ENVIRONMENT REPORT - Asian Brown Cloud

ENVIRONMENT REPORT -August 30, 2002: Asian Brown Cloud

By Cynthia Kirk
This is the VOA Special English ENVIRONMENT REPORT.

A United Nations study says a thick cloud of pollution covering southern Asia threatens the lives of millions of
people. Scientists say the pollution could increase lung diseases and cause early deaths. The cloud is also
damaging agriculture and affecting rainfall levels.

Scientists are calling it the Asian Brown Cloud. It has affected¹ Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India,
Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The pollution cloud is three kilometers high. Scientists say it can move
halfway² around the world in a week.

The cloud is a mixture of ash, acids, aerosols³ and other particles. It is the result of forest fires, the burning of
agricultural waste, and huge increases in the burning of fuels by vehicles, industries and power stations.

Pollution from millions of bad cooking stoves has made the problem worse. Many poor people burn fuels like
wood and animal waste in such stoves.

Scientists say the cloud of pollution appears to cool the land and oceans by blocking sunlight. They say it reduces
the amount of sunlight reaching the Earth’s surface by as much as fifteen percent. At the same time, heat inside
the cloud warms the lower parts of the atmosphere.

Scientists say this combination could be changing winter rainfall levels in Asia. They say rainfall has increased
over the eastern coast of Asia. But it has dropped sharply⁴ over parts of northwestern Asia. The report says the
cloud could reduce rainfall over northwestern Pakistan, Afghanistan and western China by up to forty percent.

Harmful chemicals from the cloud are mixing with rainfall. This acid rain damages crops and trees and threatens
public health. Scientists are concerned that the pollution will intensify⁵ during the next thirty years as the
population of Asia increases to an estimated five-thousand-million people.

Scientists say the Asian Brown Cloud could affect other parts of the world unless steps are taken to reduce
pollution. Environmental groups say action is needed to find clean, renewable energy sources.

More than two-hundred scientists took part in the U-N study. The U-N Environment Program prepared the study
for the World Summit⁶ on Sustainable Development. That meeting is taking place in Johannesburg, South Africa
through September fourth.

This VOA Special English ENVIRONMENT REPORT was written by Cynthia Kirk.

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1 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。

2 halfway   

adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途

参考例句：

• We had got only halfway when it began to get dark.走到半路，天就黑了。
• In study the worst danger is give up halfway.在学习上，最忌讳的是有始无终。

3 aerosols   

n.气溶胶( aerosol的名词复数 )；喷雾剂；（气体中的）浮粒；喷雾器

参考例句：

• Aerosols are present throughout the atmosphere. 气溶胶存在于整个大气层。 来自辞典例句
• Deodorants are available as aerosols or roll-ons. 除臭剂有喷雾装或滚抹装。 来自辞典例句

4 sharply   

adj.锐利地，急速；adv.严厉地，鲜明地

参考例句：

• The plane dived sharply and rose again.飞机猛然俯冲而后又拉了起来。
• Demand for personal computers has risen sharply.对个人电脑的需求急剧增长。

5 intensify   

vt.加强；变强；加剧

参考例句：

• We must intensify our educational work among our own troops.我们必须加强自己部队的教育工作。
• They were ordered to intensify their patrols to protect our air space.他们奉命加强巡逻，保卫我国的领空。

6 summit   

n.最高点，峰顶；最高级会议；极点

参考例句：

• They climbed up the mountain and reached the summit.他们爬山，最终达到了山顶。
• The summit of the mountain is lost in the cloud and mist.山顶隐没在云雾之中。