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Unit 9 Saving the earth Reading
WELCOME TO THE EARTH SUMMIT
In 1972,the United Nations held a meeting in Stockholm,
Sweden to share ideas about ways to take better care of the earth.
At the Stockholm summit,representatives
from more than one hundred countries discussed some of the most important problems facing our planet.
Since then,several Earth Summits have been held
and much progress has been made
In 2002,the Earth Summit was held in Johannesburg in South Africa.
One of the main themes of the summit was "sustainable development",
or the question how we can continue developing the world
without damaging the environment.
In Johannesburg,experts from all over the world spoke about different topics
and discussed new ways to solve old problems.
Most of the speakers talked about the "big three",
the three biggest killers in the world-contaminated drinking water,
poor sanitation and air pollution.
According to the World Health Organisation,
the big three cause more than seven million deaths every year.
That is 15% of all the deaths in the world.
20% of the people on earth do not have access to clean drinking water.
Air pollution alone causes almost three million deaths.
Most of these deaths happen in rural areas,
where people burn wood and coal to cook food and stay warm.
Air pollution is also a big problem in very large cities,
especially in developing countries.
Many speakers also spoke about poverty,war and violence.
If we are to develop the world successfully,
we must make sure that everyone is able to take part in the new world we create.
All too often,
global development means that rich people get richer while the poor get poorer.
Among the speakers was China's then Premier Zhu Rongji,
who stressed the need for equality and fairness in the world.
Rich countries have a responsibility towards poor countries
and must do whatever they can to help others.
Without international cooperation,developing countries cannot prosper,
nor will sustainable development be possible.
Conferences like the Earth Summit help people understand that there exist serious problems
and that there is still time to take action.
Only by changing the way we live can we save the earth.
One of the visitors to the Earth Summit in Johannesburg
said that what she had heard was very important.
"When I listened to the speakers,
I realised that many of the things I do every day are bad for the environment.
Had I known that air conditioners cause so much pollution,
I would never have bought one.
Not until we know more will we be able to improve the situation.
If all of us make small changes,we could make a big difference."
The message is spreading across the world
and many students are learning more about "earth issues" in school.
A better understanding of the environment is necessary,
as is the willingness to act.
Meetings like the Earth Summit can tell us what we can do to help.
The Earth Summit is not just about problems.
In fact,it is a place to find solutions for the future.
Many of the speakers at the Johannesburg summit
said that education is the key to the future.
With better education,
people will be able to build a better society in harmony with nature
and perhaps put an end to the death and suffering caused by the big three.
If the world becomes less unfair and if people can get better education,
much of the poverty can be wiped out.
And if poverty is less of a problem and people are better educated
there is a good chance that we will see less violence and fewer wars.
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Work book Unit 9 LIAO MINGYU'S JOURNEY
The future of our planet is at stake.
If we do not act now,we may never be able to save the earth.
There is good news too:we can make a difference.
We may think that what we do in our everyday life has no effect on big problems,
such as environmental pollution.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
It is exactly what we do you and I that changes the world.
It is important to have big meetings like the Earth Summit
to educate people and make them aware of the situation,
but nothing will be improved until ordinary people
like you and me start acting differently.
One person who learnt about the importance of taking action
is Liao Mingyu from Shenzhen.
In 2002,the then 11-year-old Mingyu
went on a journey that she would never forget
After having been chosen to represent all children in the world
by the United Nations Environment Programme,
she travelled to the Earth Summit in Johannesburg,South Africa.
Together with four other children,
Mingyu appeared on the stage at the opening ceremony.
They expressed both hopes and fears about the future.
Mingyu and two other children made a speech
in which they asked the governments of the world
to do more to provide access to clean drinking water
and to take action to reduce pollution and improve health care.
When asked about the experience in an interview with China Daily,
Mingyu said that she hopes that adults will listen to what young people have to say.
The leaders at the summit applauded the speech,
but for Mingyu,that is not enough:
"I don't know if they will listen and take action.They probably will."
Mingyu's journey to Johannesburg
is only a small part of the action she is taking.
Ever since she entered primary school,she has been a true activist.
Her school has made environmental protection
part of what the students have to learn.
She and her classmates look for ways to improve the environment
and they remind their parents and other adults of the danger
of keeping environ men tally unfriendly habits.
If we change our habits,
if we refuse to buy products from companies that harm the environment,
and if we learn more and take action,we can save the planet.
For Mingyu, her journey was only a beginning.
The real work,she says, starts when she goes back to her normal life:
"One thing I have learnt from this experience
is that environmental protection is really important.
When I get back,
I am going to tell my classmates of ways to protect the environment."
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