Climate-Crisis Fueled Locust Swarms Pose 'Unprecedented Threat to Food

DHAIC  BJEKF   
【原文翻译】
Climate-Crisis Fueled Locust Swarms Pose 'Unprecedented Threat to Food Security and Livelihoods' in East Africa
气候危机引发的蝗虫群对东非的粮食安全和生计构成“前所未有的威胁”
A massive invasion of desert locusts—partly fueled by the climate crisis—seriously threatens food security in already-vulnerable communities across East Africa and has increasingly alarmed United Nations experts in recent weeks.
气候危机在一定程度上助长了沙漠蝗虫的大规模入侵，严重威胁到东非已经脆弱的社区的粮食安全，最近几周联合国专家越来越感到震惊。
"The situation remains extremely serious in the Horn of Africa, where it threatens pastures and crops in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia," says a report (pdf) released last week by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). "The current swarms represent an unprecedented threat to food security and livelihoods in the Horn of Africa."
联合国粮农组织（FAO）上周发布的一份报告说：“非洲之角的局势仍然极其严重，威胁到埃塞俄比亚、肯尼亚和索马里的牧场和农作物。”目前的蜂群对非洲之角的粮食安全和生计构成了前所未有的威胁。”
A swarm contains up to 150 million locusts per square kilometers (0.39 square miles) and can devour enough crops in a day to feed 35,000 people, according to FAO, a U.N. agency. Although "ground and aerial control operations continue in Ethiopia and aerial operations started in Kenya in January," the report notes that "insecurity and a lack of national capacity have hampered control operations in Somalia."
联合国粮农组织（FAO）称，一个蝗虫群每平方公里（0.39平方英里）可容纳多达1.5亿只蝗虫，一天可吞食足够的农作物，养活3.5万人。报告指出，尽管“埃塞俄比亚的地面和空中控制行动仍在继续，肯尼亚的空中控制行动于1月份开始”，但“不安全和缺乏国家能力阻碍了索马里的控制行动”
"A potentially threatening situation is developing along both sides of the Red Sea, where ongoing breeding is causing locust numbers to increase on the coasts of Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen," FAO warns. "There is a risk that some swarms could appear in northeast Uganda, southeast South Sudan, and southwest Ethiopia."
粮农组织警告说：“红海两岸正在形成一种潜在的威胁性局势，在那里，不断繁殖的蝗虫正导致埃及、苏丹、厄立特里亚、沙特阿拉伯和也门沿海蝗虫数量增加。”乌干达东北部、南苏丹东南部和埃塞俄比亚西南部可能出现一些蜂群。”
FAO has called for a "massive, border-spanning campaign" to combat the hundreds of millions of locusts and stop them from spreading to other countries, noting that impacted regions in Ethiopia and Somalia haven't seen swarms of this scale in 25 years and that Kenya hasn't faced a threat on this level in 70 years.
粮农组织呼吁开展“大规模、跨越边界的行动”，打击数亿蝗虫，阻止它们扩散到其他国家，并指出埃塞俄比亚和索马里受影响的地区25年来没有出现过这种规模的蝗虫群，肯尼亚70年来也没有遇到过这种程度的威胁。
The primary method of battling locust swarms is the aerial spraying of pesticides. FAO's "Locust Watch" service explains that "although giant nets, flamethrowers, lasers, and huge vacuums have been proposed in the past, these are not in use for locust control. People and birds often eat locusts but usually not enough to significantly reduce population levels over large areas."
对付蝗虫群的主要方法是空中喷洒杀虫剂。粮农组织的“蝗虫观察”服务机构解释说，“虽然过去曾有人提出过巨网、喷火器、激光和巨大的真空，但这些都不用于蝗虫防治。人和鸟经常吃蝗虫，但通常不足以显著降低大面积地区的人口水平。”
In response to an FAO request of $70 million "to assist with immediate needs in all three countries, including ramping up control operations as well as implementing measures to safeguard rural livelihoods," the U.N. Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) agreed on Jan. 24 to release $10 million to the agency.
联合国中央应急基金（CERF）1月24日同意，应粮农组织提出的7000万美元“协助所有三个国家的紧急需要，包括加强控制行动以及执行保障农村生计的措施”的要求，向该机构发放1000万美元。
"This devastating locust outbreak is starting to destroy vegetation across East Africa with alarming speed and ferocity," U.N. humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock said in a statement announcing the allocation. "Vulnerable families that were already dealing with food shortages now face the prospect of watching as their crops are destroyed before their eyes."
联合国人道主义事务负责人洛科克（Mark Lowcock）在宣布这项拨款的声明中说：“这次毁灭性的蝗灾爆发正以惊人的速度和凶猛程度开始摧毁东非各地的植被。”已经在应对粮食短缺的脆弱家庭现在面临着眼看着他们的庄稼被摧毁的前景。”
"We must act now," Lowcock added, confirming that the funds will go toward scaling up aerial operations. "If left unchecked, this outbreak has the potential to spill over into more countries in East Africa with horrendous consequences. A swift and determined response to contain it is essential."
“我们现在必须采取行动，”Lowcock补充道，证实这些资金将用于扩大空中业务规模如果不加以控制，这次疫情有可能蔓延到东非更多国家，造成可怕的后果。迅速而坚决地作出反应以遏制这种情况是至关重要的。”（467）