美国国家公共电台 NPR--Biden addresses UN climate conference in Egypt

Biden addresses UN climate conference in Egypt

Transcript¹

President Biden outlined his vision for how the U.S. will help the world slow global warming and aid developing countries suffering its effects.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

President Biden has addressed the annual U.N. climate conference happening in Egypt, telling the audience that the U.S. will take a leadership role in trying to help developing countries counteract² the most dangerous effects of climate change. His speech today came in the middle of the two-week meeting where there have been many grim warnings about how carbon emissions³ are causing higher temperatures, contributing to droughts, floods and other natural disasters.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: And so this gathering⁴ must be the moment to recommit our future and our shared capacity to write a better story for the world.

MARTIN: NPR's Ruth Sherlock is covering the conference and joins me now from Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. Hi, Ruth. Have we got Ruth?

RUTH SHERLOCK, BYLINE⁵: Hello?

MARTIN: Hey, Ruth. There's a bit of a delay on the line.

SHERLOCK: Hi, I'm here.

MARTIN: Yeah. Let me just ask you - it is one thing to talk about leadership, it is another thing to actually lead. We'll get into the promises that President Biden made. But first, recap what his message was in this address.

SHERLOCK: Right. Well, he said that he's ready to lead the world in the energy transition during what is a critical decade in the fight against global warming. He focused a lot, Rachel, as you said in the introduction, a lot on developing countries that are suffering the worst effects of climate change. Here's what he said.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

BIDEN: It's true. So many disasters. The climate crisis is hitting hardest those countries and communities that have the fewest resources to respond and to recover.

MARTIN: Few resources to respond and to recover, Ruth.

SHERLOCK: That's right. He announced more U.S. (inaudible) developing countries (inaudible) like flooding and droughts. And he said that the U.S. is also going to give more money to develop new renewable energy sources in these countries. And he spoke⁶ about a priority to the administration, which is getting more private companies in the global north more involved in financing projects that tackle climate change in (inaudible) which is something that businesses see as risky⁷. He also said the United States is on track to meet its own goal of cutting carbon dioxide emissions by half from a 2005 baseline. And, you know, this is in large part due to the recent passing of the Inflation Reduction Act in the U.S., which is full of provisions for making the U.S. economy greener through renewable energy and other projects.

MARTIN: So I just want to recap a little of what you said because we're having a hard time with your line, but you're saying that the president talked about getting private companies involved to help finance programs in the developing world, which may be a little bit risky, some might see as a risky investment. But those programs are designed to help those countries combat the effects of climate change. So much of this comes down to money, Ruth. I mean, it's going to cost a lot for developing countries to grow their own economies, which is why they're looking to the U.S. and its allies and other countries. How is the U.S. proposing to do this, to get private investment into these areas?

SHERLOCK: Well, one of the projects is something that John Kerry, the U.S. climate envoy⁸, spoke about earlier this week. Under that proposal, private companies in the U.S. and abroad would buy these so-called carbon credits, which represent (inaudible) that were reduced or removed from the atmosphere but not necessarily by those same companies. So it's like an exchange. And under these ideas, the companies would pay developing countries to move away from coal power as a way of making up their own emissions. It is a controversial idea. You know, the carbon market is poorly regulated, and some carbon offset⁹ projects do amount to greenwashing. But U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has been supportive of the U.S.-led plan so long as there are safeguards to it.

MARTIN: We're going to have much more reporting on this. We appreciate you, NPR's Ruth Sherlock.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 counteract   

vt.对…起反作用，对抗，抵消

参考例句：

• The doctor gave him some medicine to counteract the effect of the poison.医生给他些药解毒。
• Our work calls for mutual support.We shouldn't counteract each other's efforts.工作要互相支持，不要互相拆台。

3 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。

4 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。

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

7 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

8 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

9 offset   

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。