VOA常速英语2008年-Australia Officially Joins Kyoto Club

By Phil Mercer
Sydney
11 March 2008

Australia has ratified¹ its acceptance of the Kyoto Protocol² on climate change. The new government elected last year made signing the emissions³-limiting accord its first act. From Sydney, Phil Mercer reports.

The Kyoto Protocol on reducing greenhouse gas emissions formally went into effect Tuesday in Australia. Environmentalists and other activists⁴ had long pushed the Canberra government to ratify⁵ the accord, which they say could help protect the continent from the effects of global warming.

Iconic national natural treasures such as the Great Barrier Reef are considered vulnerable to warming temperatures. The government of former Prime Minister John Howard did not signed the accord because of concerns that it would harm the economy and because it does not require large developing nations with rapidly expanding economies, such as China and India, to cut emissions.

The government of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd reversed that policy when it took office in November and is working internationally to develop a framework to replace Kyoto when it expires in 2012. Mr. Rudd wants to establish a domestic carbon emissions trading system and wants 20 percent of Australia's energy to come from renewable sources by 2020.

Mr. Rudd told parliament Tuesday that "confronting climate change is the challenge of our generation."

Senator Bob Brown from the Greens party says Australians are demanding tough action to protect the environment.

"The opinion polls [are] showing massive support for not just the Kyoto Protocol but for much greater measures to tackle climate change," he said. "It's a milestone⁶ that we've joined the community of nations and hopefully we'll move back to the front again in searching for a global compact which is going to address the biggest single human-made threat facing our global community into the future, and that's climate change."

Experts say Australia has a long way to go to bolster⁷ its green credentials⁸. The country's reliance on cheap coal has made it one of the world's worst greenhouse gas polluters per capita.

Many scientists think greenhouse gases produced by burning coal, oil and other carbon fuels, have contributed to warming temperatures around the globe. Environmental groups have called on Australia to go beyond its target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 60 percent from 2000 levels before 2050.

Australia's ratification⁹ of the Kyoto Protocol leaves the United States as the only major developed country that has refused to sign the global accord.

1 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。

2 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。

3 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。

4 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》

5 ratify   

v.批准，认可，追认

参考例句：

• The heads of two governments met to ratify the peace treaty.两国政府首脑会晤批准和平条约。
• The agreement have to be ratify by the board.该协议必须由董事会批准。

6 milestone   

n.里程碑；划时代的事件

参考例句：

• The film proved to be a milestone in the history of cinema.事实证明这部影片是电影史上的一个里程碑。
• I think this is a very important milestone in the relations between our two countries.我认为这是我们两国关系中一个十分重要的里程碑。

7 bolster   

n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励

参考例句：

• The high interest rates helped to bolster up the economy.高利率使经济更稳健。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

8 credentials   

n.证明，资格，证明书，证件

参考例句：

• He has long credentials of diplomatic service.他的外交工作资历很深。
• Both candidates for the job have excellent credentials.此项工作的两个求职者都非常符合资格。

9 ratification   

n.批准，认可

参考例句：

• The treaty is awaiting ratification.条约正等待批准。
• The treaty is subject to ratification.此条约经批准后才能生效。