VOA标准英语2010年-Ecologists at Bali's Environment Summi

Ecology is becoming more and more a question of economy: how much would it cost to reduce emissions¹; how much would we save by weatherproofing buildings. But analysts² meeting in Bali for a summit on the environment say that, to save the planet, humanity has to go through an economic revolution similar in scale to the industrial revolution

Solenn Honorine | Nusa Dua, Indonesia 24 February 2010

Opening ceremony of the 11th special session of the Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum³ in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, 24 Feb 2010

The sound coming from a small machine is the sound of green economy.
           
"This is the world's first commercially available pedal generator⁴, allowing to convert your human power into usable electricity. It can currently recharge our own portable lights. It can also charge mobile phones," said Sameer Hajee, whose company, Nuru Design, has 10,000 clients in Rwanda, India and Kenya. It relies on a network of 80 peddlers who make a living out of pedaling to recharge the lights or cell-phones of their neighbors.

Nuru Design plans to increase its customer base tenfold by the end of the year. This activity is no charity but a viable⁵ business, servicing people who do not have access to electricity.

"Essentially⁶ the market is so huge," Hajee said. "There are two billion people affected⁷ by this problem. So, to the extend that you can get this technology to them, this could potentially be a very profitable business."

Economist⁸ Pahvan Sukdhev is a special advisor⁹ to the United Nations Environment Program. He explains that businesses such as Nuru Design are examples of what a "green economy" would be like.

"It is actually a new paradigm¹⁰ that, in many ways, is beginning to be seen," he said. "And, what you see is a new economy breaking through what's breaking down: that heavy, industrialized, over-ambitious, over-productive, over-consumptive model, which is actually going to completely destroy our chances of survival in the future. And, what the green economy is, it's an alternative that doesn't do all that."

Pahvan Sukdhev says that the green economy can generate growth. The International Labor¹¹ Organization estimates that renewable energy could generate up to 20 million new jobs, if it were to represent 30 percent of the worldwide energy output.

Chinese Society Entrepreneurs and Ecology represents 130 businessmen who have embraced the principles of green economy: one builds energy efficient high-rise buildings; another ecology-friendly flooring that use fast-growing bamboo.

The Society's secretary general, Lee Peng, says businessmen in China are starting to change their attitude towards green economy.

"The majority of them is still struggling to be compliant¹² with environmental regulations," said Peng. "But then, at the top of the pyramid, you have a small-but-growing group of entrepreneurs in China who see that greening their business is not just a legal requirement, nor a responsible act to do. It is the only way that they can secure the core competitiveness of their businesses."

Kenyan national Wangari Maathai won the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize for her work in the Green Belt Movement, an organization that engages in tree-planting activities and environment conservation.  She says that the goods and services provided by nature - like clean air, rain or fertile soils - should not be taken for granted.  She says her organization, albeit¹³ a non-profit, has an economic impact that should be acknowledged.

"In terms of the soil that we have protected; in terms of the biodiversity we have protected by protecting forests;  in terms of facilitating rainfall patterns and, therefore, supporting agriculture; this is in terms of millions of U.S. dollars," said Maathai. "I am sure. This, I'm sure, is what we should be doing in the future: paying for the environmental services we get from our environment and paying the people who take care of these services. Eventually, we should have to pay them to do this work for all of us."

Last December in Copenhagen, the international community took a first step towards making society pay for the services provided by nature for free. It is called the initiative for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation¹⁴, where local population would be paid to protect forests.

Pahvan Sukdhev says that this shows that the world is slowly moving towards a green economy.
           
"I'm an optimist¹⁵, and I think if you're a pessimist¹⁶ that's just an excuse for inaction. People are ready [for a green economy], but the problem is, there are vested interests," he said.

Pahvan Sukdhev says that the change called for is in scale similar to the industrial revolution, but with a heightened sense of urgency, because of the threat of climate change. It would require a high political commitment that the world has yet to show
 

1 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。

2 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

3 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

4 generator   

n.发电机，发生器

参考例句：

• All the while the giant generator poured out its power.巨大的发电机一刻不停地发出电力。
• This is an alternating current generator.这是一台交流发电机。

5 viable   

adj.可行的，切实可行的，能活下去的

参考例句：

• The scheme is economically viable.这个计划从经济效益来看是可行的。
• The economy of the country is not viable.这个国家经济是难以维持的。

6 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

7 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

8 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

9 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

10 paradigm   

n.例子，模范，词形变化表

参考例句：

• He had become the paradigm of the successful man. 他已经成为成功人士的典范。
• Moreover,the results of this research can be the new learning paradigm for digital design studios.除此之外，本研究的研究成果也可以为数位设计课程建立一个新的学习范例。

11 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

12 compliant   

adj.服从的，顺从的

参考例句：

• I don't respect people who are too compliant.我看不起那种唯命是从，唯唯诺诺的人。
• For years I had tried to be a compliant and dutiful wife.几年来，我努力做一名顺从和尽职尽职的妻子。

13 albeit   

conj.即使；纵使；虽然

参考例句：

• Albeit fictional,she seemed to have resolved the problem.虽然是虚构的，但是在她看来好象是解决了问题。
• Albeit he has failed twice,he is not discouraged.虽然失败了两次，但他并没有气馁。

14 degradation   

n.降级；低落；退化；陵削；降解；衰变

参考例句：

• There are serious problems of land degradation in some arid zones.在一些干旱地带存在严重的土地退化问题。
• Gambling is always coupled with degradation.赌博总是与堕落相联系。

15 optimist   

n.乐观的人，乐观主义者

参考例句：

• We are optimist and realist.我们是乐观主义者，又是现实主义者。
• Peter,ever the optimist,said things were bound to improve.一向乐观的皮特说，事情必定是会好转的。

16 pessimist   

n.悲观者；悲观主义者；厌世

参考例句：

• An optimist laughs to forget.A pessimist forgets to laugh.乐观者笑着忘却，悲观者忘记怎样笑。
• The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity.The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.悲观者在每个机会中都看到困难，乐观者在每个困难中都看到机会。