2006年VOA标准英语-UN Experts Say Asian Economic Boom Environ

By Scott Bobb
Bangkok
28 April 2006

United Nations environmental experts say booming economic growth in Asia and the Pacific is placing unsustainable pressure on their environments, and new approaches beyond mere¹ pollution control are needed. The findings were presented in a report on the state of the Asia-Pacific environment.

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Rae Kwon Chung
  

The environmental head of the U.N. Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Rae Kwon Chung, says the current model of rapid economic growth in the region is not sustainable from an environmental point of view.

"We cannot continue this pattern of economic growth in the long run. We have to shift away from the 'grow first, clean up later' approach, towards 'green' growth,'" Chung said.

This was the central finding of the U.N. commission's latest five-year environmental assessment². The commission defines "green growth" as economic development that includes environmental protections.

The report states that Asia's rates of industrial production and export earnings³ have far exceeded global averages over the past decade.

But it notes that the region's rates of population growth, poverty, urbanization, and use of land and water resources have also been higher.

As a result, Chung says, the region is living beyond its environmental means.

"It (the region) has a limited carrying capacity compared to any other region of the world, while its consumption and production is far exceeding its carrying capacity, which shows that this region is facing the most serious challenge of environmental sustainability in the future," he said.
 

Japanese businessmen walk by a digital screen showing foreign exchange in Tokyo  
  
Chung says the growth of the urban middle class in the region is leading to rising consumerism, which is depleting⁴ energy and natural resources while producing more waste. And rising demand for energy, raw materials and water is causing economic, social and environmental conflict.

The U.N. report says areas where Asian countries can improve efficiency are infrastructure⁵ and transportation - for example, emphasizing the construction of railways, which are more energy-efficient, over highways.

Chung says the region should also make greater investment in environmental technologies such as solar and wind power and renewable natural resources.

He notes that countries like China have set ambitious goals in their development plans to improve the efficient use of resources such as energy and water.

And he says the green growth approach has already been approved by the environment ministers of all 54 members of the U.N. Asia and Pacific Commission. As a result he says there is hope.

1 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

2 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？

3 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

4 depleting   

使大大的减少，使空虚( deplete的现在分词 )； 耗尽，使枯竭

参考例句：

• Regulations are outlawing certain refrigerants, such as chlorofluorocarbons, which contain ozone-depleting chemicals. 随后出台的政策禁用了部分制冷剂，如破坏臭氧层的氟氯碳化合物。
• Aging, being a series of continual losses, can be keenly depleting. 老龄化，作为一个系列的连续亏损，可以清楚地消耗。

5 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。