VOA标准英语2008年-Developing Nations Discuss Ways to Fight Climat

The delegates at the U.N. conference on climate change in Ghana say they are pleased with the progress made after a week of negotiations¹. Brent Latham reports from our West Africa bureau in Dakar, the parties hope to shape a new global environmental regime to further incorporate African countries in the fight against global warming.

The U.N.-sponsored meeting in Accra was one in a series aimed at forging a deal to replace the Kyoto protocol², which expires at the end of 2012, and was never fully³ embraced.

The process has sped up, and parties have become more serious about reaching an agreement, said executive secretary of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change. Yvo de Boer said that time is running out to come to reach an accord on climate change, and that he witnessed a growing sense of urgency at the conference.

Developing countries demonstrated initiative this week, says Keya Chatterjee, deputy director of the climate change program at Washington, D.C.-based World Wildlife Fund.

"What we have seen is the emerging economies and developing countries that have been taking the lead. It has been really interesting to watch," said Chatterjee. "Many developing countries have come to the table with specific targets, with national action plans on climate change."

Countries designated by the Kyoto accord as developing are not required to reduce emissions⁴ of greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. A major issue in the negotiations for the new environmental deal is how to incorporate developing countries into the fight against climate change without hampering⁵ their economic growth. Negotiators are also considering ways to reward countries that avoid deforestation.

Chatterjee says it is important that developing countries are becoming more involved in the global fight against climate change, which can have adverse⁶ effects on agricultural outputs.

"In poor countries there is less adaptive capacity, and there is more vulnerability, so when food supplies are affected⁷, for example, it is harder for a poorer country to be resilient to that, to find alternative food sources," added Chatterjee.

U.N. representative De Boer said that the new framework should be designed partially⁸ to lead to more investments in Africa. He said Africa was at risk of, "becoming the forgotten continent in the context of the fight against climate change."

Some West African leaders have said their countries are already feeling the effects of climate change. In the opening address to the conference, Ghanaian President John Kufuor said his country had suffered increased drought and flooding in recent years due to global warming.

African environmental leaders will meet again in early September in Dakar for the first Africa Carbon Forum⁹. They will discuss ways to improve financial compensation for African projects that help reduce global warming by avoiding carbon emissions. A global ministerial meeting on climate change has been scheduled by the U.N. for early December in Poland.

1 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。

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 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

4 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。

5 hampering   

妨碍，束缚，限制( hamper的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• So fraud on cows and development aid is seriously hampering growth. 因此在牛问题上和发展补助上的诈骗严重阻碍了发展。
• Short-termism, carbon-trading, disputing the science-are hampering the implementation of direct economically-led objectives. 短效主义，出售二氧化碳，进行科学辩论，这些都不利于实现以经济为主导的直接目标。

6 adverse   

adj.不利的；有害的；敌对的，不友好的

参考例句：

• He is adverse to going abroad.他反对出国。
• The improper use of medicine could lead to severe adverse reactions.用药不当会产生严重的不良反应。

7 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

8 partially   

adv.部分地，从某些方面讲

参考例句：

• The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
• The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静，宵禁部分解除。

9 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。