《中英對照讀新聞》El Nino dries up Asia as its stormy sister La Nina looms 「聖嬰現象」才令亞洲乾枯，猛烈之「反聖嬰現象」又將到來

◎茅毅

The current El Nino which began last year has been one of the strongest ever, leaving the Mekong River at its lowest level in decades, causing food-related unrest in the Philippines, and smothering vast regions in a months-long heat wave often topping 40 degrees Celsius.

當前的「聖嬰現象」始於去年，係史上最猛烈的「聖嬰現象」之一，造成湄公河水位降至數十年來新低，菲律賓境內因糧食問題動盪不安，諸多地區遭令人窒息的熱浪侵襲達數月之久，氣溫往往逾攝氏40度。

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Economic losses in Southeast Asia could top $10 billion, IHS Global Insight told AFP. The regional fever is expected to break by mid-year but fears are growing that an equally forceful La Nina will follow. That could bring heavy rain to an already flood-prone region, exacerbating agricultural damage and leaving crops vulnerable to disease and pests.

「IHS環球透視」向法新社指出，東南亞的經濟損失恐達100億美元。預料該地區的高溫只會到今年年中，但外界愈來愈擔憂與「聖嬰現象」同樣猛烈的「反聖嬰現象」將尾隨而來，恐因此為水災頻仍的地區帶來豪雨，導致農損惡化，使農作物易遭病蟲害。

Much of Asia has been punished by a bone-dry heat wave marked by record-high temperatures, threatening the livelihoods of countless millions. As a result, rice prices have risen this year but the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization and other experts say a major food crisis is not yet imminent as stocks remain ample.

亞洲許多地區迄今飽受大旱的熱浪所苦，高溫屢破紀錄，對無數人的生計造成威脅。今年米價因此不斷上漲，但聯合國糧農組織與其他專家表示，鑒於庫存充足，尚不會發生重大的糧食危機。

With La Nina looming, the situation has laid bare the region’s lack of preparedness for the extreme weather swings expected to result from climate change, said Rajiv Biswas, Asia-Pacific Chief Economist at IHS Global Insight.

「IHS環球透視」亞太首席經濟學家畢斯瓦斯指出，隨著「反聖嬰現象」逼近，這種情況暴露了該地區對於被認為是氣候變遷所引發的極端天氣缺乏準備。

新聞辭典

-prone：接尾語，易於…、有…傾向的。例句：An accident-prone person often has accidents, usually because they are very awkward. （容易發生意外的人往往禍不單行，原因通常是這種人笨手笨腳。）

bone-dry：形容詞，極乾燥的、大旱的。

lay bare：動詞片語，揭發、披露。例句：The trial was the first to lay bare the secrets of the organization. （這場審判首度揭發了該組織的秘密。）