VOA常速英语2007年-Climate Change Conference in Bali Officially Ki

By Chad Bouchard
Jakarta
17 December 2007

Discussions over the aims and timing¹ of a new global climate change treaty have wrapped up in Bali after two weeks of often turbulent bargaining. The next step will be two years of negotiations² over the new treaty itself, which will become a successor to the Kyoto Protocol³ on climate change. As Chad Bouchard reports from Jakarta, thousands of delegates took part in the United Nations-sponsored conference, to discuss the man-made emissions⁵ that most scientists believe are changing the earth's climate.

After an unscheduled 13th day of debate, Indonesian Environment Minister Rachmat Witoelar, concluded the talks in Bali Saturday with a bang of his gavel.

"I declare the conference of the parties at its 13th session to be adjourned," he announced.

The talks were held up in their final hours over subjects that will certainly be debated long and hard before a new climate change treaty is enacted⁶: the question of specific targets for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, and whether rich countries will pay developing nations to help them rein⁷ in their emissions.

The so-called "road map" that came out of the Bali conference was deliberately⁸ vague on both questions, leaving hard work ahead for the negotiators.

Still, the Bali road map has successfully put into motion two years of negotiations on a new international agreement to fight global warming.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon had urged the 10,000 delegates gathered in Bali from 190 countries to act fast.

"This is the moral challenge of our generation," he noted⁹. "Not only are the eyes of the world upon us. More important, succeeding generations depend on us. We cannot rob our children of their future."

Ban said an agreement limiting emissions should be comprehensive, and should enlist¹⁰ the participation¹¹ of both poor and wealthy nations.

"Our atmosphere can't tell the difference between emissions from an Asian factory, the exhaust from a North American SUV, or deforestation in South America or Africa," he said.

The major topic of contention¹² was whether emission⁴ reduction targets should be included in the Bali road map, or whether they should be agreed on between now and the end of 2009.

Scientists say that in order to avert¹³ the worst effects of global warming, average world temperatures must not be allowed to rise more than two degrees over what they were in pre-industrial times.

In order to reach that goal, countries and environmentalists led by the European Union wanted the road map to specify¹⁴ sharp reductions in emissions: by the year 2020, they wanted emissions to be 25 to 40 percent lower than they were in 1990.

A group led by the United States, and including Canada, Japan and Saudi Arabia, strenuously¹⁵ opposed including concrete reduction targets.

In the final days of the conference, the EU-U.S. debate grew heated. Delegates said the U.S. was obstructing¹⁶ the talks. Portuguese¹⁷ Environment Minister Humberto Rosa had a "clear and sharp message" to deliver to Washington.

"We very much welcome the engagement of the U.S., even the leadership that President Bush has said he wants the U.S. to have on climate change," he said. "But the problem is we cannot here in Bali just state it, just the words of engagement and leadership and ambition or urgency. We must understand, what does that mean?"

U.S. delegation¹⁸ member James Connaughton, the chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, replied that those insisting on specific numbers in the road map were the ones doing the real obstructing.

"That in itself is a blocking effort," he said. "We need to free up this conversation so we can have the deliberation to buy as much consensus¹⁹ and as much collective, constructive²⁰ engagement as we can. That will provide a lasting²¹ and agreed outcome when we reach the end of this process in 2009."

There was talk of issuing the road map without U.S. support, but it was argued that a climate change effort without the participation of the U.S., one of the top emitters of greenhouse gases in the world, would be meaningless. A compromise was reached in which emissions targets were made into a footnote at the end of the document.

The road map does call for global man-made emissions to peak in the next 15 years, and for emission levels recorded in 2000 to be cut in half by 2050. It also promotes a plan enabling wealthy countries to pay poor countries to keep remaining forests intact.

Deforestation accounts for at least 20 percent of the world's carbon emissions, according to the U.N. A number of plans for halting the destruction of forest have been put forward, including one called REDD: Reduced Emissions from Deforestation in Developing Countries.

At the conference, World Bank President Robert Zoellick announced a $300 million pilot program to put the REDD program into action.

