22 November, 2013

From VOA Learning English, this is In The News.

Delegates from nearly 200 countries have spent the past two weeks in Warsaw, Poland. More than 9,000 representatives gathered for a United Nations conference on climate change. Organizers called the meeting to work toward a treaty to fight rising temperatures on our planet. The treaty would be signed in 2015 and take effect after 2020.

Several environmental groups walked out of the climate talks earlier this week. They were protesting what they considered a lack of progress towards a deal to limit carbon dioxide and other global warming emissions. Studies have shown links between such gases and the rise in temperatures.

In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency is leading government efforts to fight climate change. The agency just ended a series of public hearings across the country. The EPA was seeking comments as it considers tightening clean air rules for coal-burning power plants.

America's 1,000 coal-burning power plants supply 40 percent of the nation's electricity. The plants are responsible for one-third of the global warming emissions. The Obama Climate Action Plan has promised to cut the production of such gases.

Mitch McConnell is the leader of the Republican Party in the United States Senate. He spoke at the EPA hearing in support of his home state of Kentucky, which is a major coal producer.

"By now it is clear that this administration and your agency have declared a war on coal. For Kentucky, this means a war on jobs and on our state's economy."

Brian Patton also spoke at the EPA hearing. Mr. Patton comes from a long line of Kentucky coal mine workers. Today he is president of James River Coal Service. His company has dismissed 725 workers over the past six months. He fears that new rules could bring even greater hardship to an area that is already economically depressed.

"Understand, these are communities of just 1,000, 2,000, 3,000 people. And when you have that type of an economic impact due to regulations that come from Washington, DC -- that have very little understanding of what the outcome is for the local folks, for folks that get up and go to work every day and what that impact will be for their families in the future, and that's wrong."

David Doniger is a climate policy expert with the Natural Resources Defense Council, one of the nation's largest environmental groups. He says it is the duty of the EPA to control carbon as a pollutant. He wants the agency to establish new rules that would move the United States toward a cleaner energy environment.

"No one is proposing standards that would knock out all those power plants. We're talking about a shift from the dirtier ones to the cleaner ones, and from all those fossil fuel-powered ones towards renewable and even nuclear sources of energy."

He says the government is responsible for protecting clean air, not protecting old and dirty power stations.

"That's the only way that we can continue to have the way of life we want without running into the wall on climate change impacts, which in turn will come back and destroy the quality of life we have."

The EPA is now considering comments from the nationwide hearings. The agency plans to announce proposed rule changes in June.

And that's In the News from VOA Learning English. I'm Steve Ember.

From VOA Learning English, this is In The News.

这里是美国之音慢速英语新闻报道。

Delegates from nearly 200 countries have spent the past two weeks in Warsaw, Poland. More than 9,000 representatives gathered for a United Nations conference on climate change. Organizers called the meeting to work toward a treaty to fight rising temperatures on our planet. The treaty would be signed in 2015 and take effect after 2020.

来自近二百个国家的九千多名代表过去两周齐聚波兰华沙，参加联合国气候变化大会。主办方称这次会议致力于对抗全球变暖的条约。该条约将于2015年签署，并于2020年后正式生效。

Several environmental groups walked out of the climate talks earlier this week. They were protesting what they considered a lack of progress towards a deal to limit carbon dioxide and other global warming emissions. Studies have shown links between such gases and the rise in temperatures.

多个环保团体本周早些时候在气候谈判会场外散步，抗议限制二氧化碳等温室气体排放协议缺乏进展。研究表明，二氧化碳和温度上升两者之间存在联系。

In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency is leading government efforts to fight climate change. The agency just ended a series of public hearings across the country. The EPA was seeking comments as it considers tightening clean air rules for coal-burning power plants.

在美国，环境保护署负责政府应对气候变化的举措。该机构刚刚结束了一系列在全国各地举行的公众听证会，他们是在征求意见，该机构正考虑收紧燃煤电厂的清洁空气条例。

America's 1,000 coal-burning power plants supply 40 percent of the nation's electricity. The plants are responsible for one-third of the global warming emissions. The Obama Climate Action Plan has promised to cut the production of such gases.

美国的一千家燃煤电厂提供了全国40%的电力。这些电厂要对三分之一的温室气体排放负责。奥巴马气候行动计划承诺要减少这类气体的产生。

Mitch McConnell is the leader of the Republican Party in the United States Senate. He spoke at the EPA hearing in support of his home state of Kentucky, which is a major coal producer.

米切·麦康奈尔(Mitch McConnell)是美国参议院的共和党领袖。他在环保署听证会上发表讲话，以支持他的家乡肯塔基州，这是一个重要的煤炭生产地。

“By now it is clear that this administration and your agency have declared a war on coal. For Kentucky, this means a war on jobs and on our state's economy.”

麦康奈尔说，“现在很清楚，本届政府和环保署已经对煤炭宣战。对肯塔基州而言，这意味着一场针对就业和该州经济的战争。”

Brian Patton also spoke at the EPA hearing. Mr. Patton comes from a long line of Kentucky coal mine workers. Today he is president of James River Coal Service. His company has dismissed 725 workers over the past six months. He fears that new rules could bring even greater hardship to an area that is already economically depressed.

布莱恩·巴顿也在环保署听证会上做了发言。巴顿先生来自一个肯塔基煤矿工人世家。如今他是詹姆斯河煤矿服务公司的总裁，该公司在过去6个月已经解雇725名员工。他担心，新条例会给这个已经经济不景气的领域带来更大的困难。

“Understand, these are communities of just 1,000, 2,000, 3,000 people. And when you have that type of an economic impact due to regulations that come from Washington, DC -- that have very little understanding of what the outcome is for the local folks, for folks that get up and go to work every day and what that impact will be for their families in the future, and that’s wrong.”

巴顿先生说，“你要明白，这里有着一千，两千，三千人的社区。由于出自华盛顿特区的法规，经济会受到影响，而华盛顿的那些人并不懂得其结果对当地人，对天天起床去上班的这些人意味着什么，也不懂得将来对他们的家人有什么影响，这是不对的。”

David Doniger is a climate policy expert with the Natural Resources Defense Council, one of the nation’s largest environmental groups. He says it is the duty of the EPA to control carbon as a pollutant. He wants the agency to establish new rules that would move the United States toward a cleaner energy environment.

David Doniger是美国最大的环保团体--美国自然资源保护委员会的气候政策专家。他说，环保署的职责就是控制碳污染物。他希望该机构制定新规则将美国带到一个更加清洁的能源环境。

“No one is proposing standards that would knock out all those power plants. We’re talking about a shift from the dirtier ones to the cleaner ones, and from all those fossil fuel-powered ones towards renewable and even nuclear sources of energy.”

他说，“没人提出淘汰所有这些电厂的标准，我们谈的是从更脏到更清洁的转移，从化石燃料为动力的电厂转向可再生能源，甚至是核能源。”

He says the government is responsible for protecting clean air, not protecting old and dirty power stations.

他说，政府有责任保护清洁空气，而不是?；び志捎衷嗟姆⒌缯尽?/p>

“That’s the only way that we can continue to have the way of life we want without running into the wall on climate change impacts, which in turn will come back and destroy the quality of life we have.”

他说，这是我们继续我们生活方式，在气候变化影响上不撞墙的唯一途径。如果撞墙，它反过来会破坏我们现有的生活质量。”

The EPA is now considering comments from the nationwide hearings. The agency plans to announce proposed rule changes in June.

环保署正在考虑来自全国范围听证会的意见。该机构计划在明年6月宣布拟议的条例变化。