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Charcoal is processed wood that is mainly used for cooking.
木炭是经过加工的木材，主要用于烹饪。
But in the East African nation of Uganda, charcoal making is causing conflict with local people in the country's north and police.
但在东非国家乌干达，木炭制造引发了与该国北部当地居民和警察的冲突。
People who say they are concerned about the environment are acting as police to drive away charcoal makers.
那些说他们关心环境的人正在充当警察赶走木炭制造商。
In the poor northern part of Uganda, making charcoal is one of the only ways people can make money.
在乌干达贫穷的北部地区，制造木炭是人们赚钱的唯一途径之一。
Charcoal is very important for cooking and heating in Africa south of the Sahara Desert.
在撒哈拉沙漠以南的非洲，木炭对烹饪和取暖非常重要。
But for years, local people and government officials in Uganda have been concerned about the effects of charcoal.
但多年来，乌干达的当地居民和政府官员一直担心木炭的影响。
While there are still many trees in Uganda, deforestation is a problem.
虽然乌干达仍有许多树木，但森林砍伐是一个问题。
In 2022, the International Monetary Fund said Uganda has lost nearly one-third of its tree cover over the past 20 years.
2022年，国际货币基金组织表示，乌干达在过去20年里失去了近三分之一的树木覆盖。
The environmental concerns prompted the Ugandan government to pass a national climate change law in 2021.
环境问题促使乌干达政府在2021年通过了一项国家气候变化法。
The law permits local officials to make rules to restrict activities that hurt the environment.
该法律允许地方官员制定法规，以限制损害环境的活动。
But there are still many trees in northern Uganda and people who make charcoal see the area as a good source of wood.
但乌干达北部仍然有许多树木，制造木炭的人认为该地区是一个很好的木材来源。
A conflict has developed between people who make charcoal and Ugandan officials.
制造木炭的人和乌干达官员之间发生了冲突。
People who do not support the charcoal business are getting involved in chasing away charcoal makers and tree-cutters.
不支持木炭生意的人也参与到赶走木炭制造商和砍树者的行动中来。
They are called vigilantes.
他们被称为治安维持者。
Before the charcoal ban, a vigilante group in the Gulu area attacked a truck carrying over 300 bags of charcoal.
在木炭禁令颁布之前，古卢区的一个治安自卫队袭击了一辆载有300多袋木炭的卡车。
Odanga Otto was one of the attackers.
奥丹加·奥托是袭击者之一。
He was charged with robbery, but Uganda's top justice called him a hero.
他被指控犯有抢劫罪，但乌干达最高法官称他为英雄。
Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo, who is from northern Uganda, said this year: "I have not heard anybody who is destroying our environment being charged."
来自乌干达北部的首席大法官阿尔方斯·奥温-多洛今年说：“我还没有听说有人因为破坏我们的环境而受到指控。”
He went on to ask, "If you steal from a thief, are you a thief?"
他接着问：“如果你偷了小偷的东西，你是小偷吗？”
One week after Owiny-Dollo's statement, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni issued an executive order banning the commercial production of charcoal in northern Uganda.
在奥温-多洛发表声明一周后，乌干达总统约韦里·穆塞韦尼发布了一项行政命令，禁止在乌干达北部商业生产木炭。
Charcoal making is still permitted in other parts of Uganda, but the tree cover in the north makes the area attractive for illegal charcoal production.
乌干达其他地区仍然允许生产木炭，但北部地区的树木覆盖使该地区成为非法木炭生产的热门地区。
Shortly after the president's ban, reporters from the Associated Press went into the forest with officials from the Gulu area.
在总统发布禁令后不久，美联社记者与古卢区的官员一起进入了森林。
They were 335 kilometers from Kampala, the capital.
它们距离首都坎帕拉335公里。
Patrick Komakech is a local official from the Patiko sub-county.
帕特里克·科马奇是帕蒂科县的一名当地官员。
When he heard people running away, he chased them, but all he found was a recently cleared area.
当他听到有人逃跑时，他就去追赶他们，但他只发现了一个最近清理过的区域。
He saw tree stumps, still wet.
他看到了还湿着的树桩。
Komakech was upset and almost started to cry when he saw the missing trees.
当科马奇看到丢失的树木时，他很难过，几乎要哭了。
The cut trees had been piled up in one part of the clearing.
砍倒的树木堆积在空地上。
Smoke came from another group of trees that were burning.
另一处树堆正在燃烧冒着浓烟。
Charcoal makers collect the dust from burned wood, mix it with a material to make it stick together, and then press the mix into small balls or squares.
