[VOA] 15 January 2007

Move Away From Rural Life Puts Pressure on Cities, Environment
Experts say poverty is a serious problem in cities but governments must also consider the causes of urbanization. Transcript of radio broadcast: 15 January 2007

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Fifty years ago, most people lived in rural areas.  But the world has changed.  By some point next year, more than half of all people will live in cities, for the first time in history.  So says the most recent estimate from the United Nations. 

City life is not always a bad thing, but many experts worry about this process of urbanization.  A new report from the Worldwatch Institute says it is having a huge effect on human health and the quality of the environment.  The environmental research group in Washington released its two thousand seven "State of the World" report last week. 

Of the three billion people who live in cities now, the report says, about one billion live in unplanned settlements.  These are areas of poverty, slums, that generally lack basic services like clean water, or even permanent housing. 

The report says more than sixty million people are added to cities and surrounding areas each year, mostly in slums in developing countries.

Molly O'Meara Sheehan led the Worldwatch report.  She says the international community has been too slow to recognize the growth of urban poverty.  Policymakers, she says, need to increase investments in education, health care and other areas.

The report talks about some successful efforts by local governments and community groups.  For example, it says Freetown, Sierra Leone, has established farming within the city limits to meet much of its growing food demands.  In Colombia, engineers have created a bus system in Bogota that the report says has helped reduce air pollution and improve quality of life.

Olav Kjorven heads the Environment and Energy Group at the United Nations Development Program.  He agrees that the link between urban poverty and the environment is serious.  But he says governments also need to consider why people are moving out of rural areas.  Climate change, drought, floods -- there are many reasons forcing people to leave, he says.

Olav Kjorven says the two issues of poverty reduction and the environment have existed side by side, but rarely have they connected -- until now.  He says governments are starting to understand that environmental collapse is not a natural cost of economic development.  Instead, he says, it is hurting the possibility for growth.

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50 years ago, most people lived in rural areas. But the world has changed. By some point next year, more than half of all people will live in cities, for the first time in history. So says the most recent estimate from the United Nations.



50年前，大部分人都居住于乡村地区。但是世界已经发生了变化。到明年的某些时候，将有占人口总数一半以上的人口居住在城市，这是历史上第一次达到这个数字。因此我们来谈一谈来自联合国的几项评估。



City life is not always a bad thing, but many experts worry about this process of urbanization. A new report from the World watch Institute says it is having a huge effect on human health and the quality of the environment. The environmental research group in Washington released its 2007 "State of the World" report last week.



在城市生活总不是件坏事，但是许多专家担心这样的城市化进程。一项来自世界观察研究所的新报告指出这将对人类健康和世界环境质量产生重大影响。位于华盛顿的环境研究组织于上周发布了2007年世界环境状况报告。



Of the 3 billion people who live in cities now, the report says, about 1 billion live in unplanned settlements. These are areas of poverty, slums, that generally lack basic services like clean water, or even permanent housing. The report says more than sixty million people are added to cities and surrounding areas each year, mostly in slums in developing countries.



报告显示,现在有30亿城市居住人口，约10亿人居住在没有规划的地区。这些地区包括穷人居住的地区，贫民窟，一般地说这些地区都缺乏基本的公共服务，如清洁的水资源，这些地区甚至没有可长久居住的住房。据报告称,每年约有超过6000万的人口转移到城市及城市周边地区，在发展中国家，这些人口主要居住在贫民窟。



Molly O'Meara Sheehan led the Worldwatch report. She says the international community has been too slow to recognize the growth of urban poverty. Policymakers, she says, need to increase investments in education, health care and other areas.



Molly O'Meara Sheehan起草了世界观察报告。她认为国际社会团体太过迟缓到现在都没有发现到城市贫困人口的增长；政治的制定者需要增加在教育、健康保健和其它领域的投资。

 

The report talks about some successful efforts by local governments and community groups. For example, it says Freetown, Sierra Leone, has established farming within the city limits to meet much of its growing food demands. In Colombia, engineers have created a bus system in Bogota that the report says has helped reduce air pollution and improve quality of life.



报告谈到了地方政府和社团组织的一些成功举措。例如弗里敦和塞拉利昂已经在城市范围内制定农事，以满足正在增长的食物需求。在哥伦比亚，工程师们在波哥大兴建了公车系统，有助于减少空气污染，改善生活质量。



Olav Kjorven heads the Environment and Energy Group at the United Nations Development Program. He agrees that the link between urban poverty and the environment is serious. But he says governments also need to consider why people are moving out of rural areas. Climate change, drought, floods -- there are many reasons forcing people to leave, he says.



Olav Kjorven作为联合国发展委环境能源组织的领导者。他认为农村的贫困和环境之间的联系是十分严重的。但是他说，政府应该想到为什么人们会愿意搬离农村。他认为，环境改变，干旱，洪水――这些原因都会逼迫人们离开。



Olav Kjorven says the two issues of poverty reduction and the environment have existed side by side, but rarely have they connected -- until now. He says governments are starting to understand that environmental collapse is not a natural cost of economic development. Instead, he says, it is hurting the possibility for growth.



Olav Kjorven表示，减少贫穷和环境问题这二大问题是并行出现的。但是直到现在它们很少被联系在一起。他表示，政府应该开始理解到，环境的破坏不是经济发展所必须付出的自然成本。反之，他说，它可能会危害经济发展。

[本日志由 Amic 于 2007-01-21 09:41 PM 编辑]
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