2023年03月23日 VOA慢速英语：联合国称四分之一的人没有安全的饮用水

 

The United Nations said 26 percent of the world's population does not have safe drinking water in a report released Tuesday.
联合国在周二发布的一份报告中表示，世界上 26% 的人口没有安全的饮用水。
 
The U.N. World Water Development Report 2023's release comes at the start of a three-day meeting on water resources and usage in New York City.
联合国 2023 年世界水资源开发报告的发布是在纽约市为期三天的水资源和使用会议开始之际。
 
Richard Connor is the main editor of the report. He told reporters at the release that the estimated cost of meeting the U.N.'s goals for water is between $600 billion and $1 trillion.
理查德·康纳 (Richard Connor) 是该报告的主编。他在发布会上告诉记者，实现联合国水资源目标的估计成本在 6000 亿美元到 1 万亿美元之间。
 
Connor said it was just as important to develop partnerships with investors, financiers, governments and climate change groups. These forms of cooperation, Connor said, would ensure that the money spent would provide drinkable water to 2 billion people who do not have it and sanitation to 3.6 billion who lack it.
康纳表示，与投资者、金融家、政府和气候变化组织建立伙伴关系同样重要。康纳说，这些形式的合作将确保所花的钱能够为 20 亿没有饮用水的人提供饮用水，并为 36 亿缺乏卫生设施的人提供卫生设施。
 
The report warns that water use around the world is growing one percent a year "and is expected to grow at a similar rate to 2050…"
该报告警告说，世界各地的用水量每年增长 1%，“预计到 2050 年将以类似的速度增长……”
 
Connor said the increase in demand is happening in developing countries and emerging economies. That is because urban areas and industries are using more water.
康纳说，需求的增加正在发展中国家和新兴经济体中发生。这是因为城市地区和工业正在使用更多的水。
 
Agriculture alone, Connor said, uses 70 percent of the world's water supply and has to be better planned.
Connor 说，仅农业一项就消耗了世界 70% 的供水，因此必须进行更好的规划。
 
The report also said that seasonal lack of water will increase in Central Africa, East Asia and parts of South America. That is in addition to areas that already have water scarcity such as the Middle East and the Sahara area of Africa. The report said this is the result of temperature increases in the Earth's atmosphere.
报告还称，中非、东亚和南美洲部分地区的季节性缺水将加剧。这还不包括中东和非洲撒哈拉地区等已经缺水的地区。报道称，这是地球大气层温度升高的结果。
 
The U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is responsible for the latest water report. It said, on average, "10 percent of the global population lives in countries with high or critical water stress." And 3.5 billion people live under conditions of water stress at least one month out of the year.
联合国教科文组织负责最新的水资源报告。它说，平均而言，“全球10% 的人口生活在缺水严重或严重缺水的国家。 ” 35 亿人一年中至少有一个月生活在缺水的情况下。
 
The report also commented on weather events. It said floods in tropical areas near the Equator have increased by 2.5 times. But Connor said weather conditions involving lack of rain, or drought, were more difficult to establish. He said, "…an increase in intensity or frequency of droughts and ‘heat extremes' can be expected in most regions as a direct result of climate change."
该报告还评论了天气事件。它说赤道附近热带地区的洪水增加了 2.5 倍。但康纳表示，涉及缺雨或干旱的天气条件更难确定。他说，“……预计大多数地区的干旱和‘极端高温’的强度或频率会增加，这是气候变化的直接结果。”
 
Connor added that the biggest producer of pollution is untreated wastewater. He said 80 percent of wastewater around the world is untreated. But in developing countries, it is "pretty much 99 percent."
康纳补充说，最大的污染源是未经处理的废水。他说，全世界 80% 的废水都未经处理。但在发展中国家，这一比例“几乎达到 99%”。
 
An estimated 171 countries and 100 ministers are attending the three-day meeting.
估计有 171 个国家和 100 位部长参加了为期三天的会议。