VOA慢速英语2021 澳大利亚抗议联合国拟将大堡礁列为濒危名录

Australia has criticized a United Nations plan to declare the country's Great Barrier Reef "in danger" from climate change.

联合国计划宣布澳大利亚的大堡礁因为气候变化原因而被列入“濒危名录”，澳大利亚对此提出了批评。

The U.N.'s Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) proposed this week that the Great Barrier Reef be added to its List of World Heritage in Danger.

联合国教科文组织本周提议将大堡礁列入其濒危世界遗产名录。

A UNESCO committee report said this week it had found that "there is no possible doubt" that the reef's collection of colorful corals was "facing ascertained¹ danger."

联合国教科文组织旗下的一家委员会在本周报告称，它发现大堡礁的彩色珊瑚群毫无疑问面临着确定风险。

The Great Barrier Reef covers about 344,000 square kilometers of area on Australia's northeast coast. It contains about 3,000 reefs, natural structures made by very small animals called corals. The reef also includes more than 900 islands. The reef has been listed as a World Heritage site since 1981.

大堡礁位于澳大利亚东北海岸，面积约34.4万平方公里。它包含大约3千个珊瑚礁，这些珊瑚礁是由被称为珊瑚的微小动物构成的天然结构。大堡礁还包含900多个岛屿。自1981年以来，大堡礁一直被列为世界遗产。

A report by the committee said it found the Great Barrier Reef had suffered major coral bleaching² events in 2016, 2017 and 2020. It blamed the events on unusually warm ocean temperatures. UNESCO said the "in danger" listing was needed to make sure action is taken to protect the reef from the effects of climate change.

该委员会的一份报告称，它发现大堡礁在2016年、2017年和2020年遭受了严重的珊瑚白化事件。它将这些事件归咎于异常温暖的海洋温度。联合国教科文组织表示，有必要将大堡礁列入“濒危名录”，以确保澳大利亚采取措施保护大堡礁不受气候变化的影响。

Such "corrective measures" would likely include stronger rules to reduce pollution linked to greenhouse gases. Adding the reef to UNESCO's "in danger" list could also reduce the number of international visitors coming to the area to see the huge collection of colorful corals.

这类“纠错措施”可能包含更严格的规则，以减少与温室气体相关的污染。将大堡礁列入联合国教科文组织的“濒危名录”，还可能会导致前往该地区观看大量彩色珊瑚群的国际游客人数减少。

Australian officials said they were surprised and saddened at the proposal. "This decision was flawed. Clearly there were politics behind it," Environment Minister Sussan Ley told reporters.

澳大利亚官员表示，他们对这一提议感到惊讶和悲伤。澳大利亚环境部长苏珊·利对记者表示：“这个决定是有缺陷的。显然这背后有政治因素。”

China chairs the UNESCO committee. But when asked about the issue in parliament, Ley would not say whether she thought China was to blame for the decision. Another Australian government official, however, told Reuters that China was responsible for the committee's position. "We will appeal, but China is in control," said the official, who did not want to be named.

中国担任这家联合国教科文组织委员会的主席。但是在议会被问到这个问题时，苏珊·利不愿意透露她是不是认为中国应该对这个决定负责。然而，另一位澳大利亚政府官员对路透社表示，中国应该对该委员会的立场负责。这位不愿意透露姓名的官员表示：“我们会上诉，但是中国在掌权。”

In Beijing, a foreign ministry³ spokesman denied the Chinese government was behind the decision.

中国外交部一位发言人否认该国政府在幕后操纵了这个决定。

Ley said that she and Foreign Minister Marise Payne had called UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay to officially protest the proposed listing.

苏珊·利表示，她和澳大利亚外交部长玛丽斯·佩恩已经致电联合国教科文组织总干事奥黛丽·阿祖莱，正式抗议拟将大堡礁列入濒危名录。

Some environmental groups praised the U.N. proposal. Imogen Zethoven is an environmental advisor⁴ for the Australian Marine⁵ Conservation Society. She told The Associated Press she welcomed the committee's recognition that "Australia hasn't done enough on climate change to protect the future of the reef."

一些环保组织赞扬了联合国的这项提议。伊莫金·泽多芬是澳大利亚海洋保护协会的环保顾问。她对美联社表示，她对该委员会认为“澳大利亚在气候变化问题上做得不够，无法保护大堡礁的未来”表示欢迎。

The reef would become the first site to be added to the List of World Heritage in Danger because of climate change concerns, Zethoven added.

泽多芬还表示，大堡礁将成为首个因为气候变化担忧而被列入濒危世界遗产名录的场所。

Richard Leck, a spokesman for the World Wide Fund for Nature in Australia, said the listing would come as "a real shock" to many Australians.

世界自然基金会驻澳大利亚发言人理查德·莱克表示，被列入濒危名录对许多澳大利亚人来说是非常震惊的事情。

In 2014, Australia was warned that an "in danger" listing was being considered. The country had time to react by developing a long-term plan -- called the Reef 2050 Plan -- to improve the reef's health.

2014年，澳大利亚受到警告称正考虑将大堡礁列入濒危名录。该国有时间制定一项被称为大堡礁2050的长期计划来改善大堡礁的健康状况。

But the committee said this week that that plan "requires stronger and clearer" steps toward fighting the effects of climate change.

但是该委员会本周表示，该计划“需要采取更强硬和更明确的措施来应对气候变化的影响。”

1 ascertained   

v.弄清，确定，查明( ascertain的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The previously unidentified objects have now been definitely ascertained as being satellites. 原来所说的不明飞行物现在已证实是卫星。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I ascertained that she was dead. 我断定她已经死了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 bleaching   

漂白法，漂白

参考例句：

• Moderately weathered rock showed more intense bleaching and fissuring in the feldspars. 中等风化岩石则是指长石有更为强烈的变白现象和裂纹现象。
• Bleaching effects are very strong and show on air photos. 退色效应非常强烈，并且反映在航空象片上。

3 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

4 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。

5 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。