各国在灾难会议上因气候变化而承担的角色产生争执

 

Disaster Conference Risks Polarization Over Role of Climate Change

各国在灾难会议上因气候变化而承担的角色产生争执

 

The World Conference on Disaster Reduction, meeting in Japan in the aftermath of last month's Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami¹, was expected to be a fairly non-controversial affair. The United States and some other countries are unhappy with a proposed reference in the final communique to the alleged² impact of climate change on natural disasters.

 

Organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund for Nature have been contending in recent years that global warming is increasing the frequency and intensity³ of natural disasters. But how much effect human activity has on global warming and climate change is hotly debated by scientists and governments.

 

Some countries at the conference want to include a reference to climate change in the final document. The United States, which has refused to sign the Kyoto Protocol⁴ on climate change, says Wednesday it objects. 

 

State Department Deputy Assistant Secretary Mark Lagon says the role of climate on natural disasters is a legitimate⁵ topic for discussion, but the topic of climate change should be excluded from the conference's action plan. 

 

Mark Lagon: It is well known that there are controversies⁶ about the issue of climate change, the Kyoto Protocol, in other venues⁷ of the U.N. It's our desire that this controversy⁸ not distract this conference. And there are other nations who are raising this question, too.

 

Among countries backing the U.S. stance, according to several high-level delegates, are Australia, and oil-producing states including Iran - not normally an American ally on international issues. 

 

The conference's coordinator⁹, John Horekens, says a group of nations including the European Union and Bangladesh is pushing for a strong emphasis on the subject of climate change.

 

John Horekens: The countries of the European Union would like to see certainly more reference to climate change than we have right now. But this is a negotiated text and it's going to take another couple of days and eventually we'll thrash out a solution.

 

U.N. officials say the chairman of the main committee drafting the document, a representative of the Swiss Foreign Ministry¹⁰, has instructed a special committee to hash out the issue before the conference closes on Saturday.

 

U.N. officials say they are confident a compromise will be achieved, and that the framework will ultimately include some reference to climate change, despite the wishes of the United States.

 

Steve Herman, VOA news, Kobe, Japan.

 

注释：

tsunami [tsju:5nB:mi] n. 海啸

communique [kE5mju:nikei] n. 公报，官报

Kyoto Protocol 《京都议定书》

controversy [5kCntrEvE:si] n. 争论，辩论

coordinator [kEu5C:dineitE] n. 协调者

thrash out 研究解决

compromise [5kCmprEmaiz] n. 妥协，折衷

1 tsunami   

n.海啸

参考例句：

• Powerful quake sparks tsunami warning in Japan.大地震触发了日本的海啸预警。
• Coastlines all around the Indian Ocean inundated by a huge tsunami.大海啸把印度洋沿岸地区都淹没了。

2 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

3 intensity   

n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度

参考例句：

• I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
• The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。

4 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。

5 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

6 controversies   

争论

参考例句：

• We offer no comment on these controversies here. 对于这些争议，我们在这里不作任何评论。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史
• The controversies surrounding population growth are unlikely to subside soon. 围绕着人口增长问题的争论看来不会很快平息。 来自辞典例句

7 venues   

n.聚集地点( venue的名词复数 )；会场；（尤指）体育比赛场所；犯罪地点

参考例句：

• The band will be playing at 20 different venues on their UK tour. 这个乐队在英国巡回演出期间将在20个不同的地点演出。
• Farmers market corner, 800 meters long, 60 meters wide livestock trading venues. 农牧市场东北角，有长800米，宽60米的牲畜交易场地。 来自互联网

8 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。

9 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？

10 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。