VOA新闻杂志2024--In Congo, Drilling Leads to Worry over Pollution

　　In Congo, Drilling Leads to Worry over Pollution

　　The Democratic Republic of Congo (D.R.C.) is looking to expand operations to dig, or drill, for oil. The central African country is known for its mineral riches. Currently¹, drilling is limited to just a small area along the Atlantic Ocean and out in the water. But that is expected to change if the government carries out its plan to sell 30 pieces of land for oil and gas exploration across the country.

　　Leaders say the plan will grow the economy. They say such growth is necessary for the poor people of Congo. But communities, rights groups, and environmentalist groups warn that expanded drilling will harm the environment and human health.

　　In the Moanda area of the D.R.C., locals say pollution has worsened since a French company began drilling there in 2000. They say spills and leaks from operations are destroying the soil. The work includes "flaring²" --- the burning of natural gas near drilling sites. Locals report that the flaring is dirtying the air they breathe. Flaring is also wasteful³ as the energy goes unused.

　　Children sit inside a fishing boat outside a mangrove⁴ in Kimpozia village, one of the areas auctioned⁵ for oil drilling, in Moanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Monday, Dec. 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)Children sit inside a fishing boat outside a mangrove in Kimpozia village, one of the areas auctioned for oil drilling, in Moanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Monday, Dec. 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)And, critics say, the Congolese government does not supervise⁶ the oil drilling operations well enough.

　　The company, Perenco, says it follows accepted international measures in its extraction methods. It said its operation does not create health risks and that any pollution it causes is low-level. The company also said it offered to support a power plant that would make use of the natural gas and reduce flaring that way.

　　The government did not respond to questions about the proposed plant.

　　Congo's minister overseeing oil and gas, Didier Budimbu, said the government plans to protect the environment.

　　Natural areas in Congo, including the Congo Basin rainforest, capture large amounts of carbon dioxide – about 1.5 billion tons a year, or about 3 percent of what the world produces each year. More than 12 of the extraction areas for sale include land in government-protected wild areas.

　　The government said the 27 properties for sale hold an estimated 22 billion barrels of oil. Environmental groups say that selling more land to drill would have harmful effects in the D.R.C. and in other countries.

　　"Any new oil and gas project, anywhere in the world, is fueling the climate and nature crisis⁸ that we're in," said Mbong Akiy Fokwa Tsafak, program director for Greenpeace Africa. She said Perenco's operations have done nothing in respect to the poor and instead harm the environment and the lives of communities.

　　Environmentalists say Congo has a strong possibility to instead develop renewable energy.

　　Budimbu said now is not the time to move away from fossil⁹ fuels when the country still depends on them. He said the D.R.C. will move away from fossil fuel dependency over the long term.

　　Perenco has faced criticism for years. Local researchers, aid groups, and Congo's Senate have made multiple reports of pollution dating back more than ten years. Two organizations, Sherpa and Friends of the Earth France, opened a legal action against the company in 2022, accusing Perenco of polluting.

　　Adore¹⁰ Ngaka's lives in the village of Tshiende. Oil drills can be seen up the road from his home. Ngaka says they remind him every day of all that he has lost. The extraction processes have polluted the soil, hurt his crops, and forced the family to use all their savings¹¹ to survive, he said.

　　He pointed¹² to an ear of corn he grew. The 27-year-old farmer said the vegetable is about half the size of those that grew before the drilling began ten years ago.

　　He said, "It's bringing us to poverty."

　　I'm Caty Weaver¹³.

　　Sam Mednick reported this story for The Associated Press. 

drill – v. to try to get oil or water by digging through land or sea bed

extract⁷ – v. to remove or obtain a substance from something, for example by using an industrial or a chemical process

barrel – n. the contents of or the amount contained in a barrel; a unit of measurement in the oil industry equal to between 120 and 159 litres

fossil fuel – n. fuel such as coal or oil that was formed over millions of years from parts of dead animals or plants

1 currently   

adv.通常地，普遍地，当前

参考例句：

• Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
• Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。

2 flaring   

a.火焰摇曳的，过份艳丽的

参考例句：

• A vulgar flaring paper adorned the walls. 墙壁上装饰着廉价的花纸。
• Goebbels was flaring up at me. 戈塔尔当时已对我面呈愠色。

3 wasteful   

adj.（造成）浪费的，挥霍的

参考例句：

• It is a shame to be so wasteful.这样浪费太可惜了。
• Duties have been reassigned to avoid wasteful duplication of work.为避免重复劳动浪费资源，任务已经重新分派。

4 mangrove   

n.(植物)红树，红树林

参考例句：

• It is the world's largest tidal mangrove forest.它是世界上最大的红树林沼泽地。
• Many consider this the most beautiful mangrove forest in all Thailand.许多人认为这里是全泰国最美丽的红树林了。

5 auctioned   

v.拍卖( auction的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• It was sad to see all grandmother's lovely things being auctioned off. 眼看着祖母那些可爱的东西全都被拍卖掉，心里真不好受。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• TV franchises will be auctioned to the highest bidder. 电视特许经营权将拍卖给出价最高的投标人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 supervise   

v.监督，管理，指导

参考例句：

• We must supervise and speed up the fulfilment of assigned tasks.已经布置了的工作，应当认真督促检查。
• Tomorrow he will supervise all the pupils taking the English examination.明天全体学生考英语，他将担任监考。

7 extract   

vt.取出，提取，获得，摘录；n.摘录，提出物

参考例句：

• The article was a choice extract from her writings.这篇文章是从她的著作中摘录出来的精粹。
• We can extract oil from olive.我们可以从橄榄中榨油。

8 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

9 fossil   

n.化石，食古不化的人，老顽固

参考例句：

• At this distance of time it is difficult to date the fossil.时间隔得这么久了，很难确定这化石的年代。
• The man is a fossil.那人是个老顽固。

10 adore   

vt.崇拜，敬慕，爱慕，非常喜欢

参考例句：

• People adore him for his noble character.人们因他的高贵品质而敬爱他。
• I would adore to settle back homeland.我非常喜欢回家乡定居。

11 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

12 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

13 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。