The world economy has run into a brick wall. Despite countless warnings in recent years about the need to address a potential hunger crisis in poor countries and an energy crisis worldwide, world leaders failed to think ahead. The result is a global food crisis. Wheat, corn and rice prices have more than doubled in the past two years. And oil prices have increased more than three times since the start of 2004. These food-price increases, combined with increasing energy costs, will slow if not stop economic growth in many parts of the world and will even affect political stability. Practical solutions to these problems do exist, but we'll have to start thinking ahead and acting globally.
世界经济已经碰壁。尽管近年来有无数警告称，需要解决贫困国家的潜在饥饿危机和全球能源危机，但世界各国领导人未能提前思考，其结果就是全球粮食危机。小麦、玉米和大米的价格在过去两年翻了一番多。自2004年初以来，油价上涨了三倍多。食品价格的上涨，加上能源成本的增加，将减缓甚至阻止世界许多地区的经济增长，甚至会影响政治稳定。这些问题确实存在切实可行的解决方案，但我们必须开始提前思考并采取全球行动。
Here are three steps to ease the current food crisis and avoid the potential for a global crisis. The first is to promote the dramatic success of Malawi, a country in southern Africa, which three years ago established a special fund to help its farmers get fertilizer and seeds with high productivity. Malawi’s harvest doubled after just one year. An international fund based on the Malawi model would cost a mere $10 per person annually in the rich world, or S10 billion altogether.
以下是缓解当前粮食危机和避免全球危机的三个步骤：第一步是促进南部非洲国家马拉维的巨大成功，该国三年前设立了一个特别基金，帮助其农民获得高生产力的肥料和种子。仅一年后，马拉维的收成就翻了一番。基于马拉维模式的国际基金，在发达国家每人每年只需花费10美元，总计100亿美元。
Second, the U.S. and Europe should abandon their policies of paying partly for the change of food into biofuels. The U.S. government gives farmers a taxpayer-financed payment of 51 cents per gallon of ethanol changed from corn. There may be a case for biofuels produced on lands that do not produce foods — tree crops, grasses and wood products — but there's no case for the government to pay to put the world's dinner into the gas tank.
第二步，美国和欧洲应该放弃为将粮食转变为生物燃料支付部分费用的政策。美国政府向农民支付纳税人资助的每加仑玉米乙醇51美分的费用。也许有理由在不生产粮食的土地上生产生物燃料——树木作物、草和木制品——但政府没有理由花钱把世界的晚餐放进煤气罐。
Third, we urgently need to weather-proof die world's crops as soon and as effectively as possible. For a poor farmer, sometimes something as simple as a farm pond — which collects rainwater to be used in dry weather — can make the difference between a good harvest and a bad one. The world has already committed to establishing a Climate Adaptation hind to help poor regions climate-proof vital economic activities such as food production and health care but has not yet acted upon the promise.
第三，我们迫切需要尽快有效地保护世界农作物免受气候影响。对于一个贫穷的农民来说，有时像农场池塘这样简单的东西——收集雨水，在干燥的天气下使用——可以决定收成好坏。世界已经承诺建立一个气候适应机制，以帮助贫困地区应对气候变化的重要经济活动，如粮食生产和卫生保健，但尚未兑现承诺。
网友评论