[00:04.78]WELCOME TO THE EARTH SUMMIT
[00:10.24]In 1972,the United Nations held a meeting in Stockholm,
[00:16.90]Sweden to share ideas about ways to take better care of the earth.
[00:22.67]At the Stockholm summit,representatives
[00:27.53]from more than one hundred countries discussed some of the most important problems facing our planet.
[00:34.98]Since then,several Earth Summits have been held
[00:41.14]and much progress has been made
[00:45.19]In 2002,the Earth Summit was held in Johannesburg in South Africa.
[00:53.24]One of the main themes of the summit was "sustainable development",
[00:59.27]or the question how we can continue developing the world
[01:04.91]without damaging the environment.
[01:09.17]In Johannesburg,experts from all over the world spoke about different topics
[01:16.54]and discussed new ways to solve old problems.
[01:21.82]Most of the speakers talked about the "big three",
[01:26.78]the three biggest killers in the world-contaminated drinking water,
[01:34.04]poor sanitation and air pollution.
[01:39.19]According to the World Health Organisation,
[01:44.52]the big three cause more than seven million deaths every year.
[01:50.89]That is 15% of all the deaths in the world.
[01:56.45]20% of the people on earth do not have access to clean drinking water.
[02:03.22]Air pollution alone causes almost three million deaths.
[02:09.38]Most of these deaths happen in rural areas,
[02:15.13]where people burn wood and coal to cook food and stay warm.
[02:20.59]Air pollution is also a big problem in very large cities,
[02:27.44]especially in developing countries.
[02:31.59]Many speakers also spoke about poverty,war and violence.
[02:38.46]If we are to develop the world successfully,
[02:43.71]we must make sure that everyone is able to take part in the new world we create.
[02:50.37]All too often,
[02:54.13]global development means that rich people get richer while the poor get poorer.
[03:01.19]Among the speakers was China's then Premier Zhu Rongji,
[03:07.95]who stressed the need for equality and fairness in the world.
[03:13.31]Rich countries have a responsibility towards poor countries
[03:19.58]and must do whatever they can to help others.
[03:24.62]Without international cooperation,developing countries cannot prosper,
[03:31.46]nor will sustainable development be possible.
[03:36.42]Conferences like the Earth Summit help people understand that there exist serious problems
[03:44.97]and that there is still time to take action.
[03:49.83]Only by changing the way we live can we save the earth.
[03:55.99]One of the visitors to the Earth Summit in Johannesburg
[04:01.74]said that what she had heard was very important.
[04:07.48]"When I listened to the speakers,
[04:11.85]I realised that many of the things I do every day are bad for the environment.
[04:19.00]Had I known that air conditioners cause so much pollution,
[04:24.96]I would never have bought one.
[04:28.80]Not until we know more will we be able to improve the situation.
[04:35.57]If all of us make small changes,we could make a big difference."
[04:41.91]The message is spreading across the world
[04:47.19]and many students are learning more about "earth issues" in school.
[04:53.96]A better understanding of the environment is necessary,
[04:59.81]as is the willingness to act.
[05:03.65]Meetings like the Earth Summit can tell us what we can do to help.
[05:10.73]The Earth Summit is not just about problems.
[05:15.87]In fact,it is a place to find solutions for the future.
[05:21.52]Many of the speakers at the Johannesburg summit
[05:26.95]said that education is the key to the future.
[05:31.68]With better education,
[05:35.93]people will be able to build a better society in harmony with nature
[05:41.71]and perhaps put an end to the death and suffering caused by the big three.
[05:48.47]If the world becomes less unfair and if people can get better education,
[05:56.34]much of the poverty can be wiped out.
[06:01.20]And if poverty is less of a problem and people are better educated
[06:07.15]there is a good chance that we will see less violence and fewer wars.
[06:13.92]Work book Unit 9 LIAO MINGYU'S JOURNEY
[06:25.38]The future of our planet is at stake.
[06:29.96]If we do not act now,we may never be able to save the earth.
[06:36.72]There is good news too:we can make a difference.
[06:42.78]We may think that what we do in our everyday life has no effect on big problems,
[06:49.55]such as environmental pollution.
[06:53.99]Nothing could be further from the truth.
[06:58.72]It is exactly what we do you and I that changes the world.
[07:06.79]It is important to have big meetings like the Earth Summit
[07:11.93]to educate people and make them aware of the situation,
[07:17.50]but nothing will be improved until ordinary people
[07:22.83]like you and me start acting differently.
[07:28.39]One person who learnt about the importance of taking action
[07:34.14]is Liao Mingyu from Shenzhen.
[07:38.81]In 2002,the then 11-year-old Mingyu
[07:44.67]went on a journey that she would never forget
[07:49.42]After having been chosen to represent all children in the world
[07:55.69]by the United Nations Environment Programme,
[08:00.55]she travelled to the Earth Summit in Johannesburg,South Africa.
[08:06.61]Together with four other children,
[08:10.55]Mingyu appeared on the stage at the opening ceremony.
[08:16.33]They expressed both hopes and fears about the future.
[08:22.28]Mingyu and two other children made a speech
[08:27.61]in which they asked the governments of the world
[08:32.26]to do more to provide access to clean drinking water
[08:38.22]and to take action to reduce pollution and improve health care.
[08:44.17]When asked about the experience in an interview with China Daily,
[08:50.23]Mingyu said that she hopes that adults will listen to what young people have to say.
[08:58.17]The leaders at the summit applauded the speech,
[09:03.53]but for Mingyu,that is not enough:
[09:07.89]"I don't know if they will listen and take action.They probably will."
[09:15.55]Mingyu's journey to Johannesburg
[09:21.01]is only a small part of the action she is taking.
[09:26.47]Ever since she entered primary school,she has been a true activist.
[09:33.23]Her school has made environmental protection
[09:38.51]part of what the students have to learn.
[09:43.16]She and her classmates look for ways to improve the environment
[09:49.61]and they remind their parents and other adults of the danger
[09:54.57]of keeping environ men tally unfriendly habits.
[10:00.74]If we change our habits,
[10:05.10]if we refuse to buy products from companies that harm the environment,
[10:11.55]and if we learn more and take action,we can save the planet.
[10:17.74]For Mingyu, her journey was only a beginning.
[10:23.67]The real work,she says, starts when she goes back to her normal life:
[10:30.91]"One thing I have learnt from this experience
[10:35.45]is that environmental protection is really important.
[10:41.41]When I get back,
[10:43.97]I am going to tell my classmates of ways to protect the environment." |