AGRICULTURE REPORT - Restrictions on Methyl Bromide
AGRICULTURE REPORT - Restrictions 1 on Methyl Bromide
By Mario Ritter
Broadcast: Tuesday, March 16, 2004
This is Steve Ember with the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.
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Some chemicals are very good at killing 3 insects and plants that cause trouble. But the trouble with these chemicals is they can also harm people and the environment. This was the case with the pesticide 4 D.D.T. It is now banned in some countries. But others still use it. Another example involves the widely used pesticide methyl bromide.
In nineteen-eighty-seven, nations met to discuss evidence of a decrease in the level of ozone 5 in the atmosphere. Ozone helps protect against skin cancer from the sun. Negotiators met in Montreal. They developed the first part of an agreement called the Montreal Protocol 6 on Substances that Deplete 7 the Ozone Layer. This treaty sets out steps to protect the ozone in the atmosphere.
In nineteen-ninety-two, methyl bromide joined the list of chemicals to ban. Developed countries agreed to end the use of methyl bromide by two-thousand-five. Developing nations have ten more years.
The Bush administration says it will seek permission for some uses of methyl bromide at least until two-thousand-six. The administration says no replacement 8 can be found for some farm uses. Other nations are also expected to seek special permission.
One-hundred-eighty-three nations have signed the treaty. The United States Congress amended 9 federal pollution laws in nineteen-ninety-five. It did so to meet the requirements of the Montreal Protocol. Since then, the Department of Agriculture has supported programs to find a pesticide to replace methyl bromide.
But its Agricultural Research Service says there is no one chemical or method that can do the job. One of the main problems is that methyl bromide is used on more than one-hundred crops and products. It goes on as a gas in a process called fumigation 10. The gas works quickly. It is able to kill worms, insects, harmful plants -- many different kinds of organisms. But this poison also affects the nervous system in people and is carried into the atmosphere.
The Montreal Protocol permits countries to continue to use some banned chemicals if they must. Nations that signed the agreement have organized a meeting this month in Montreal to discuss the methyl bromide issue.
This VOA Special English Agriculture Report was written by Mario Ritter. This is Steve Ember.
- I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
- a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制
- The book gave a graphic description of the war.这本书生动地描述了战争的情况。
- Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons.用图标来区分重要的文本项。
- Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
- Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。
- The pesticide was spread over the vegetable plot.菜田里撒上了农药。
- This pesticide is diluted with water and applied directly to the fields.这种杀虫剂用水稀释后直接施用在田里。
- The ozone layer is a protective layer around the planet Earth.臭氧层是地球的保护层。
- The capacity of ozone can adjust according of requirement.臭氧的产量可根据需要或调节。
- We must observe the correct protocol.我们必须遵守应有的礼仪。
- The statesmen signed a protocol.那些政治家签了议定书。
- Most native mammal species have been severely depleted.大多数本地哺乳动物的数量都已经大大减少了。
- Elastic collisions deplete very little of the electron's energy.弹性碰撞中电子减少的能量非常少。
- We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
- They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。