UN Warns Rising Fuel Costs, Inequalities Raise Risk of Social Crisis
联合国称油价上涨加剧经济不平等

　 
A senior United Nations official warns that economic inequalities in the Asia-Pacific region could worsen as energy costs rise. Energy security and poverty reduction are key themes at this week's meeting of the U.N. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.

联合国高级官员警告说，随着能源价格上涨，亚太地区的经济不平等可能会加剧。在本星期召开的联合国亚洲及太平洋经济社会委员会会议上，能源安全和扶贫是会议的主题。

To the strains of Verdi's "Va Pensiero", the U.N. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific opened its annual conference Monday. The delegates in Bangkok will focus on the need to secure affordable energy to fuel the region's development.

在意大利著名作曲家威尔第的音乐声中，联合国亚太经济社会委员会年会星期一在曼谷召开。与会代表将重点讨论如何在亚太地区迅速发展的过程中确保价格合理的能源供应。

UNESCAP Executive Secretary Noeleen Heyzer said in her opening address that rising social inequalities, exacerbated by record high oil prices, could trigger an "imminent crisis" if lower-income groups begin to lose ground.

亚太经社会执行秘书长诺琳.海泽在开幕式上致词。她说，油价上涨加剧了该地区的社会不平等。如果低收入人群的状况持续恶化的话，危机将迫在眉睫。

"Income inequalities have led, among others, to serious social and environmental imbalances. An increasing part of the region house the world's poor and live in areas where the environment is under stress," she said. "The poorest people may use less energy but actually pay proportionately more than the rich for energy services. These high levels of inequality erode social cohesion in the region."

海泽说：“收入差距导致严重的社会和环境失衡以及其他问题。亚太贫困地区的范围扩大，这些地方的环境也受到威胁。最贫困人口可能消耗较少的能源，但是他们为能源支付的代价按照比例来说却更高。这些严重的不平等侵蚀了该地区的社会凝聚力。”

The Asia-Pacific region is home to 641 million of the world's poor. Many development experts fear that number will increase because of rising food prices and rocketing oil costs.

世界贫困人口当中，有大约6亿4千1百万人生活在亚太地区。由于粮食和石油涨价，很多发展领域的专家担心亚太地区贫困人口的数量会进一步增加。

Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej urged the delegates to push for reforms that ensure environmentally sustainable energy supplies.

泰国总理沙玛敦促与会代表推动改革，确保有利于环境的可持续能源供应。

"Our region urgently and seriously needs to consider energy management reform, promotion of cooperation in the energy sector, efficient energy usage, clean energy promotion, and development of alternative and renewable energy," said Samak.

他说：“亚太地区需要迫切地、认真地考虑能源管理的改革，促进能源领域的合作，提高能源的利用率，推广清洁能源，开发可再生和替代能源。”

A new UNESCAP report calls energy security the key challenge to the region's development.

亚太经社会公布的新报告说，能源安全是该地区发展面临的关键挑战。

The report says energy consumption in the region has doubled since 1980 because of high economic growth and growing populations. Over the next 22 years, it says, the region will need up to nine trillion dollars in new infrastructure to meet its energy needs.

这份报告说，由于经济高速增长和人口膨胀，亚太地区能源消耗自从1980年以来已经翻了一番。报告说，在未来22年里，亚太地区需要花费9万亿美元用于改善基础设施，以满足能源需求。

UNESCAP chief Heyzer says governments can not do the job alone.

亚太经社会执行秘书长诺琳.海泽女士说，仅凭政府的努力很难实现这个目标。

"It's time to hold the private sector accountable and obviously they are a player and they have to be accountable to progress and also the way they use scare resources," she said. "At the same time, governments have got to have the right policies."

她说：“私营企业必须为其行为负责。很明显，这些企业也是发展的参与者。所以企业必须为经济发展以及稀缺能源的使用方式负责。同时，政府需要制定正确的政策。”

The U.N. report urges governments to work with businesses to find renewable energy sources for the region.

这份联合国报告敦促政府和企业合作，共同开发可再生能源。