Australia’s new government announced recently that it plans to prevent development of a coal mine due to the possible effects on the nearby Great Barrier Reef. Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said she plans to deny approval for the Central Queensland Coal Project. The minority Greens party has been asking the center-left Labor Party government, which was elected in May, to refuse approvals of coal and gas projects. The goal is to help reduce Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions.
1. prevent: 阻止, e.g. Nothing would prevent him from speaking out against injustice. 什么都不能阻止他鸣不平。
2. Great Barrier Reef: 大堡礁，是世界最大最长的珊瑚礁群，位于南太平洋的澳洲东北海岸，它纵贯于澳洲东北昆士兰州外的珊瑚海
3. Greens party: 由澳大利亚东部的水利环保运动和澳大利亚西部的解除核武运动发展而来,是澳大利亚的第三大党。
4. Labor Party government: 澳大利亚工党，澳大利亚工党成立于1901年，长期以来一直存在左派和右派的分歧。自1970年以后，左派和右派的分歧公开化并使得澳大利亚工党出现了有组织的内部派系。工党左派又被称为社会主义左派或进步左派，它与经济上提倡较自由的工党右派竞争。
5. emission: 排放 e.g the emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere 向大气排放二氧化碳
翻译：澳大利亚新政府最近宣布，由于煤矿开采可能会对附近的大堡礁造成影响，其计划阻止煤矿开采。环境部长谭雅·普利波塞克表示，她打算拒绝批准昆士兰中部煤炭项目。少数党绿党一直在要求今年5月当选的中左翼工党政府拒绝批准煤炭和天然气项目。其目标是帮助减少澳大利亚的温室气体排放。
Plibersek said in a statement, “Based on the information available to me at this stage, I believe that the project would be likely to have unacceptable impacts to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, and the values of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area and National Heritage Place.” The mine’s supporters have until the middle of August to answer the proposed refusal before the minister makes her final decision.
1. Marine Park: 海岸公园或海洋公园是一个作为康乐和保育用途的海岸或海域。
2. World Heritage : 世界遗产
3. until the middle of August: 插入, 可理解为 have to answer the refusal until the middle of August
翻译：普利波塞克在一份声明中表示，“根据现阶段我所掌握的信息，我认为该项目可能会对大堡礁海洋公园以及大堡礁世界遗产地和国家遗产地的价值产生不可接受的影响。”在环境部长做出最终决定之前，该矿的支持者必须在8月中旬之前对被拒绝批准的提议做出回应。
The Greens welcomed the news and urged the minister to reject another 26 planned coal mines. Greens leader Adam Bandt said in a statement, “Now we need an across-the-board moratorium on all new coal and gas projects.” A moratorium is a time when an activity is not permitted.
1. across-the-board: 形容词 always used before a noun, 意思是 affecting everyone or everything in a group，全面的，全盘的, e.g. an across-the-board pay increase集体加薪
2. moratorium: 暂停, e.g. The convention called for a two-year moratorium on commercial whaling. 会议呼吁两年内暂停商业捕鲸活动。
翻译：绿党对这一消息表示欢迎，并敦促环境部长否决另外26个计划中的煤矿。绿党领袖亚当·班特在一份声明中表示，“现在我们需要全面暂停所有新的煤炭和天然气项目。”moratorium是指某项活动不被允许的时间。
The proposed decision was announced after the House of Representatives passed a bill that would put into law a reduction in Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions by 43 percent below 2005 levels by the year 2030. The previous government’s target had been a reduction of between 26 to 28 percent, set at the Paris climate conference in 2015.
1. House of Representatives: 下议院或众议院，是两院制国家或自治地区议会的议院之一，英国和加拿大所称“下民院”（英语：House of Commons），美国、澳大利亚所称“众议院”（英语：House of Representatives）
2. bill: 法案, 如to introduce / approve / reject a bill 提出/通过/否决一项议案
3. Paris climate conference: 2015年11月30日至12月11日，《联合国气候变化框架公约》第21次缔约方会议(世界气候大会)于巴黎举行。按照计划，一项新的全球气候协议将在气候大会上达成，为2020年后全球应对气候变化行动作出安排。
翻译：这项拟议的决定是在澳大利亚众议院通过一项法案后宣布的，该法案决定，到2030年，澳大利亚的温室气体排放量在2005年的水平之上减少43%。上届政府的目标是2015年在巴黎气候大会上设定的减排26%至28%。
