VOA标准英语2009年-Report Forecasts Dramatic Rise in African

By Fid Thompson
Dakar
02 October 2009
 
 
Child suffering from malnutrition¹ is held in makeshift feed center in town of Maradi, Niger (file photo) 
A new report on climate change's impact on agriculture predicts 25 million more malnourished children around the world by 2050. Countries in sub-Saharan Africa are particularly vulnerable.

A new report from the International Food Policy Research Institute says climate change will increase the global number of malnourished children by 25 million in the next 40 years.

Forty percent of these children will live in Africa.

The report compares economic and biological factors affecting child nutrition in two future scenarios² - a world with and a world without climate change.

Gerard Nelson is lead researcher for the report at the International Food Policy Research Institute. He says climate change will have a particularly bad impact on agricultural yields in sub-Saharan Africa.

"On top of that sub-saharan Africa in particular is home to a large number of poor people," Nelson said. "And one of the key messages to take home from our analysis is that with higher incomes people are more resilient to a variety of changes and that will be especially true for climate change."

The report says that in 2050 average wheat yields in sub-Saharan Africa will decline by up to 22 percent as a result of climate change. Irrigation water supply is also expected to decrease and less food availability will mean on average 500 calories less per person.

Without climate change, the report projects a rise in calorie availability in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2050.

Nelson says African governments need to prioritize investment in the agriculture sector³, particularly in rural roads, research and new technologies. Three months ahead of climate change talks in Copenhagen, Nelson says Africa governments should focus on helping⁴ their farmers adapt to climate change.

"As the governments of sub-Saharan Africa prepare to go to the Copenhagen negotiations⁵ they should ensure that agriculture is included both in the adaptation funding mechanisms⁶ that will come out of Copenhagen as well as allow for the possibility that mitigation funds can be used in Africa," Nelson said.

The report says an additional investment in global agriculture of $7 billion per year could increase production and counteract⁷ the adverse⁸ effects of climate change.

The report says 40 percent of this investment should go to sub-Saharan Africa.

1 malnutrition   

n.营养不良

参考例句：

• In Africa, there are a lot of children suffering from severe malnutrition.在非洲有大批严重营养不良的孩子。
• It is a classic case of malnutrition. 这是营养不良的典型病例。

2 scenarios   

n.[意]情节；剧本；事态；脚本

参考例句：

• Further, graphite cores may be safer than non-graphite cores under some accident scenarios. 再者，根据一些事故解说，石墨堆芯可比非石墨堆芯更安全一些。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• Again, scenarios should make it clear which modes are acceptable to users in various contexts. 同样，我们可以运用场景剧本来搞清楚在不同情境下哪些模式可被用户接受。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

3 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

4 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

5 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

6 mechanisms   

n.机械( mechanism的名词复数 )；机械装置；[生物学] 机制；机械作用

参考例句：

• The research will provide direct insight into molecular mechanisms. 这项研究将使人能够直接地了解分子的机理。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He explained how the two mechanisms worked. 他解释这两台机械装置是如何工作的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 counteract   

vt.对…起反作用，对抗，抵消

参考例句：

• The doctor gave him some medicine to counteract the effect of the poison.医生给他些药解毒。
• Our work calls for mutual support.We shouldn't counteract each other's efforts.工作要互相支持，不要互相拆台。

8 adverse   

adj.不利的；有害的；敌对的，不友好的

参考例句：

• He is adverse to going abroad.他反对出国。
• The improper use of medicine could lead to severe adverse reactions.用药不当会产生严重的不良反应。