Global warming a bigger threat to poor

全球变暖加剧贫穷 气候变化急待控制

Global warming threatens to reverse human progress, and make unachievable all UN targets to reduce poverty, according to some of the world\'s leading international and development groups.

In a report published today, Oxfam, Greenpeace, Christian Aid, Friends of the Earth, WWF and 15 other groups say rich governments must immediately address climate change to avoid even "obscene levels" of worldwide poverty.

"Food production, water supplies, public health and people\'s livelihoods are already being damaged and undermined," the report says. "There is no either/or approach possible. The world must meet its commitments to achieve poverty reduction and also tackle climate change. The two are inextricably linked."

The report, which draws on UN predictions of the effects of climate change in poor countries over the next 50 years, says poor countries will experience more flooding, declining food production, more disease and the deterioration or extinction of entire ecosystems on which many of the world\'s poorest people depend.

"Climate change needs to be addressed now. The poor will bear the brunt of the impacts. The frontline experience of many of us working in international development indicates that communities are having to combat more extreme weather conditions."

Climate change will play havoc with agriculture and water supplies and will increase diseases. "By 2025 the proportion of the world\'s population living in countries of significant water stress will almost double, to 6 billion people. Tropical and sub-tropical areas will be hardest hit - those countries already suffering from food insecurity".

Poor communities mostly do not need hi-tech solutions, but would most benefit from education, research and being shown how to farm better. The report says unchecked global warming, more than wars or political upheaval, will displace millions of people and destabilise many countries.
 
(Agencies)

据全球主要的国际发展组织推测，全球变暖不但威胁着人类发展的进程，有可能使之倒退，而且联合国所有减少贫穷的目标和计划都将无法实现。

在今天（10月20日）发布的一份报告中，英国牛津救济委员会、“绿色和平”组织、基督徒互援会、“地球之友”组织、世界野生动物基金组织以及其他15个团体和组织共同表示，财力富足的政府必须立即致力于改变日益恶化的气候条件，以免全球范围内的贫穷上升到无法忍受的程度。

报告称：“粮食生产、水供应、公共卫生和人们的生活已经遭到破坏。想找一个‘非此即彼\'的办法是不可能的。整个世界必须履行承诺，在减少贫穷的同时解决气候变化问题。二者的联系是难解难分的。”

该报告引用了联合国对未来50年中气候变化对贫穷国家可能带来影响的预测，报告指出那些比较贫穷的国家将面临更多的困难，包括愈演愈烈的洪灾，不断衰减的粮食生产，疾病的威胁以及整个生态系统的退化甚至消失，而这却是世界上许多最穷苦的人们赖以生存的环境。

“气候的变化现在必须提上日程了。穷人将承受气候恶化带来的冲击。对致力于世界发展的大多数人来说，最直接的经验告诉我们，这个社会已经不得不与更极端的天气情况做斗争了。”

气候变化对于农业和水供应将是一场浩劫，还会增加疾病发生率。“到2025年，世界上许多国家都将承受巨大的供水压力，而生活在这些国家的人口数几乎将翻倍，上升为60亿人。热带和亚热带地区的情况将是最严峻的，那些国家现在已经面临着食品短缺。”

对贫穷的社会来说，它们几乎不需要高科技的解决方案，但是教育、科研以及如何更好地耕作的展示将使它们受益最多。报告称，尚未得到抑制的全球变暖比战争和政变更可怕，它将迫使数百万人口迁移，动摇很多国家的安定局面。

（中国日报网站译）

Vocabulary:

obscene: offensive or repulsive to the senses; loathsome（污秽的，令人讨厌的）

livelihood: the financial means whereby one lives（生计，生存手段）

inextricable: not permitting extrication; incapable of being disentangled or untied（无法解脱的, 逃脱不掉的, 解不开的）

havoc : widespread destruction; devastation（大范围的破坏；浩劫）