木炭制造者从燃烧的木头中收集灰尘，将其与一种材料混合，使其粘合在一起，然后将混合物压制成小球状或正方形。
They fill large bags, load them onto trucks and bring them into Ugandan cities for sale.
他们装满大袋子，装上卡车，然后运到乌干达的城市出售。
Komakech said the people who cut the trees and make the charcoal are outsiders.
科马奇说，砍伐树木和制作木炭的都是外地人。
"They do this thing without the mercy of leaving any vegetation."
“他们在做这件事时不会放过任何植被。”
He kicked at the logs on the ground and said they were from the shea tree, which can provide both fruit and oil if they are farmed.
他踢了踢地上的原木，说它们来自酪脂树，酪脂树可以提供果实和油。
After a time, the charcoal workers came back from hiding and spoke with Komakech.
过了一段时间，木炭工人不再躲藏，并与科马奇交谈。
They said they were only trying to keep up with demand and earn some money.
他们说，他们只是想满足需求，赚一些钱。
Recent numbers from the World Bank show that Uganda's population is growing by about three percent each year.
世界银行最近发布的数据显示，乌干达的人口正以每年约3%的速度增长。
The organization says it will grow from about 46 million today to over 100 million by 2060.
该组织表示，到2060年，这一数字将从目前的约4600万增加到1亿以上。
As a result, the nation needs fuel that is not costly.
因此，这个国家需要便宜的燃料。
Some homes have gas, but most people in cities still use charcoal for cooking meals.
一些家庭有天然气，但大多数城市居民仍然使用木炭做饭。
Peter Ejal was one of the people making charcoal.
彼得·伊哈尔是木炭制造者之一。
"Even those policemen who are coming to beat us, they are cooking with charcoal," he said.
他说：“即使是那些来殴打我们的警察也在用木炭做饭”。
Another charcoal-maker said: "When we finish this place we will go on to another place."
另一位木炭制造者说：“这个地方没有树木了，我们就去另一个地方。”
A number of groups make money on each bag of charcoal.
许多团体都从木炭上赚钱。
Landowners in the north sell charcoal rights by the hectare.
北方的土地所有者按公顷出售木炭权。
In northern towns, the cost of one bag is about $14 but closer to Kampala, prices are higher.
在北部城镇，一袋木炭的价格约为14美元，但离坎帕拉越近，价格越高。
Both President Museveni and Otto, the vigilante, said some members of the Ugandan military make extra money by protecting the charcoal trucks as they drive into the cities.
穆塞韦尼总统和治安维持者奥托都表示，乌干达军方的一些成员通过保护驶入城市的木炭卡车来赚取额外收入。
Otto said he and other vigilantes are working to make the charcoal business "risky."
奥托说，他和其他治安维持者正在努力让木炭生意变得“有风险”。
He said vigilantes helped police take control of many trucks.
他说，治安维持者帮助警方控制了许多卡车。
"As of now," he said, "you drive 100 kilometers, and you will not find any single truck carrying charcoal."
“到目前为止，”他说，“开100公里，你都找不到一辆运载木炭的卡车。”
With the success of the vigilantes, it has become harder to make charcoal.
随着治安维持者的成功，制造木炭变得更加困难。
But, the price will go up.
但是，价格将会上涨。
That will make more people want to burn trees to make charcoal close to where they live.
这将会使更多的人想要在他们居住的地方附近燃烧树木来制造木炭。
Without the trucks to carry the charcoal bags, activists opposed to charcoal worry the producers will just give the bags to a large number of drivers on motorcycles who would then take them to a waiting truck somewhere else.
如果没有卡车来运送木炭袋，反对木炭的活动人士担心，生产商只会把这些木炭袋交给大批骑摩托车的司机。
Alfred Odoch is an environmental activist in northern Uganda.
阿尔弗雷德·奥多克是乌干达北部的一名环保活动人士。
He supports the vigilantes.
他支持治安维持者。
He says they are preventing large numbers of trees from being cut down.
他说，他们正在防止大量树木被砍伐。
He wants to limit charcoal making to families who want to sell two or three bags per week.
他希望将木炭生产限制在每周想卖两到三袋的家庭。
"The fight for environmental justice," he said, "is not only for one person."
“为环境正义而战，”他说，“不只是一个人的事。”
I'm Dan Friedell. And I'm Caty Weaver.
丹·弗里德尔、凯蒂·韦弗为您共同播报。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
