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VOA标准英语2009年-Many US Farmers Skeptical About Climat

时间:2010-01-14 03:27来源:互联网 提供网友:李霄云   字体: [ ]
    (单词翻译:双击或拖选)

As climate negotiators meet in Copenhagen, Denmark, many scientists say that farmers around the world will have to adjust to more extreme temperatures, droughts and floods as a result of global warming. But in the United States, the nation's largest farmers' organization, the American Farm Bureau Federation1, opposes any strong actions to counter climate change, either in Copenhagen or in the U.S. Congress.

Steve Baragona | Washington 11 December 2009
 

 

"I don't know that what we do as Americans or as people is what's causing most of what's happening. I think nature has its own course." - cotton farmer Gwen Pitt


On a sunny afternoon in the southern U.S. state of North Carolina, Gwen Pitt is supervising the cotton harvest. As a large machine mashes2 the cotton into a solid brick a bit smaller than a train car, Pitt says her crop is destined3 for one of the world's most popular fashion items.

"We have found out that most of our cotton here in eastern North Carolina goes to make jeans," she says.

She says it takes a lot of fuel to grow and harvest all that cotton. The picking machine alone guzzles4 down nearly 400 liters of fuel per day. And while they're harvesting cotton in this field, they're planting wheat in fields nearby.


Cotton ready for harvest


"Tractors are always running," she says. "So we're always burning fuel."

Opponents to Copenhagen deal fear higher expenses

As climate negotiators meet in Copenhagen, Denmark, many scientists say that farmers around the world will have to adjust to more extreme temperatures, droughts and floods as a result of global warming. But in the United States, the nation's largest farmers' organization, the American Farm Bureau Federation, opposes any strong actions to counter climate change, either in Copenhagen or in the U.S. Congress.

Pitt and many other U.S. farmers are concerned that measures to address climate change may make fuel more expensive. Those proposals seek to lower emissions5 of greenhouse gases by raising the cost of gasoline, coal, natural gas and other fossil fuels. And since natural gas is a major ingredient in fertilizer, the cost of this essential farm supply could go up, too.

The Farm Bureau is lobbying Congress to reject a pending6 climate change bill. Bob Stallman, president of the bureau, says the extra costs will make it harder for farmers to stay in business.

"Our margins7 are really thin, in terms of our bottom line, and any additional costs have to be absorbed by the farmer because we can't pass on those costs to consumers directly," he says.   

Some climate skeptics question cause of warming

Costs aside, you'll find a lot of basic skepticism at the Farm Bureau and among farmers like Gwen Pitt that human pollution is responsible for climate change. 


Harvested cotton
Pitt says, "My feeling on climate change is, I don't know that what we do as Americans or as people is what's causing most of what's happening. I think nature has its own course."

But other farmers disagree. The National Farmers Union, a smaller farmers' group, supports action on climate change. President Roger Johnson says the science is convincing. And he doesn't think a climate change bill would hurt farmers nearly as much as climate change will, through droughts, floods and other extreme weather.

"All these different events are going to harm production. We know that," he says. "You want to talk about a cost increase? You put the whole crop in and you harvest nothing? I mean, I've seen that. I've been through that on my farm. The experts say you will see that with much increased frequency over time."

By some calculations farmers face only minor8 cost hikes

Johnson contends that the legislation Congress is considering would impose miniscule costs on farmers. He points to analysis by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that calculates the proposed law would reduce farmers' incomes by about 1 percent in the short term, and about seven percent over coming decades.

"I farmed most of my life," he says, "and I can point to any number of weeks when I saw more than a seven percent swing in my costs. For anyone who says a 1 percent increase or a seven percent increase 25 years from now is going to be the end of agriculture, I mean, it just defies the real world."

The USDA analysis also concludes that the climate bill now before Congress gives farmers opportunities to more than offset9 their financial losses, although not all farmers may be able to take advantage of them.

Johnson concludes that farmers can handle the costs of capping greenhouse gases, especially because the costs of doing nothing could be far worse.
 


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 federation htCzMS     
n.同盟,联邦,联合,联盟,联合会
参考例句:
  • It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
  • Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。
2 mashes 013beac4c21c60067c16189ea23ca824     
(水、谷物等混合而成的)糊状物( mash的名词复数 )
参考例句:
3 destined Dunznz     
adj.命中注定的;(for)以…为目的地的
参考例句:
  • It was destined that they would marry.他们结婚是缘分。
  • The shipment is destined for America.这批货物将运往美国。
4 guzzles ad0facfe397903608a24540cbc62a9fb     
v.狂吃暴饮,大吃大喝( guzzle的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • Turn off the AirCon: it puts extra strain on the engine, which consequently guzzles more petrol. 关掉空调:它会给引擎造成额外的压力,很费油。 来自互联网
  • Ally surreptitiously guzzles water at every chance to avoid the dreaded dry mouth kiss. 爱莉经常饮水,希望不会嘴辱很乾。 来自互联网
5 emissions 1a87f8769eb755734e056efecb5e2da9     
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。
6 pending uMFxw     
prep.直到,等待…期间;adj.待定的;迫近的
参考例句:
  • The lawsuit is still pending in the state court.这案子仍在州法庭等待定夺。
  • He knew my examination was pending.他知道我就要考试了。
7 margins 18cef75be8bf936fbf6be827537c8585     
边( margin的名词复数 ); 利润; 页边空白; 差数
参考例句:
  • They have always had to make do with relatively small profit margins. 他们不得不经常设法应付较少的利润额。
  • To create more space between the navigation items, add left and right margins to the links. 在每个项目间留更多的空隙,加左或者右的margins来定义链接。
8 minor e7fzR     
adj.较小(少)的,较次要的;n.辅修学科;vi.辅修
参考例句:
  • The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
  • I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。
9 offset mIZx8     
n.分支,补偿;v.抵消,补偿
参考例句:
  • Their wage increases would be offset by higher prices.他们增加的工资会被物价上涨所抵消。
  • He put up his prices to offset the increased cost of materials.他提高了售价以补偿材料成本的增加。
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