Experts believe there are huge amounts of gas and oil in the Arctic. For some years, industries have looked at the ongoing Arctic ice melting as a source of possible profits from those natural resources. But researchers say methane (甲烷) gas will escape in amounts not seen before as the permafrost(永久冻土) melts. And that, scientists say, could cost the world trillions of dollars.
Researchers from Britain’s University of Cambridge and the Netherlands’ Erasmus University Rotterdam looked at studies of methane gas releases in the East Siberian Sea. They thought that the release of 50 billion tons of methane over ten years could result in a 60 trillion dollar economic loss. The size of the total world economy is currently about 70 trillion.
Chris Hope of the University of Cambridge is an expert in the economics of climate change. He co-wrote the report. He says, “The impacts will be felt about 80 percent in developing countries and only about 20 percent in the countries like the US and the European Union which are rather better off.” For example, he says, productive farming may become impossible in parts of sub-Saharan Africa where production is already low. And, he says, rising sea levels and increasing storms could cause damage in places like Bangladesh.
He calls for such costly possibilities to be considered when governments and industries explore Arctic development. Chris Hope says in the past people have expected good things to come from Arctic ice melting. This included increased shipping through the area and more exploration for resources. But Mr Hope warns the bad will outweigh the good. He says, “People have said there might well be some billions of dollars’ worth of benefit from that. What we are saying is ‘yes, that may be true’, but the negative effects will not just be billions of dollars; they are likely to be tens of trillions of dollars.”
Co-author Peter Wadhams is the leader of the polar ocean physics group at the University of Cambridge. He says the release of methane could be disastrous. He says the powerful greenhouse gas is responsible for 25 percent of global warming. Yet, he says, there is little that can be done right now to prevent the methane leaks. Mr Wadhams says the government and international groups should be investing money and resources toward finding a solution. He says scientists are a long way from there.
71. According to Paragraph 1, as Arctic ice melts, what do researchers believe?
A. Industries can greatly benefit from it. B. The whole world will benefit from it.
C. It will satisfy our demand for gas. D. It could cost the world a big fortune.
72. According to what Chris Hope said about climate change, we know that developing countries __________?
A. may have to depend on productive farming for profits.
B. can expect good things to come from the Arctic ice melting.
C. will be much more severely influenced than developed ones.
D. won’t suffer from rising sea levels as much as developed ones.
73. It is implied in Paragraph 4 that governments and industries __________?
A. have already caused great damage to the Arctic.
B. will stop exploring the Arctic for natural resources.
C. should think twice before they explore Arctic development.
D. are not interested in exploring the Arctic for natural resources.
74. According to Peter Wadhams, why could the release of methane be disastrous?
A. Because it could lead to global warming.
B. Because it could threaten lives in the Arctic.
C. Because it could lead to many natural disasters.
D. Because it can immediately cause the ice to melt.
75. We can infer from what Peter Wadhams said in the last paragraph that __________?
A. scientists are unwilling to go to the Arctic to do research there.
B. international groups are doing their best to prevent the methane leaks.
C. scientists cannot find a solution to the methane leaks in the Arctic now.
D. the methane leaks in the Arctic have attracted a lot of attention in the world.