VOA标准英语2010年-No Clear Consensus at International Cl

United Nations talks on climate change are nearing a close with no clear consensus¹ yet in sight. The meeting is aimed at laying the groundwork for progress at a major climate change meeting in Mexico later this year.

While many of the negotiators for a global climate change accord consider it a pressing issue, there is less agreement on how to share the burden of tackling the problem.

Last year, the international community failed to reach an agreement that included legally binding² emissions³ reductions at a high-profile meeting in Copenhagen.

Precursor⁴ to Cancun meeting

This week's meeting in the Chinese port city of Tianjin is the precursor to the world's next big attempt, at Cancun, Mexico, later this year.

Jake Schmidt is with the U.S. environmental group, National Resources Defense⁵ Council. He says some countries in recent days appear to be stalling, by raising questions about procedural, rather than substantive⁶ issues, which could hamper⁷ efforts to produce a deal in Cancun.

"Instead of trying to produce a text which incorporated every single element that we could possibly envision, the chair proposed a set of, effectively, bullet points, that said here are the things that I think we can legitimately⁸ agree to in Cancun," Schmidt said. "And obviously there are going to be some things off that list. And the Chinese, Saudi Arabia and others, questioned whether or not the chair had the ability to do that."

Foundation for agreement

Schmidt says as of Thursday, he is pessimistic that this week's meeting will, in his words, "lay the foundation" for an agreement in Cancun

He says many countries appear to be ready to agree to things like reforestation efforts and technology adaptation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But they are not ready to agree on what he described as "the tougher things."

"Like whether or not they're going to formalize their international commitments, their commitments to reduce emissions, and whether or not they're going to agree to a set of transparency provisions," Schmidt added.

Causes

Greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide released by burning fuels such as oil and coal, are thought to contribute to global warming.

One of the big sticking points is whether there should be binding targets to reduce emissions. Although China has overtaken the United States to become the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases, Beijing refuses to commit to targets because it says it is still a developing nation.

Solutions

Earlier in the week, Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo told the conference one of his country's top priorities is to develop the economy.

Dai says China's ability to control greenhouse gas emissions faces great pressure. He says the speed of industrialization and urbanization in the country is still quickening, which means its energy demand will also increase.

Delegates from nearly 200 countries began their meeting in Tianjin on Monday. The talks end Saturday
 

1 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？

2 binding   

有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的

参考例句：

• The contract was not signed and has no binding force. 合同没有签署因而没有约束力。
• Both sides have agreed that the arbitration will be binding. 双方都赞同仲裁具有约束力。

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 precursor   

n.先驱者；前辈；前任；预兆；先兆

参考例句：

• Error is often the precursor of what is correct.错误常常是正确的先导。
• He said that the deal should not be seen as a precursor to a merger.他说该笔交易不应该被看作是合并的前兆。

5 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

6 substantive   

adj.表示实在的；本质的、实质性的；独立的；n.实词，实名词；独立存在的实体

参考例句：

• They plan to meet again in Rome very soon to begin substantive negotiations.他们计划不久在罗马再次会晤以开始实质性的谈判。
• A president needs substantive advice,but he also requires emotional succor. 一个总统需要实质性的建议，但也需要感情上的支持。

7 hamper   

vt.妨碍，束缚，限制；n.(有盖的)大篮子

参考例句：

• There are some apples in a picnic hamper.在野餐用的大篮子里有许多苹果。
• The emergence of such problems seriously hamper the development of enterprises.这些问题的出现严重阻碍了企业的发展。

8 legitimately   

ad.合法地；正当地，合理地

参考例句：

• The radio is legitimately owned by the company. 该电台为这家公司所合法拥有。
• She looked for nothing save what might come legitimately and without the appearance of special favour. 她要的并不是男人们的额外恩赐，而是合法正当地得到的工作。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