【文章內(nèi)容簡介】 physical availability.隨著世界人口的增長，對于水的需求也隨之增長。世界觀察研究所稱，食物、能源和工業(yè)需求的不斷增加，連同氣候變化一起，可能導(dǎo)致一些地區(qū)的水短缺。這項(xiàng)警告于3月22日的世界水日當(dāng)天發(fā)出。 世界觀察研究所稱，數(shù)以億計(jì)的人們正在面臨某種水短缺問題。發(fā)言人塞博利亞?庫馬爾說，隨著人口的增加，事情只會(huì)變得更糟。 “超過12億的人口基本上生活在自然水匱乏的地區(qū)。還有幾乎16億人口面臨經(jīng)濟(jì)水短缺。這些都是十分極端的數(shù)字。而我們?nèi)丝诘某掷m(xù)增長，只會(huì)帶來更多的問題。我們不得不去面對嚴(yán)厲的措施以確保人們能夠獲得水?！?庫馬爾說，水短缺表現(xiàn)為幾種類型。第一種被稱作“自然型”。 “自然水短缺就是意味著沒有足夠的實(shí)際水資源來滿足所有的需求。水資源并不是平均分布的。你知道的，在中東和印度的西北部這類非常干旱的地區(qū)，沒有足夠的水資源。所以就沒有自然水的可利用性?！?水，還夠嗎？(2/3)And then there39。s economic water scarcity. Physical water scarcity really just means that there39。s not enough actual water to meet all demands. Water is not distributed evenly. You know, areas in the Middle East, in northern China, in northwestern India very arid regions where there39。s just not enough water. And so there39。s just not physical availability. Kumar says action to relieve these problems can be taken on the local, national and regional levels. In terms of the local level, we could put more investment into water harvesting into better methods of reusing water that39。s wasted treating it to be reused for agriculture or for other industries. On the national level, the Worldwatch Institute remends that governments develop better water policies which could include fewer or revised agricultural subsidies. For example, in India, a lot of farmers have subsidies that provide them with the use of electricity for 24 hours without any fees. And so, that leads them to pump water constantly which is really depleting the ground water. Worldwatch says, globally, 70% of what39。s called water withdrawals is for agriculture, 19% for industry and 11% for municipal demands. Some of the countries with very high withdrawals include India and the United States.此外還有經(jīng)濟(jì)型缺水?！白匀凰倘本褪且馕吨鴽]有足夠的實(shí)際水資源來滿足所有的需求。水資源并不是平均分布的。你知道的，在中東，中國北方和印度西北部這類非常干旱的地區(qū)，沒有足夠的水資源。所以就沒有自然水的可利用性?！睅祚R爾說可以通過對地方、國家甚至區(qū)域級范圍采取行動(dòng)來緩解這些問題?！霸诘胤綄用妫覀兛梢约哟蠹顿Y，找到更好的方法進(jìn)行廢水利用，使其能再次為農(nóng)業(yè)或者其他工業(yè)服務(wù)?！痹趪覍用妫澜缬^察研究所建議政府出臺(tái)更好的水利政策，其可能包括更少的或經(jīng)修訂的農(nóng)業(yè)補(bǔ)貼?！氨热?，在印度，許多農(nóng)民享受24小時(shí)免費(fèi)用電的補(bǔ)貼。正因?yàn)槿绱?，他們不間斷地泵水，簡直要將地下水耗盡。”世界觀察（研究所）表示，全球范圍來看，農(nóng)業(yè)用水占了取水量的70%，工業(yè)和市政需求分別占了19%和11%。這些需水量極高的國家包括印度和美國。10水，還夠嗎？(3/3)Many water sources are not confined within a particular country39。s borders. Rivers and lakes are often used by several nations and therefore regional agreements would be needed on water use. Climate change, with its rising global temperatures, has a direct effect on water scarcity, says Kumar, especially when it es to rainfall. The changes in the rainfall patterns seriously affect some of the sectors especially agriculture for example. In India, a lot of farmers are unable to prepare for what crops they39。re going to grow because they39。re just not sure of the amount of rainfall they39。re gonna receive and when they39。re gonna receive that rainfall. And that39。s a large effect that climate change is having. Kumar says uncertainty about rainfall can directly affect food security.What39。