The Planet in 2011 今天的地球

　　This coming Sunday is World Environment Day. So what is the state of the planet in 2011?

　　This time last year, engineers in the USA were still battling to stop the largest oil spill of its kind in the Gulf of Mexico.

　　A year on, engineers are trying to prevent a different kind of ocean leak – a radiation leak.

　　Following the nuclear meltdown at Fukishima in Japan, scientists are struggling to stop contaminated water from reaching the sea.

　　But for many environmentalists the key challenge remains climate change.

　　According to the International Energy Agency, carbon emissions reached a record level last year. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is aiming for greenhouse emissions to peak by 2020, but there are growing doubts about whether the necessary curbs will be implemented.

　　A recent report by the charity Oxfam highlights the impact global warming will have on food security. Food prices could almost double in the next twenty years, with climate change the main cause.

　　But there is one good piece of news for conservationists, relating to deforestation. According to the think-tank Chatham House, global illegal logging has fallen by nearly a quarter since 2002.

　　That fits nicely with the theme for this year's World Environment Day: "Forests - Nature At Your Service".

　　本周日是世界环境日。那么，2011年地球的整体状况如何呢?

　　去年的这个时间，美国的工程人员仍在努力制止墨西哥湾最大的石油泄漏事故。

　　一年之后，工程人员们试图阻止另外一种不同的海洋泄漏——辐射泄漏。

　　日本福岛核电站核事故之后，科学家们努力制止污水进入海洋。

　　但是对许多环保人士来说，关键的挑战仍然是气候变化。

　　据国际能源署所说，去年的碳排放量达到历史最高水平。联合国政府间气候变化专门委员会希望2020年之前温室气体排放量达到最高峰，但是人们越来越怀疑必要的控制措施能否得以实施。

　　最近，慈善机构牛津饥荒救济委员会的一份报告强调了全球变暖对粮食安全带来的影响。未来二十年，粮食价格会翻倍，而主要原因就是气候变化。

　　但是，对自然保护人士来说有一个砍伐森林方面的好消息。据英国智库查塔姆研究所所说，自2002年以来，全球非法砍伐森林已经下降了接近四分之一。

　　这完全符合了今年环境保护日的主题，森林：大自然为您效劳。