"The Kyoto treaty did not recognize emissions benefits of developing countries to work to reduce deforestation," he said. "So this pilot can show the benefit of including such activities in the new agreement to be negotiated."

Convention delegates agreed on how to manage the Adaptation Fund, which is financed from carbon trading markets sponsored by the U.N. The fund will help developing nations adapt to the effects of global warming, such as flooding and drought.

Negotiators also agreed to transfer more clean energy technologies from developed countries to other nations.

Further conferences to discuss the new climate pact²² are scheduled for Warsaw next year, and Copenhagen in 2009.

1 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

2 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。

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 emission   

n.发出物，散发物；发出，散发

参考例句：

• Rigorous measures will be taken to reduce the total pollutant emission.采取严格有力措施，降低污染物排放总量。
• Finally,the way to effectively control particulate emission is pointed out.最后，指出有效降低颗粒排放的方向。

5 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。

6 enacted   

制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• legislation enacted by parliament 由议会通过的法律
• Outside in the little lobby another scene was begin enacted. 外面的小休息室里又是另一番景象。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

7 rein   

n.疆绳，统治，支配；vt.以僵绳控制，统治

参考例句：

• The horse answered to the slightest pull on the rein.只要缰绳轻轻一拉,马就作出反应。
• He never drew rein for a moment till he reached the river.他一刻不停地一直跑到河边。

8 deliberately   

adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地

参考例句：

• The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
• They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。

9 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

10 enlist   

vt.谋取(支持等)，赢得；征募；vi.入伍

参考例句：

• They come here to enlist men for the army.他们来这儿是为了召兵。
• The conference will make further efforts to enlist the support of the international community for their just struggle. 会议必将进一步动员国际社会，支持他们的正义斗争。

11 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

12 contention   

n.争论，争辩，论战；论点，主张

参考例句：

• The pay increase is the key point of contention. 加薪是争论的焦点。
• The real bone of contention,as you know,is money.你知道，争论的真正焦点是钱的问题。

13 avert   

v.防止，避免；转移(目光、注意力等)

参考例句：

• He managed to avert suspicion.他设法避嫌。
• I would do what I could to avert it.我会尽力去避免发生这种情况。

14 specify   

vt.指定，详细说明

参考例句：

• We should specify a time and a place for the meeting.我们应指定会议的时间和地点。
• Please specify what you will do.请你详述一下你将做什么。

15 strenuously   

adv.奋发地，费力地

参考例句：

• The company has strenuously defended its decision to reduce the workforce. 公司竭力为其裁员的决定辩护。
• She denied the accusation with some warmth, ie strenuously, forcefully. 她有些激动，竭力否认这一指责。

16 obstructing   

阻塞( obstruct的现在分词 )； 堵塞； 阻碍； 阻止

参考例句：

• You can't park here, you're obstructing my driveway. 你不能在这里停车，你挡住了我家的车道。
• He was charged for obstructing the highway. 他因阻碍交通而受控告。

17 Portuguese   

n.葡萄牙人；葡萄牙语

参考例句：

• They styled their house in the Portuguese manner.他们仿照葡萄牙的风格设计自己的房子。
• Her family is Portuguese in origin.她的家族是葡萄牙血统。

18 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

19 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？

20 constructive   

adj.建设的，建设性的

参考例句：

• We welcome constructive criticism.我们乐意接受有建设性的批评。
• He is beginning to deal with his anger in a constructive way.他开始用建设性的方法处理自己的怒气。

21 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

22 pact   

n.合同，条约，公约，协定

参考例句：

• The two opposition parties made an electoral pact.那两个反对党订了一个有关选举的协定。
• The trade pact between those two countries came to an end.那两国的通商协定宣告结束。

23 override   

vt.不顾，不理睬，否决；压倒，优先于

参考例句：

• The welfare of a child should always override the wishes of its parents.孩子的幸福安康应该永远比父母的愿望来得更重要。
• I'm applying in advance for the authority to override him.我提前申请当局对他进行否决。

24 administrator   

n.经营管理者，行政官员

参考例句：

• The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
• He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。