2007年VOA标准英语-Bush Says Fight Against Global Warming Must Not

By Scott Stearns
White House
28 September 2007

President Bush says the challenges of global climate change are best addressed by each nation making its own choices about reducing emissions¹. VOA White House correspondent Scott Stearns reports, that is in marked contrast to the United Nations, which wants cuts in greenhouse gases to be mandatory².

In a bid to rally support for his proposal, President Bush brought together officials from most of the world's largest polluters to set goals for reducing greenhouse gases.

The two-day conference at the U.S. State Department is designed to improve cooperation with private industry on new technologies and set strategies for beyond 2012, when the current Kyoto protocol³ on climate change expires.

More than 160 nations ratified⁴ that agreement. But not the United States because President Bush says Kyoto would have hurt the U.S. economy and does not include emissions from developing nations.

Mr. Bush told the conference Friday that the United States takes the issue of climate change seriously, and will do its part to cooperate on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

"By working together, we will set wise and effective policies," he said. "That is what I am interested in: effective policies. I want to get the job done. We have identified a problem. Let us go solve it together."

More than a dozen nations responsible for four-fifths of the world's pollution took part in the conference, including the United States, China, and India. Those three governments oppose mandatory controls on carbon dioxide sought by most European countries and the United Nations.

While America shares U.N. goals to address climate change, President Bush says individual countries must be free to strike their own balance between economic growth and environmental protection.

"Each nation will design its own separate strategies for making progress toward achieving this long-term goal," he said. "These strategies will reflect each country's different energy resources, different stages of development, and different economic needs."

The meeting in Washington followed one held Monday in New York, hosted by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, which President Bush did not attend. The U.N. chief says the nature and magnitude of climate change means no nation can address the challenge on its own.

"This is precisely⁵ the kind of global challenge that the United Nations is best suited to address," he said. "Indeed, I am gratified by the universal recognition that the United Nations climate process is the appropriate forum⁶ for negotiating global action. At the same time, I share the dismay of many at the slow progress of these negotiations⁷."

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says the Washington conference is meant to support the next round of U.N. talks on climate change in Indonesia in December.

President Bush proposed an international fund to pay for research into clean-energy technologies and to help developing nations harness those technologies to reduce emissions.

1 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。

2 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。

3 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。

4 ratified   

v.批准，签认（合约等）( ratify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The treaty was declared invalid because it had not been ratified. 条约没有得到批准，因此被宣布无效。
• The treaty was ratified by all the member states. 这个条约得到了所有成员国的批准。

5 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

6 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

7 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。