[ti:Greenland Suspends Oil Exploration Because of Climate Change] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]The government of Greenland has decided [00:02.48]to suspend all oil exploration off the Arctic island's coast. [00:08.64]Officials say it is "a natural step" [00:12.44]because the government "takes the climate crisis seriously." [00:18.28]No oil has been found yet around Greenland, [00:22.16]which is a territory of The Kingdom of Denmark. [00:26.52]But officials there had seen finding large amounts of oil [00:30.56]as a way to help Greenlanders realize their dream of independence from Denmark. [00:38.48]Greenland receives about $540 million each year from Denmark. [00:46.72]Global warming means that melting ice [00:50.04]could uncover possible oil and mineral resources. [00:55.48]Those resources could greatly change [00:58.48]the future of the territory of 57,000 people. [01:04.44]"The future does not lie in oil. [01:07.16]The future belongs to renewable energy, [01:10.12]and in that respect we have much more to gain," [01:13.84]the Greenland government said in a statement. [01:17.96]The government added that it "wants to take co-responsibility [01:22.52]for combating the global climate crisis." [01:26.60]The decision was made June 24, but only made public last week. [01:33.44]The U.S. Geological Survey [01:35.84]estimates there could be 17.5 billion undiscovered barrels of oil [01:41.84]and 148 trillion cubic feet of natural gas off Greenland, the world's largest island. [01:51.32]The island's distant location and severe weather, [01:55.52]however, have limited exploration. [02:00.20]The current government has also stopped plans [02:03.24]for uranium mining in southern Greenland. [02:07.72]Greenland still has four active oil and gas exploration permits. [02:14.92]They can be used as long as the two companies [02:18.32]that hold them are actively exploring. [02:22.56]The government's decision to stop oil exploration [02:26.04]was welcomed by the environmental group Greenpeace, [02:29.84]which called the decision "fantastic." [02:34.40]Denmark decides foreign, defense [02:37.56]and security policies for Greenland. [02:42.08]Denmark's yearly financial support for Greenland [02:45.68]makes up about two-thirds of the island's economy. [02:51.00]I'm Jonathan Evans. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM