時事新聞:富國擬降低針對發展中國家的排放要求
【英文原文】
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES PREPARED TO RELENT ON KEY EMISSIONS DEMAN
Developed countries are preparing to relent on their demand that developing countries agree to long-term cuts in greenhouse gas emissions in a concession that could form the basis of a global deal on climate change.
The demand was one of five key elements rich countries wanted for a deal at the international climate change summit in Copenhagen in December. But major emerging economies, led by China and India, refused to sign up to it, worrying it could be used to force large and so far unquantified emission cuts on them in the future.
Governments on both sides of the Atlantic are now softening their call for a global target of halving emissions by 2050, in an attempt to build a consensus around a less ambitious deal in Copenhagen.
Todd Stern, US President Barack Obama's special envoy for climate change who was in London yesterday for talks with the world's 17 biggest emitters, hinted at the softening stance: “Our view at the G8 in July was that there ought to be both a developed country number and a worldwide number: 80 per cent for developed countries, 50 per cent worldwide. We still think that.” But he added: “I don't know whether that is going to be included or not.”
A binding agreement to cut emissions at Copenhagen is seen as unlikely, but negotiators believe the meeting will set out the political framework for reducing greenhouse gases.
Dropping the 2050 demand will make it easier to strike a deal in Copenhagen, as it will switch attention to how countries manage emissions in the next decade.
“Discussions on 2050 have been eating up time that could be more usefully spent determining what we do before we're all dead,” said one senior official involved in the talks.
Developed countries have already agreed to cut their emissions by 80 per cent by 2050, which will remain unchanged.
Ed Miliband, the UK secretary of state for climate change, also signalled the 2050 goal was dispensable. He praised the actions developing countries such as China and India were taking to curb emissions growth and said these pledges for the next decade were paramount.
【中文譯文】
發達國家準備放棄此前提出的發展中國家必須接受溫室氣體長期減排指標的要求，這一讓步可能爲達成全球氣候變化協定打下基礎。
在今年12月的哥本哈根國際氣候變化會議上，富國此前希望達成一項包含五個關鍵要素的協定，而上述要求是其中之一。然而，由中國和印度領頭的主要新興經濟體拒絕接受這項條款，擔心它可能在未來被用於迫使它們進行大幅且迄今尚未量化的減排。
爲了能在哥本哈根就一項更易實現的協定達成共識，美歐政府正軟化立場，不再堅持要求設定到2050年把排放量減少一半的全球目標。
美國總統巴拉克•奧巴馬(Barack Obama)的氣候變化特使託德•斯特恩(Todd Stern)昨日在倫敦與全球17個最大排放國的代表舉行了會談，他暗示富國立場已經有所軟化：“今年7月我們在八國集團(G8)峯會上提出的觀點是，應該有針對發達國家和全世界的兩個指標，即發達國家減排80%，世界範圍減排50%。我們仍然這樣認爲。”但他補充稱：“我不清楚這是否會納入協定。”
有關各方認爲，不太可能在哥本哈根達成一項具有約束力的減排協定，但談判代表相信，大會將搭建減少溫室氣體排放的政治框架。
放棄2050年的減排指標要求，將降低在哥本哈根達成協定的難度，人們的注意力將轉向各國如何控制下一個十年的排放量。
一名參與談判的高層官員表示：“着眼2050年的討論消耗了時間，把這些時間用來決定我們有生之年能做些什麼，纔是更有用的做法。”
發達國家已經同意，到2050年把排放量減少80%，這一承諾將不會改變。
英國氣候變化大臣埃德•米利班德(Ed Miliband)也暗示，2050年的目標是可以捨棄的。他讚揚了中國和印度等發展中國家爲抑制排放增長而採取的行動，並表示，這些針對下一個十年的承諾纔是至關重要的。
