VOA标准英语2009年-Environmentalists Blast 'Failed' Climate T

By Selah Hennessy
London
09 October 2009

United Nations climate change negotiations¹ end Friday in Bangkok, but a Britain-based environmental group says the two-week talks have failed to deliver progress. The International Institute for Environment and Development says industrialized nations have failed to answer big questions on how to limit the effects of global warming in the developing world.

Simon Anderson is a climate specialist at the Institute for Environment and Development.

 
Activists carrying masks of world leaders protest outside the UN regional office in Bangkok, Thailand (File
He says negotiators have failed to make any major moves towards limiting the effects of global warming. After two weeks of talks, he says, targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions² still haven't been set and plans to help the developing world cope with climate change have not been made.

"On all of those issues the delegates have not come up with concrete suggestions. One would have expected greater progress, certainly on adaptation and technology transfer," he said.

'Adaptation' relates to adjustment projects to deal with climate change, for example building dikes to prevent rising sea levels from overflowing³ into coastal⁴ areas. 'Technology transfer' relates to how scientific knowledge and technology is shared.

Anderson says most African countries have already produced plans on how to deal with the effects of climate change.

"A lot of African countries have plans ready but are unable to implement⁵ adaptation programs for want of resources," he added.

The World Bank says developing countries are only responsible for around one-third of greenhouse gases, but will suffer a disproportionate 80 percent of the damage caused by climate change. Environmental specialists say sub-Saharan Africa will be one of the worst hit regions.

Anderson says he has seen first hand the problems that are already being created by climate change in the developing world.

"I've been in several of the developing countries this year doing an evaluation⁶ of adaptation planning and witnessed first hand changes in rainfall, changes in temperature, people experiencing unpredictable weather patterns," he said.

 
A carcass of drought-stricken cow is seen near cattle, in Kitengela, Kenya, east of the capital Nairobi (file photo)
East Africa is right now suffering from a five-year drought that some environmentalists say is a result of global warming. Aid agencies have warned that as many 23 million people may go hungry as a result.
 
Anderson says the failure to make real progress in Bangkok means that when world leaders meet for a critical United Nations summit in the European city of Copenhagen two months from now, the groundwork for change won't have been laid.

"We haven't even got the vehicle for the agreement to be reached. So there is a lot of work to be done yet," he said.

Africa is sending a united delegation⁷ of representatives to the Copenhagen summit headed by Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. African countries are expected to seek billions of dollars in compensation for the effects of global warming.

 

1 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。

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 overflowing   

n. 溢出物,溢流 adj. 充沛的，充满的 动词overflow的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• The stands were overflowing with farm and sideline products. 集市上农副产品非常丰富。
• The milk is overflowing. 牛奶溢出来了。

4 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

5 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

6 evaluation   

n.估价，评价；赋值

参考例句：

• I attempted an honest evaluation of my own life.我试图如实地评价我自己的一生。
• The new scheme is still under evaluation.新方案还在评估阶段。

7 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。