VOA标准英语2014--Report: Action on Climate Change Boosts Economic Growth

 

Report: Action on Climate Change Boosts Economic Growth

A landmark¹ report released Tuesday at the United Nations finds that taking action on climate change is compatible with economic growth.

The report comes one week before the U.N. Climate Summit on September 23 that is expected to bring together 125 heads of state with business and civic² leaders to begin discussion about a new global climate treaty.

The report from the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate makes the economic case for taking bold action now on climate change. At the report launch, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said that with polluting climate changing gases at record levels, the world can no longer afford to burn its way to prosperity.

“We need a structural³ transformation⁴ in the global economy," he said. "This report argues for a new model where economic growth and climate action are mutually reinforcing and it shows how we can build it.”

?Former Mexico president Felipe Calderon chaired the commission, which is composed of two dozen scientists, politicians and business professionals from every part of the world. They noted⁵ that by 2030, an additional one billion people will have moved into cities.

Exactly how governments manage the projected $90 trillion that will be invested in energy systems, urban development and land use over the next 15 years, Calderon said, will shape future growth, productivity and living standards.

"If we don’t take action in the coming years, it will be every day more expensive and more difficult to shift towards a low carbon economy at the global level," he said.

According to the report, more compact urban centers built around mass transit⁶ could grow the economy while producing less pollution and ultimately prove healthier places to live.

The report also says restoring degraded farm land could feed millions of people. According to Jeremy Oppenheim, the Commission's Program Director, dramatic price drops are already making investments in renewable energy more attractive.

“The cost of solar has come down by 90 percent in the last half-dozen years," he said. "We find in parts of the world ranging from Brazil to Texas that renewable energy in both of those cases, wind, can compete in auctions⁷ and win the right to produce energy versus⁸ new build up in coal.”

Among the steps the Commission recommends to avoid a warmer world are phasing out subsidies⁹ for fossil fuels, putting a price on carbon and scaling up innovation in low-carbon technology.

Commissioners¹⁰ say success at next week's Climate Summit will depend on whether leaders adopt the idea central to their report: taking action to reduce climate change as an investment, not an expense, and that economic growth and responsible climate policies go hand in hand.

The outcome could be at the core of a new climate treaty, says economist¹¹ and report advisor¹² Nicolas Stern with the London School of Economics.

“So it is very important that the presidents and prime ministers recognize the challenge is to combine the two and that actually the only sensible route to combine the two is feasible and it’s attractive.”

The new climate agreement will be finalized¹³ at a United Nations conference in Paris at the end of next year. Stern says the Climate Summit is an opportunity for leaders to announce ambitious actions that can help avoid the catastrophic impacts of climate change.

1 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

2 civic   

adj.城市的，都市的，市民的，公民的

参考例句：

• I feel it is my civic duty to vote.我认为投票选举是我作为公民的义务。
• The civic leaders helped to forward the project.市政府领导者协助促进工程的进展。

3 structural   

adj.构造的，组织的，建筑（用）的

参考例句：

• The storm caused no structural damage.风暴没有造成建筑结构方面的破坏。
• The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities.北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。

4 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。

5 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。

6 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

7 auctions   

n.拍卖，拍卖方式( auction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They picked up most of the furniture at auctions in country towns. 他们大部分的家具都是在乡村镇上的拍卖处买的。 来自辞典例句
• Our dealers didn't want these cars, so we had to dump them at auctions. 我们的承销商都不要这些车子，因此我们只好贱价拍卖。 来自辞典例句

8 versus   

prep.以…为对手，对；与…相比之下

参考例句：

• The big match tonight is England versus Spain.今晚的大赛是英格兰对西班牙。
• The most exciting game was Harvard versus Yale.最富紧张刺激的球赛是哈佛队对耶鲁队。

9 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 commissioners   

n.专员( commissioner的名词复数 )；长官；委员；政府部门的长官

参考例句：

• The Commissioners of Inland Revenue control British national taxes. 国家税收委员管理英国全国的税收。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The SEC has five commissioners who are appointed by the president. 证券交易委员会有５名委员，是由总统任命的。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

11 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

12 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

13 finalized   

vt.完成（finalize的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The draft of this article has been finalized [done]. 这篇文章已经定稿。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The draft was revised several times before it was finalized. 稿子几经删改才定下来。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》