VOA常速英语2018--穷国成气候变化首当其冲的受害者

Five months ago, a bustling¹ fish market stood on the shores of Malawi’s Lake Chihuahua. Now, hundreds of fishing boats lie marooned² on the cracked mud. Water levels fluctuate, but scientists say climate change is making the seasonal³ dry out of the lake far more dramatic. Fishermen are being forced to leave and look for work elsewhere. Climate change contributes to the current recession that we are experiencing, because you can see that in 2012 there was a recession where the lake lost about 80 percent of its water then it recovered in 2013, but not fully⁴ so since then every year we’ve been experiencing these recessions.

5个月前，马拉维的Chihuahua湖岸边的海鲜市场人声鼎沸。而现在，无数渔船陷在了干裂的泥土里。水位时高时低，但科学家表示，气候变化正在让这片本就会出现季度性干涸的湖泊局势更加严峻。渔民们被迫要离开这里，到别处寻找工作。气候变化导致了现在的水位下降，因为我们可以看到，2012年的那次水位下降导致这片湖泊减少了近80%的水，直到2013年才恢复。但其实恢复也并非百分百的恢复，因为从那以后，每年都会发生类似的水位下降问题。

Policymakers gathering⁵ at the COP24 for climate talks say it is developing countries like Malawi that are being hit hardest by the impacts of climate change. The charity Water Aid has released a report ranking the country’s worst hit by water shortages with Sudan, Nigeria and Pakistan, making up the top three. But the fact is that there’s people who are living with the impacts of climate change right now, and they’re feeling their impacts not through carbon, but through water， and so and as we’ve seen in the past few years, and will continue to see for many years to come unfortunately is a huge increase in water stress and water scarcity⁶.

聚首全球气候变化大会就气候问题进行会谈的政策制定者们表示，马拉维这样的发展中国家是受气候变化影响最为惨重的。一家名叫水援助组织的慈善组织发布了一份报告，对受缺水问题影响最大的国家进行了排名。其中，苏丹、尼日利亚和巴基斯坦是最严重的三个国家。但事实其实是：有很多人正在遭受气候变化的影响，而他们对这种影响的感受不是通过排碳量增加而体会到的，而是因为缺水而体会到的，这是过去几年里，我们有目共睹的。而且在未来的很多年里，我们依旧会看到的不幸情况是——水资源方面的压力和水资源稀缺会愈发加剧。

Richer nations have pledged 100 billion dollars a year for poorer nations to deal with the consequences of climate change, but Water Aid says they are failing to deliver. Scientists say emissions⁷ of carbon dioxide would have to be reduced by 45 percent by 2030 to have any hope of coping global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius⁸, the target agreed in the Paris Climate Deal, but the number of coal-fired power stations, the most polluting form of energy generation is growing. The German organization Ergo Volt⁹ calculates that 478 billion dollars had been invested into expansion of the coal industry between January 2016 and September 2018 including in Africa. Fourteen African countries, now the first coal plants are being developed. It’s completely crazy. Economies that could just be leap frogging to a renewable energy economy that instead are having largely by foreign companies having coal plants being pushed on them as a solution.

较为富裕的国家已经承诺每年会捐助1000亿美元给穷国，以应对气候变化的各种后果，但水援助组织表示，他们无法将援助物资送抵穷国。科学家表示，二氧化碳的排放必须要在2030年之前减少45%，这样才有希望将全球变暖的温度控制在1.5摄氏度以内。这是《巴黎气候公约》中提出的各方认可的目标。然而，由燃烧煤炭来提供能量的电站数量还是在不断增加，而电站是所有发电形式中最具污染性的。根据德国组织Ergo Volt的计算，目前已有4780亿美元投资在了煤炭行业的扩张上，这是2016年1月-2018年9月之间的事情。获得投资的正是非洲大陆。14个非洲国家现在正在建设第一批燃煤工厂。这是很惊人的。本来这些国家可以跃向可持续能源经济的，但却为外国公司所用，成了燃煤工厂。这是外国公司强加给他们的“解决方案”。

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization warns that climate change will exacerbate¹⁰ the impact of some diseases and health problems, including Malaria¹¹, malnutrition¹² and heat exposure.

与此同时，世界卫生组织警示称，气候变化将会加剧一些疾病和健康问题带来的影响，比如疟疾、营养不良、热曝露。

1 bustling   

adj.喧闹的

参考例句：

• The market was bustling with life. 市场上生机勃勃。
• This district is getting more and more prosperous and bustling. 这一带越来越繁华了。

2 marooned   

adj.被围困的；孤立无援的；无法脱身的

参考例句：

• During the storm we were marooned in a cabin miles from town. 在风暴中我们被围困在离城数英里的小屋内。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Five couples were marooned in their caravans when the River Avon broke its banks. 埃文河决堤的时候，有5对夫妇被困在了他们的房车里。 来自辞典例句

3 seasonal   

adj.季节的，季节性的

参考例句：

• The town relies on the seasonal tourist industry for jobs.这个城镇依靠季节性旅游业提供就业机会。
• The hors d'oeuvre is seasonal vegetables.餐前小吃是应时蔬菜。

4 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

5 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

6 scarcity   

n.缺乏，不足，萧条

参考例句：

• The scarcity of skilled workers is worrying the government.熟练工人的缺乏困扰着政府。
• The scarcity of fruit was caused by the drought.水果供不应求是由于干旱造成的。

7 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。

8 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

9 volt   

n.伏特，伏

参考例句：

• You may use 100 and 110 volt appliances in your room.您可以在房间使用100及110伏特的电器。
• The common service voltage of electric power in our country is 220/380 volt.我国普通供电电压为220/380伏。

10 exacerbate   

v.恶化，增剧，激怒，使加剧

参考例句：

• WMO says a warming climate can exacerbate air pollution.世界气象组织说，气候变暖可能会加剧空气污染。
• In fact efforts will merely exacerbate the current problem.实际上努力只会加剧当前的问题。

11 malaria   

n.疟疾

参考例句：

• He had frequent attacks of malaria.他常患疟疾。
• Malaria is a kind of serious malady.疟疾是一种严重的疾病。

12 malnutrition   

n.营养不良

参考例句：

• In Africa, there are a lot of children suffering from severe malnutrition.在非洲有大批严重营养不良的孩子。
• It is a classic case of malnutrition. 这是营养不良的典型病例。