11/17/2016 Scientists Fear Trump Victory Will Stop Global Warming Progress
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AS IT IS
Scientists Fear Trump Victory Will Stop Global
Warming Progress
November 15, 2016
When Donald Trump was a candidate for president, he criticized scientists who blamed
pollution for rising temperatures on Earth’s surface.
Trump rejected scientiÿc documentation of climate change, calling it a hoax or unreal.
And he promised to pull out of the Paris Agreement on climate change. 9at agreement
was the product of negotiations involving about 200 countries.
Trump won the presidential election in the United States. He will replace Barack Obama
as president on January 20, 2017.
Government o4cials and scientists are in Morocco this month for climate talks. 9ey
worry that if Trump pulls out of the Paris agreement, as he promised, it will have a
major eyect on their work.
“9is is critical to protect our planet, safeguard the most vulnerable, and drive shared
prosperity,” said United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. He spoke at the
opening of the conference in Marrakech.
11/17/2016 Scientists Fear Trump Victory Will Stop Global Warming Progress
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Ban said he hopes Donald Trump will listen to scientists and “understand the
seriousness” of climate change.
Trump has said he plans to pull back from Obama’s climate change rules during his drst
100 days in oMce. He said he wants to put American coal miners back to work and make
the United States more energy independent.
Mike Duncan heads ōe American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity. ōe group
opposes Obama administration climate change regulations.
Duncan told VOA that Trump can move the country away from “costly” rules that
“limited our access to a
ordable and reliable power.”
Al Gore served as U.S. vice president during the administration of former President Bill
Clinton. Gore has been warning for years that temperatures will continue rising if
greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide are not reduced. And that means more deadly
storms and natural disasters, and land falling into the sea, he said.
Gore released a statement a
er Trump won the presidential election.
“President-elect Trump said he wanted to be a president for all Americans,” Gore said.
“In that spirit, I hope that he will work with the overwhelming majority of us who
believe that the climate crisis is the greatest threat we face as a nation.”
Trump’s election was likely to be a subject of discussion at the climate conference taking
place in Marrakesh, Morocco. ōe meeting was called to discuss the next steps to move
11/17/2016 Scientists Fear Trump Victory Will Stop Global Warming Progress
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the Paris Agreement forward.
Secretary of State John Kerry was asked by a reporter how he felt, given that Trump has
said he will cancel some U.S. climate change regulations.
Kerry told reporters that Trump’s election makes the meeting in Morocco, in his words,
“perhaps even more important.”
I’m Bruce Alpert.
Henry Ridgwell reported on this story for VOANews.com. Bruce Alpert adapted this
story and did additional reporting for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.
We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and share your views on
our Facebook Page. How important do think global warming is?
________________________________________________________________
Words in ōis Story
vulnerable - adj. easily hurt or harmed physically, mentally, or emotionally
prosperity - n. the state of being successful usually by making a lot of money
11/17/2016 Scientists Fear Trump Victory Will Stop Global Warming Progress
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access - n. a way of getting near, at, or to something or someone
a艖�ordable - adj. to be able to pay for something
reliable - adj. able to be trusted to do or provide what is needed : able to be relied on
greenhouse - adj. relating to or caused by the warming of the Earth's atmosphere that is
caused by air pollution
overwhelming - adj. very great in number, e艖�ect, or force