2007年VOA标准英语-World's Biggest Polluters Gather for Climate Ch

By Scott Stearns
White House
27 September 2007

The Bush administration has brought together most of the world's largest polluters for talks on confronting global climate change. VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns has the story.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice opened the meeting of officials from 17 nations responsible for four-fifths of the world's pollution, among them the United States, China, and India.

 

She said global leaders must forge a new international consensus¹ to address the daunting² challenge of climate change.

"We all represent many different interests and opinions," said Rice, "but ultimately we need to answer just one fundamental question: what kind of world do we wish to inhabit, and what kind of world do we intend to pass on to future generations?"

The United States, China and India oppose mandatory³ cuts in greenhouse gases sought by most European countries and the United Nations.

Earlier this week, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon convened⁴ an unprecedented⁵ summit conference on climate change, aimed at setting the stage for a U.N. conference in Indonesia later this year. Mr. Ban said he believes many industrialized countries are ready to commit to deeper reductions of carbon dioxide and other gas emissions⁶.

Secretary Rice said Thursday that the United States supports U.N. goals for climate change but does not believe there is a "one-size-fits-all" approach to balancing economic growth and environmental protection.

"Every country will make its own decisions, reflecting its own needs and its own interests, its own sources of energy and its own domestic environment," she said. "Though united by common goals and collective responsibilities, all nations should tackle global climate change in the ways they deem best."

In the United States, Rice says President Bush is working to reduce gasoline consumption, improve vehicle efficiency, and encourage the development and use of alternative fuels.

Rice says the current system is no longer sustainable, and simply managing the status quo is not an adequate response because the present path forces the world to make what she says is an unacceptable choice.

"Either we sacrifice global economic growth to secure the health of our planet or we sacrifice the health of our planet to continue with fossil-fueled growth," she said. "This is a choice that we must refuse to make."

Rice says the two-day conference in Washington hopes to agree on long-term goals for greenhouse gas reductions and greater cooperation with private industry on setting new strategies for beyond 2012, when the current Kyoto protocol⁷ on climate change expires.

President Bush opposes the Kyoto protocol which was signed by more than 160 nations. He says it would hurt the U.S. economy and does not include emerging economies. Mr. Bush is expected to address the meeting Friday.

1 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

2 daunting   

adj.使人畏缩的

参考例句：

• They were faced with the daunting task of restoring the house.他们面临着修复房子的艰巨任务。
• Starting a new job can be a daunting prospect.开始一项新工作有时会让人望而却步。

3 mandatory   

adj.命令的；强制的；义务的；n.受托者

参考例句：

• It's mandatory to pay taxes.缴税是义务性的。
• There is no mandatory paid annual leave in the U.S.美国没有强制带薪年假。

4 convened   

召开( convene的过去式 )； 召集； （为正式会议而）聚集； 集合

参考例句：

• The chairman convened the committee to put the issue to a vote. 主席召集委员们开会对这个问题进行表决。
• The governor convened his troops to put down the revolt. 总督召集他的部队去镇压叛乱。

5 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

6 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。

7 protocol   

n.议定书，草约，会谈记录，外交礼节

参考例句：

• We must observe the correct protocol.我们必须遵守应有的礼仪。
• The statesmen signed a protocol.那些政治家签了议定书。