阅读理解
Modeste Traore has lived his whole life near Lake Wegnia, in the Sahel area of Mali. The lake's fish have provided him with a way to earn money to support his extended family. However, because he can't catch enough fish to feed his family, he now raises farm animals. But as temperatures rise, evaporation increases, making the body of water shrinks. Studies have linked rising temperatures on Earth's surface to climate change.
The lake is shrinking, so are the chances of his children becoming fishermen. “If things go on like this, I don't think our children can become fishermen like us. They will have to choose other jobs，” the 56-year-old Traore said. “During the rainy season, there is a lot of water but as soon as it's over, there is no water left in the lake. We are fishermen. I don't think our children will be，” he said.
Lake Wegnia is in the Sahel region of Koulikoro, around 120 kilometers north of Mali's capital, Bamako. Some 12,000 people, including fishermen and farmers, depend on it for food, water and employment. But the lake has shrunk by 20 percent since 2017.
The UN expects temperatures there to increase 1.5 times higher than the average increase worldwide. UN officials note that the flooding and a severe lack of rainfall can cause problems in the Sahel: Food insecurity, the fight over farmland and the fast population growth can lead to conflict.
Aid group is leading the EcoLac Wegnia project. The group is working to improve water management and fight the effects of global warming. Moussa Savagodo is EcoLac Wegnia's local representative. He says that failing to make changes quickly can mean the lake will disappear completely in less than 5 years.
People in the rural areas Wegnia and KononiSirakoro have planted 56,000 trees in the past two years. Andtheyare better controlling their water by building stone barriers to help the soil keep the rain that does fall. The progress and international official support are not enough for them, however. More and more people are turning to other agriculture.