Ocean Swallowing West African Coastline(翻译)

Water, the saying goes, will find its way.
俗话说，水往低处流。
And so it seems to be the case in West Africa. Rising sea levels and erosion along the coast are threatening the homes and jobs of hundreds of thousands of people across West Africa.
非洲西部的情况就是如此。海平面上升以及海水对海岸的侵蚀对非洲西部的家园以及成千上万人的工作造成威胁。

Grand-Lahou is one example. The Ivory Coast tourist town is about 100 kilometers west of Abidjan. The waves are swallowing the coastline of Grand-Lahou’s old town at a rate of one to two meters a year.
大拉乌就是如此。这座象牙海岸旅游城市位于阿比让西部100公里处。海浪以每年1至2米的速度侵蚀着大乌拉老城的海岸线。

It is a problem along much of West Africa’s coast. The effects could be serious. One-third of the area’s people live by the sea. The coastal areas contribute about half of the area’s GDP, or gross domestic product.
非洲西部大部分海岸线都出现了这个问题。其影响可能非常严重。该地区有三分之一的人口住在海边地区。沿海地区GDP占该地区GDP的一半。

Eugene Koffi has spent all of his life on a shrinking patch of land between the sea and lagoon. It is called Lahou-Kpanda.
Eugene Koffi一生都在大海和咸水湖中间不断缩减的陆地上度过。它被称作是Lahou-Kpanda。

Pointing out across the water, Koffi says the sea used to be back there, two kilometers away. But now, it comes up to just a few meters away from where he stands. He says there used to be people living there, and coconut trees.
Kpffi指着水面说道，之前大海大约是在2公里以外的地方。但现在，海平面距离他所站之处只有几米。他说道，之前有人住在这里，这里也有椰子树。

But now, many houses have been abandoned along the coast. Residents moved inland.
但现在，海岸线旁边很多房子都被抛弃了。居民们搬到内陆。

Coastal erosion is not new. It is a natural event. But experts say human activity is speeding up the process. With global warming, the sea levels are rising around the world.
海岸侵蚀并不在新鲜。这是一种自然事件。但专家们表示人类活动加速了该进程。全球变暖，全世界海平面都上涨了。

Grand-Lahou has been hurt by nearby government dams and the practice of taking sand to build houses. Many buildings from the early 20th century have washed away.
政府修建的大坝以及用沙子盖房的尝试让大拉乌大受影响。20世纪初建造的很多房子都已经被冲走。

Water has eroded the fence around the church. It regularly fills the courtyard. And at the cemetery, the tombstones are slowly being covered by sand.
海水已经侵蚀了教堂的围墙。海水有规律地填满了庭院。在墓地里，墓碑逐渐被沙子掩埋。

For the few thousand fishermen there, making a living has become harder. One says the mouth of the river is stuck in the sand, and they cannot cross with their boats.
对在此生活的若干渔民来说，维持生计越来越困难。一人说道，河口被沙子堵住，不再能够通船。

Barthelemy Bamba is the director of the Center for Ocean Research in Abidjan. They work on prevention and awareness issues. They also advise the Ivorian government on developing future structures like coastal roads.
Barthelemy Bamba是阿比让海洋科学研究中心的主任。他致力于预防和意识问题。他们还建议象牙海岸政府修建诸如海岸公路等建筑。

He says there were mangroves—a kind of tree—that grow in the salt water of the lagoon. The problem starts when the river mouth is closed, blocking the salt water. The lagoon becomes fresh water and the mangroves die. But the mangroves are very important for biodiversity—keeping different kinds of life in the area.
他说道，咸水湖的咸水中生活着一种红树林。河口堵塞，将咸水封闭之后便出现了问题。咸水湖的水变成淡水，导致红树林死亡。但红树林对于保护物种多样性来说非常重要。

If the mangroves die, Bamba says, it basically ends fishing there. The fishermen say the government could help by removing the sand from the mouth of the river.
Bamba说道，红树林的死亡会导致此处不再有鱼类。渔民们表示，政府将河口的沙子移除可能会有所帮助。

But experts say the rising sea level is irreversible—there is no way to turn it back. In the end, the people will be pushed inland, too.
但专家们表示海平面上涨是不可逆的过程，没有办法可以让海平面回落。最后，人们还是被迫迁往内陆。

I’m Anne Ball.
Anne Ball为您报道。