s more, the Worldwatch Institute expects that in the Mediterranean basin and the semiarid areas of the Americas, Australia and southern Africa, there would be reductions in river runoff. It also expects aquifers, underground water saturated rock, to take much longer to recharge. In Asia, large areas of irrigated land could be adversely affected by changes in water runoff patterns. Also, highlypopulated delta regions could be affected by reduced freshwater runoff, rising sea levels and greater salinity. The Worldwatch Institute39。s concerns about water scarcity can be found in its online Vital Signs reports.很多水源都不在特定的某個(gè)國家的疆域內(nèi)。河湖經(jīng)常由幾個(gè)國家共用，因此在水資源的使用上必須達(dá)成地區(qū)性共識(shí)。 氣候變化，全球氣溫的升高，直接影響了水資源緊缺的狀況，庫馬爾說，特別是涉及到降雨量的時(shí)候。 “降雨格局的變化嚴(yán)重影響了一些行業(yè)，比如農(nóng)業(yè)。在印度，很多農(nóng)民都無法決定他們要種哪種糧食，因?yàn)樗麄儾淮_定降雨量和雨期。而這正是氣候變化帶來的巨大影響?！?庫馬爾說降雨的不確定因素將直接影響糧食安全。 而且，世界觀察研究所預(yù)測在地中海盆地，美洲半干旱地區(qū)，澳大利亞以及非洲南部的一些地區(qū)，河流徑流量將有所減少。它還預(yù)計(jì)蓄水層，也就是地下不透水巖層包裹的透水地層，將需要更長的時(shí)間獲得水流補(bǔ)給。在亞洲，大部分灌溉區(qū)將受到河流徑流改變的不利影響。 人口密集的三角洲地區(qū)將受到淡水徑流減少，海平面上升和鹽堿化的影響。世界觀察研究所關(guān)于水資源緊缺問題的關(guān)切可見于網(wǎng)上的“至關(guān)重要的征兆”報(bào)告。11阿拉伯國家期待奧巴馬中東之行When Barack Obama came to Cairo four years ago, he was hailed as a son of Africa, a man whose middle name Hussein hinted at a fundamental shift in America39。s relations with the Islamic and Arab world. As salamu alaikum. In the audience was former intelligence officer General Sameh Saif alYazal, who remembers thinking We got a good one, and change was imminent. Fast forward four years: The expectations were very high, but when you see it physically, it was much less than that expectation. Among the disappointments was what many in the region saw as Mr. Obama39。s slow response to the Arab Spring uprisings against longtime . allies as in Egypt, and not enough help, especially economic, in the aftermath. It39。s very important for America and European countries to help Egypt during this time because they helped the dictatorships. The perception that the . continues to side with the interests of governments rather than the people has not gone away. They39。re feeling now that the Americans are working for the Egyptian administration and other administrations without looking to the street people what they want. Close collaboration with Yemen39。s government, for example, allows the . to carry out drone strikes on suspected terrorists. But civilian casualties from strikes gone wrong have deeply alienated many ordinary Yemenis.四年前，當(dāng)奧巴馬訪問開羅時(shí)，他被當(dāng)作“非洲之子”一樣歡迎，他名字中間的“侯賽因”暗示了美國與伊斯蘭國家以及阿拉伯國家的關(guān)系將發(fā)生根本性的改變。奧巴馬曾用阿語說：“愿真主賜予你平安。” 。他還記得說：“我們迎來了一位好的總統(tǒng)，并且轉(zhuǎn)變也即將來臨?！被厥姿哪昵埃骸叭藗兊钠诖浅８?，但是在你理性考慮之后就會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)，現(xiàn)實(shí)與期待相去甚遠(yuǎn)。” 該地區(qū)很多國家表示失望是因?yàn)榭吹綂W巴馬對抵抗美國長期盟友的“阿拉伯之春”起義反應(yīng)遲鈍。例如在埃及，在起義的余波中，奧巴馬政府未能提供足夠的幫助，尤其是在經(jīng)濟(jì)上。對于美國和其他歐洲國家來說，在這一時(shí)期幫助埃及是非常重要的，因?yàn)槊绹鴰椭^獨(dú)裁政府。 人們?nèi)匀徽J(rèn)為美國將繼續(xù)與獨(dú)裁政府的利益站在一邊而非民眾利益?！叭藗儸F(xiàn)在的感覺是美國為埃及政府和其他政權(quán)工作而非普通民眾的需求?！?例如，美國與也門政府合作緊密。也門政府允許美國對可疑恐怖分子進(jìn)行空中打擊。但是因失誤的轟炸而造成的民眾傷害大大疏遠(yuǎn)了也門人民與美國政府的關(guān)系。12鯊魚和蝠鲼獲國際保護(hù)(1/2)Shark fin soup is a delicacy in Asia. But its popularity is helping to decimate shark populations. However, governments voted Monday to protect five species of the predators. Preliminary approval came at a . meeting on wildlife trade in Bangkok,Thailand. Conservationists have been trying for years to protect sharks. Succ