VOA标准英语2009年-India's PM Wants Rich Nations to Subsidize

By Steve Herman
New Delhi
08 November 2009

With a key global climate change conference just a month away, India's leader is making a blunt call for concessions¹ from the industrialized nations.

 
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh attends opening session of the World Economic Forum-India, 08 Nov 2009
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh pledged Sunday that his government will work for a positive outcome at next month's crucial United Nations summit on setting targets for carbon emissions². But Mr. Singh made it clear that the richest nations have to bear the brunt of the financial burden since they created the mess.

"The historic accumulation of CO2 is not as a result of anything that we have done," he said. "It is largely a consequence of 150 years of industrialization in the major developed countries of the world."

The prime minister, opening the World Economic Forum's India summit, said the traditional big polluters will need to subsidize technology for developing countries to cope with reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The European Union has estimated that the price for that, by the year 2020, will total $150 billion annually³.

India's stance, going into the Copenhagen summit, which begins December 6, is that poorer nations should be exempt⁴ from legally binding⁵ caps on carbon emissions.

The United States and other developed countries want India to reduce its share of carbon emissions, which is currently about four percent. Mr. Singh, in recent days, has said his government is not yet ready to quantify reduction targets but he has left the door open to that.

India and China are viewed as the key players for any deal at next month's summit. The two Asian giants are reluctant, however, of being put into any binding position that could slow their rapidly growing economies. They have made recent public pronouncements to work as a team in the multi-national climate change negotiations⁶.

1 concessions   

n.（尤指由政府或雇主给予的）特许权( concession的名词复数 )；承认；减价；（在某地的）特许经营权

参考例句：

• The firm will be forced to make concessions if it wants to avoid a strike. 要想避免罢工，公司将不得不作出一些让步。
• The concessions did little to placate the students. 让步根本未能平息学生的愤怒。

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 exempt   

adj.免除的；v.使免除；n.免税者，被免除义务者

参考例句：

• These goods are exempt from customs duties.这些货物免征关税。
• He is exempt from punishment about this thing.关于此事对他已免于处分。

5 binding   

有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的

参考例句：

• The contract was not signed and has no binding force. 合同没有签署因而没有约束力。
• Both sides have agreed that the arbitration will be binding. 双方都赞同仲裁具有约束力。

6 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。