雅思词汇课文（28）· Climate Refugees 气候难民

环境与社会主题，约 350 词，融入 30 个雅思核心词。

🎧 课文朗读音频（约 1 分钟）

📖 课文 Text

Climate Refugees

When Hurricane Matthew struck Haiti in 2016, it destroyed 90 per cent of the crops on the island's southern peninsula. Farmers who had lived there for generations lost everything. They joined millions of others on the move: people forced from their homes not by war but by rising seas, droughts, floods and storms. The term "climate refugee" did not exist a generation ago. Today, the United Nations estimates that 21.5 million people are displaced by climate-related disasters every year.

The legal definition of a refugee, established by the 1951 Geneva Convention, covers those fleeing war or persecution. It does not mention environmental causes. Climate refugees therefore lack the legal protection accorded to other displaced people. A farmer whose land turns to desert, or a family whose island home disappears beneath the waves, may be forced to cross an international border only to be denied asylum.

The projections are alarming. The World Bank estimates that by 2050, internal climate migrants could number 216 million within their own countries. The most affected regions will be Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Latin America. Small island nations such as Tuvalu and the Maldives face complete submersion.

Yet the picture is not uniformly bleak. Some countries, including New Zealand, have created special humanitarian visas for Pacific islanders. Bangladesh has built flood shelters and floating farms. Cities such as Jakarta and Lagos are investing in sea walls and drainage systems.

The deeper challenge is adaptation. Poor countries that contributed least to carbon emissions are most exposed. Wealthy nations, historically responsible for the bulk of greenhouse gases, have been slow to provide adaptation finance. The principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities", agreed in international climate talks, remains more a slogan than a practice.

Whether climate refugees are seen as a crisis or a test of international solidarity will depend on whether the world acts before the displacements become irreversible.

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🧠 课文理解 Comprehension

1. The UN estimates how many people are displaced annually by climate disasters?

• A. 2.15 million
• B. 21.5 million
• C. 215 million
• D. 2 billion

2. The 1951 Geneva Convention defines refugees as people fleeing...

• A. natural disasters
• B. war or persecution
• C. poverty
• D. climate change

3. By 2050, internal climate migrants could number...

• A. 21.6 million
• B. 216 million
• C. 2.16 billion
• D. 216,000

4. New Zealand is mentioned as a country that...

• A. bans climate refugees
• B. created humanitarian visas for Pacific islanders
• C. built sea walls
• D. emits the most carbon

5. The writer argues that wealthy nations...

• A. have done enough
• B. have been slow to provide adaptation finance
• C. should not help
• D. are most affected

✏️ 词汇练习 Vocabulary Practice

Fill in the blanks with the correct word from the list. Change the form where necessary.

| refugee / displace / asylum / projection / submersion / humanitarian / emission / irreversible |

1. The war created millions of refugees fleeing across the border.
2. The flood displaced thousands of families from their homes.
3. The political prisoner was granted asylum in Sweden.
4. The company's sales projections exceed last year's figures.
5. The submersion of the coastal road made it impassable.
6. The organisation provides humanitarian aid to war zones.
7. Carbon emissions must be reduced to combat climate change.
8. The damage to the ancient temple is irreversible.

✅ 答案 Answers

Comprehension

1. B　2. B　3. B　4. B　5. B

Vocabulary

1. refugee　2. displaced　3. asylum　4. projections　5. submersion　6. humanitarian　7. emissions　8. irreversible