VOA慢速英语--木炭贸易正在破坏非洲的森林覆盖

Charcoal¹ Trade Is Destroying Africa’s Forest Cover

Across Africa, men carrying tools for cutting down trees spend weeks deep inside forests. They cut down the trees to burn them in order to make fuel for fires known as charcoal.

Because they work at night, mainly on public land, they operate without fear of the law while destroying forests in many countries.

Fires in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest have brought attention to the difficulties of protecting the Earth’s forest lands. The Congo Basin tropical rainforest is about the size of Western Europe. After the Amazon, it is the world’s second largest rainforest. Some people call it Earth’s second lung.

Africa is home to over 1.2 billion people and poverty on the continent remains² a problem. Many nations have struggled to protect forests as growing populations demand plant-based energy resources that are considered low cost. Charcoal is widely used.

The European Space Agency says that 25 to 35 percent of climate-changing greenhouse gases come from biomass burning. Biomass burning is natural or manmade burning of organic material, including seasonal³ fires people set to clear land for farming. Most of this kind of burning happens in tropical areas of Africa.

A 2018 report from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization found dependence⁴ on charcoal or firewood to be highest in Africa and Asia. Some African cities are almost completely dependent on charcoal for cooking. In Kinshasa, the capital of The Democratic Republic of the Congo, 90 percent of residents depend on it, the report said.

In Somalia, the U.N. has warned that cutting down trees to support an illegal charcoal trade is so widespread that desertification there threatens stability. The country is already suffering a wave of extremist violence.

The U.N. report said that the estimated value of the charcoal export trade from East Africa to the Middle East and other places is over $360 million a year. This is the case although the trade is banned. About 8.2 million trees were cut down for charcoal between 2011 and 2017, the U.N. said.

Ugandan government officials have warned about the charcoal trade for a long time. The trade continues although the electrical power system now extends deep into the country. Hydroelectric power is still too costly⁵ for many people even in the capital, Kampala.

Edwin Muhumuza is an environmental activist⁶ who runs the group Youth Go Green in Kampala. He told the Associated Press that charcoal has become a valuable product, like gold or coffee.

“We are really concerned,” he said. “They cut down the trees but they don’t replace them.”

Now the National Environment Management Authority, a government agency, is urging officials to lift taxes on liquid petroleum⁷ gas. It is another cooking fuel that could be used instead of charcoal.

Africa’s forests are shrinking, researchers warn

Research shows a difficult situation. Uganda’s forest cover as a percentage of land area was nine percent in 2015. Government data shows that is down from 24 percent in 1990.

But officials in northern parts of Uganda such as Gulu, which provides much of the charcoal entering Kampala, are taking action. Their campaign has seized many charcoal trucks since 2015.

Gulu chairman Martin Mapenduzi organizes raids in hopes of arresting charcoal burners.

“Illegal logging has gone down but the destruction of forests for charcoal burning is still high,” Mapenduzi said. “It’s something that is giving us a lot of headache, but we are fighting.”

The price of enough charcoal to support a small family for several weeks has been rising in Kampala. In August, it reached about $28. That is largely because of reduced supply from places such as Gulu.

The cost is still far too much for families, said Rose Twine⁸. She is a business woman who sells a cooking device called the eco-stove. Twine says one eco-stove comes with volcanic⁹ rocks that, she said, can last for up to two years. It costs $110. Yearly charcoal costs for an average family, can grow to more than $300.

“Charcoal is actually not cheaper,” Twine said. “People are just stuck in their old ways.”

Widespread destruction of forests has led to campaigns to take action in some African countries.

This week, Gabon became the first African country to receive payments for provable efforts to reduce greenhouse gases resulting from the destruction of forests. The U.N. Development Program said payments would reach $150 million over 10 years. It called the payments “historic in many ways.”

In July, The U.N. Environment Program said that Ethiopia’s prime minister led an effort in which over 350 million trees were planted across the country in one day.

But some activists¹⁰ say tree-planting may not be enough to save Africa’s forests. They urge governments to spend more on alternative energy sources for the poorest people.

Mapenduzi, the Ugandan official campaigning against charcoal burning, called for laws against it and urged officials to make electricity cheaper.

Others also believe only urgent action, such as a ban on the charcoal trade, will help.

“A total ban,” said activist Muhumuza, “One hundred percent.”

I’m Anna Matteo.

And I’m Pete Musto.

Words in This Story

tropical – adj. of, relating to, occurring in, or used in the part of the world that is near the equator where the weather is very warm

continent – n. one of the great divisions of land, such as North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, or Antarctica, of the Earth

greenhouse gas(es) – n. pollution that causes the Earth’s atmosphere to warm

desertification – n. the process by which an area becomes a desert

hydroelectric – adj. of or relating to the production of electricity by using machines that are powered by moving water

replace – v. to put someone or something new in the place or position of someone or something

log(ging) – v. to cut down trees in an area for wood

headache – n. a difficult or annoying situation or problem

cheaper – comparative adj. costing less money than something else

alternative – adj. offering or expressing a choice

1 charcoal   

n.炭，木炭，生物炭

参考例句：

• We need to get some more charcoal for the barbecue.我们烧烤需要更多的碳。
• Charcoal is used to filter water.木炭是用来过滤水的。

2 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

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 dependence   

n.依靠，依赖；信任，信赖；隶属

参考例句：

• Doctors keep trying to break her dependence of the drug.医生们尽力使她戒除毒瘾。
• He was freed from financial dependence on his parents.他在经济上摆脱了对父母的依赖。

5 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

6 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

7 petroleum   

n.原油，石油

参考例句：

• The Government of Iran advanced the price of petroleum last week.上星期伊朗政府提高了石油价格。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。

8 twine   

v.搓，织，编饰；（使）缠绕

参考例句：

• He tied the parcel with twine.他用细绳捆包裹。
• Their cardboard boxes were wrapped and tied neatly with waxed twine.他们的纸板盒用蜡线扎得整整齐齐。

9 volcanic   

adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的

参考例句：

• There have been several volcanic eruptions this year.今年火山爆发了好几次。
• Volcanic activity has created thermal springs and boiling mud pools.火山活动产生了温泉和沸腾的泥浆池。

10 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》