VOA常速英语2007年-Oxfam Says Climate Change Hits Poor Hardest

By Tendai Maphosa
London
26 November 2007

A new report by the international humanitarian¹ agency Oxfam says weather-related disasters have quadrupled during the past two decades. It calls for governments to take measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions², which scientists blame for the crisis. From London Tendai Maphosa has more in this report for VOA.

The Oxfam report, called Climate Alarm, says natural disasters have risen from 120 annually³ in the 1980s to as many as 500 today.

The report notes that while crises such as the African famines of the early 1980s, the Bangladesh cyclone⁴ of 1991 and the Asian tsunami⁵ caused an enormous loss of life, the new worrying trend is the increase in small to medium-sized disasters.

The report's author, John Magrath, says most of these disasters now occur at unusual times.

"We think that 2007 has been a particularly bad year and also particularly strange year because of the unprecedented⁶ nature of many of these disasters. We are talking about some very unusual floods in West Africa, very unusual floods in East Africa, extraordinary floods in Mexico and parts of Central America, and heat waves in Greece, eastern Europe," said Magrath.

One short disaster after another, even if relatively⁷ small, the report warns, can push poor people and communities into a downward spiral from which it is very difficult to recover. It says the tendency of rich countries is to prioritize their aid spending on more high-profile emergencies. They also focus on countries that are seen as being in line with their foreign policy priorities, the report says.

Magrath says the people who are least responsible for climate change are the ones most adversely⁸ affected⁹ by it.

"There is a basic global injustice¹⁰ in this. It seems to us that the rich nations of this earth have the historical responsibility to act first and fastest to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to show an example and to lead the way," he added. "They also have the capability¹¹ to do it and to begin to switch away from fossil fuels, to renewable energy, there is a huge potential for that, a huge market for that, it is about time some leadership was shown."

Magrath expressed hope that the United Nations Climate Change conference set for Bali in December will present developed countries with an opportunity to seriously address climate change issues.

1 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

2 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

3 annually   

adv.一年一次，每年

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。

4 cyclone   

n.旋风，龙卷风

参考例句：

• An exceptionally violent cyclone hit the town last night.昨晚异常猛烈的旋风吹袭了那个小镇。
• The cyclone brought misery to thousands of people.旋风给成千上万的人带来苦难。

5 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。

6 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

7 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

8 adversely   

ad.有害地

参考例句：

• We commented adversely upon the imbecility of that message of telegraphic style. 我们对着这条电报式的愚蠢的留言发泄了一通不满。
• Widely fluctuating exchange rates may adversely affect international trade. 浮动幅度很大的汇率可能会对国际贸易产生有害的影响。

9 affected   

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。

10 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。

11 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。