VOA标准英语2009年-Food Security Top Priority for Africa

 

The upcoming climate change summit in Copenhagen comes amid warnings that rising temperatures and changing weather patterns are having a devastating¹ impact on poor countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.

Peter Heinlein | Addis Ababa 06 December 2009

 
Malnourished children in Ethiopia

The upcoming climate change summit in Copenhagen comes amid warnings that rising temperatures and changing weather patterns are having a devastating impact on poor countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. African leaders are hoping that rich countries at the summit offer to help nations suffering from food shortages.

Severely² malnourished children are a common sight at feeding centers across Ethiopia. A quarter century after famine killed one million in this East Africa country, many people still do not get enough to eat.

Sufficient rains have failed for three years in a row. Sun burned stalks lie in fields, unharvested.

Across the Horn of Africa, 20 million people need emergency food aid.
Ted³ Chaiban is Ethiopia country director for UNICEF. He says droughts that used to hit every few years are now a regular occurrence.

"We have a situation which is difficult," said Ted Chaiban. "We are in the third year of difficult climatic conditions. El Nino is wreaking⁴ havoc⁵ with the region."

Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi is leading the African delegation⁶ to the Copenhagen summit. He says Africa suffers for the sins of wealthy, industrialized nations.

"Africa has contributed virtually nothing to global warming, but it is placed to lose most by climate change," said Meles Zenawi. "Africa is going to be hit hardest and it's going to be hit first. So we as Africans have more at stake than perhaps anybody else except small island states in making sure there is a robust⁷ fair and practical agreement in Copenhagen."

African Union Commission Chairman Jean Ping is also on Africa's negotiating team for Copenhagen. He says there's a clear link between crop failures caused by climate change and unrest in several African countries.

"We couldn't feed ourselves," said Jean Ping. "So you saw during that bad period of food crisis we had riots in many cities where the problem of food brought people to demonstrate and to use violence against the authorities." 

The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization says 31 countries face critical food shortages, the worst of them in drought-plagued East Africa. West Africa also is hard hit. The FAO reports too little rain caused significant livestock⁸ losses in Mali, Chad and Niger.

Africa's climate negotiators do not say how much compensation they will seek in Copenhagen. But Prime Minister Meles has suggested $100 billion a year might be reasonable. Much, if not most of that money would come from the United States, the world's largest economy, and the largest emitter of greenhouse gasses.

 

1 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

2 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

3 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

4 wreaking   

诉诸（武力），施行（暴力），发（脾气）( wreak的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Coal mining is a messy business, often wreaking terrible environmental damage nearby. 采矿是肮脏的行业，往往会严重破坏周边环境。
• The floods are wreaking havoc in low-lying areas. 洪水正在地势低洼地区肆虐。

5 havoc   

n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱

参考例句：

• The earthquake wreaked havoc on the city.地震对这个城市造成了大破坏。
• This concentration of airborne firepower wrought havoc with the enemy forces.这次机载火力的集中攻击给敌军造成很大破坏。

6 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。

7 robust   

adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的

参考例句：

• She is too tall and robust.她个子太高，身体太壮。
• China wants to keep growth robust to reduce poverty and avoid job losses,AP commented.美联社评论道，中国希望保持经济强势增长，以减少贫困和失业状况。

8 livestock   

n.家畜，牲畜

参考例句：

• Both men and livestock are flourishing.人畜两旺。
• The heavy rains and flooding killed scores of livestock.暴雨和大水淹死了许多牲口。