巴黎氣候大會達成歷史性減排協議

LE BOURGET, France — With the sudden bang of a gavel Saturday night, representatives of 195 nations reached a landmark accord that will, for the first time, commit nearly every country to lowering planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions to help stave off the most drastic effects of climate change.

法國勒布爾熱——週六晚上，隨着小木槌砰的一聲響，來自195個國家的代表們達成了一項里程碑式的協議。這項協議將第一次實現幾乎每個國家都承諾降低讓全球變暖的溫室氣體的排放，以避免出現氣候變化帶來的最嚴重的後果。

The deal, which was met with an eruption of cheers and ovations from thousands of delegates gathered from around the world, represents a historic breakthrough on an issue that has foiled decades of international efforts to address climate change.

協議的簽署引發數千名來自世界各地的代表熱烈歡呼和鼓掌。它代表着國際社會舉數十年之力未能應對的氣候變化問題取得了歷史性的突破。

Traditionally, such pacts have required developed economies, such as the United States, to take action to lower greenhouse gas emissions, but they have exempted developing countries, such as China and India, from such action.

過去簽署的此類協議一般要求美國等發達經濟體採取行動來削減溫室氣體排放，但沒有對中國、印度等發展中國家提出要求。

The accord, which U.N. diplomats have been working toward for nine years, changes that dynamic by requiring action in some form from every country, rich or poor.

聯合國外交官員過去九年一直在竭力促成的這項協議改變了這一狀況，轉而要求每個國家，不論貧富，都要採取一些行動。

“This is truly a historic moment,” the U.N. secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, said in an interview. “For the first time, we have a truly universal agreement on climate change, one of the most crucial problems on earth.”

“這真是一個歷史性的時刻，”聯合國祕書長潘基文(Ban Ki-moon)在接受採訪時說。“在地球上最重要的問題之一，即氣候變化問題上，我們第一次達成了一項真正具有普適意義的協議。”

President Barack Obama, who regards tackling climate change as a central element of his legacy, spoke of the deal in a televised address from the White House. “This agreement sends a powerful signal that the world is fully committed to a low-carbon future,” he said. “We've shown that the world has both the will and the ability to take on this challenge.”

美國總統貝拉克·奧巴馬將應對氣候變化問題作爲自己政治遺產的一個核心部分，協議達成後他在白宮發表了電視講話。“這份協議釋放出一個強有力的信號，顯示出全世界決心共同創造一個低碳的未來，”他說。“我們已經證明，這個世界不僅有意願，也有能力承擔起這項挑戰。”

The new deal will not, on its own, solve global warming. At best, scientists who have analyzed it say, it will cut global greenhouse gas emissions by about half enough as is necessary to stave off an increase in atmospheric temperatures of 2 degrees Celsius or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit. That is the point at which, scientific studies have concluded, the world will be locked into a future of devastating consequences, including rising sea levels, severe droughts and flooding, widespread food and water shortages and more destructive storms.

新協議本身不會解決全球變暖問題。就此進行分析的科學家們表示，在最理想的情況下，它會使全球溫室氣體排放有所降低，但規模爲避免氣溫上升2攝氏度所需的削減量的大約一半。多項科學研究已經得出結論，全球氣溫上升2攝氏度的話，世界就將陷入一個有各種災難性後果的未來，其中包括海平面上升、嚴重乾旱和洪災、普遍的糧食和水資源短缺，以及更多破壞性的風暴。

But the Paris deal could represent the moment at which, because of a shift in global economic policy, the inexorable rise in planet-warming carbon emissions that started during the Industrial Revolution began to level out and eventually decline.

但巴黎協議或許代表着一個特殊時刻：隨着全球經濟政策發生轉向，自工業革命以來溫室氣體排放似乎不可阻擋的增長趨勢開始得到遏制，趨向穩定，並最終下降。