Text 3:  Global Warming Requires a Global Solution (1)

1    The Kyoto Protocol was introduced in 1997 asa means of halting long-term climate change or “global warming” by forcingcountries to sign up to reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. It seeks toestablish an overall reduction in greenhouse gas emissions for developedcountries of 5% on 1990 levels over the next few years. Although the principleshave been accepted by many countries, some developed countries have notratified the Protocol.

2    The intergovernmental Panel on ClimateChange (IPCC) suggests that we have probably left it too late to make thechanges suggested by the Kyoto Protocol. Even if all carbon dioxide emissionsceased today, there would be ongoing climatic change and global warming leadingto effects such as rising sea levels and subsequent contamination of drinkingwater. At best, the effects will be disruptive and at worst catastrophic. Wemust act now.

3    Given the consequences of climate change, itis madness for any nation not to sign up. Those countries refusing to sign havegiven a number of reasons for this, from calling research on climate changeinto question and even going so far as to say that carbon dioxide is not apollutant! This suggests some countries are in denial about the causes andimpact of greenhouse gas emissions. However, at the same time, one of the keyreasons given by developed countries for non-ratification is that globalwarming is a global problem. Currently the Protocol hinges on developed nationssigning up to specifies reduction targets for emissions, whilst there are nosimilar requirements placed on developing countries. Effectively, the Protocoldoes not cover 80% of the world’s population and many suggest that it is notfair that this burden is borne by developed countries alone.

4    This argument must really stick in thethroat of developing countries. Having watched developed countries growing richby burning vast amounts of fossil fuel through industry, this behavior suddenlybecomes unacceptable at the point at which they are finally poised to get in onthe action. As Dr Mwandoysa, chair of the developing countries’ caucus onclimate change, points out, many developing countries cannot even afford abasic standard of living for their citizens, let alone put resources intoenvironmental programs. As he suggests, why should developing countries modifytheir behavior whilst developed countries continue with a wasteful lifestyle?Developing countries will always want to follow in the footsteps of more developedcountries. Developed countries are like parents who smoke 60 cigarettes a daybut get angry if their little children then threaten to take up the habitthemselves.

5    The sense this gives of a hollow argument isincreased when one looks at the real reasons developed countries are jumpyabout the Protocol – reluctance to offend major fossil fuel companies. Fossilfuels are big business in many of the developed countries’ economies and theirpower is such that they can influence politicians against ratifying theprotocol. Some companies have even made the ludicrous suggestion that globalwarming is actually good for the planet!

6    Industry associations in developed countriessuggest that agreeing to the Protocol would cost hundreds of thousands of jobsand there would, therefore, be a very real impact on national economies.However, objections go beyond these initial job losses. Not all developingnations are the same and whilst some are too poor to ever be seriouscompetition to the developed countries, others like China or India are justwaiting for a chance to take advantage of enforced reductions for developedcountries so that they can supersede them as an economic power. Powerful oilcompanies are clearly anxious about any threat to their market and have avested interest in making sure the Protocol is not ratified.

7    Ultimately, countries’ failure to addressgreenhouse gas emissions could mean that they shoot themselves in the foot.Long-term global warming is anticipated to cause significant climate changesand countries will have to contend with floods in their tourist centers anddroughts in their wheat belts. However, given that neither of theseconsequences will have an impact on powerful fossil fuel companies, developedcountries can justify adopting this short-term strategy of protecting theirinterests. The power of fossil fuel companies is such that they can influencedeveloped countries not to sign up to the Protocol. Developed countries aresusceptible to the influence of fossil fuel companies so if they are told notto sign up, they are likely to give way to that pressure. Given the impact thishas on us all, this is obviously unacceptable. Everybody knows we are facingclimatic meltdown. Global warming is a problem for all of us and people can’tjust opt out because it doesn’t suit them.

Activity 1: Complete or translate the followingexpressions based on the information given in the text.

Synonyms of ‘stop’: h_________,  c_________

Synonym of ‘unemployment’：_________ _________

二氧化碳排放____________    空洞苍白的争辩____________         

经济强国____________       

Activity 2: Fill in the blanks with appropriate verbs or verbphrases.

________the Protocol 批准生效      ________a burden 担负     

__________ the habit  养成习惯       ________ problems 解决

__________ pressure 屈服于压力     ________the behavior 改变

________ adopting thisstrategy 找到正当理由

Activity3:Isolate the key information from the text, then illustrate the line ofreasoning of the argument with a graphic organizer.

Active4: Evaluate the argument with the help of the evaluation sheet.

Reading Evaluation Sheet