe22fd275996593e0     
adj. 修正的 动词amend的过去式和过去分词
参考例句:
  • He asked to see the amended version. 他要求看修订本。
  • He amended his speech by making some additions and deletions. 他对讲稿作了些增删修改。
17 enacted b0a10ad8fca50ba4217bccb35bc0f2a1     
制定(法律),通过(法案)( enact的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • legislation enacted by parliament 由议会通过的法律
  • Outside in the little lobby another scene was begin enacted. 外面的小休息室里又是另一番景象。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
18 joint m3lx4     
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。
19 alleviates 7b47d4bec981196fce5005058bc2bd16     
减轻,缓解,缓和( alleviate的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Heat often alleviates pain. 热常常能减缓疼痛。
  • A cold compress often alleviates pain. 冷敷常会减轻疼痛。
20 sector yjczYn     
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。
21 partnerships ce2e6aff420d72bbf56e8077be344bc9     
n.伙伴关系( partnership的名词复数 );合伙人身份;合作关系
参考例句:
  • Partnerships suffer another major disadvantage: decision-making is shared. 合伙企业的另一主要缺点是决定要由大家来作。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
  • It involved selling off limited partnerships. 它涉及到售出有限的合伙权。 来自辞典例句
22 helping 2rGzDc     
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
参考例句:
  • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
  • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
23 accounting nzSzsY     
n.会计,会计学,借贷对照表
参考例句:
  • A job fell vacant in the accounting department.财会部出现了一个空缺。
  • There's an accounting error in this entry.这笔账目里有差错。

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