經合組織或限制燃煤發電公共融資
The embattled coal industry is facing a fresh onslaught as rich nations consider a bold plan to scale back the billions of dollars of support they pour into coal power plants worldwide.
問題纏身的煤炭產業正面臨新一輪沉重打擊，原因是富裕國家正考慮一項大膽計劃，縮減對全球燃煤發電站投入的鉅額資金支持。
Documents seen by the Financial Times show the US has struck a deal with Japan that would rein in export credit agency financing for coal, a leading source of the greenhouse gas emissions responsible for climate change.
英國《金融時報》看到的文件顯示，美國已和日本達成一項協議。該協議會約束出口信貸機構爲煤炭提供的融資。煤炭是引起全球氣候變化的溫室氣體的主要排放源。
The proposal will be debated at a meeting in Paris next week of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which represents 34 of world’s richest countries.
下週經合組織(OECD)將在巴黎的一次會議上就該提案開展辯論。目前，經合組織代表着全球34個最富裕國家。
“It’s a huge breakthrough,” said one person familiar with the talks. If agreed by other countries, it would probably make the “vast majority” of about 1,000 planned coal plants ineligible for export credit agency backing, he said.
相關磋商的一位知情人士表示：“這是個巨大突破。”他說，如果其他國家也同意這一協議，可能會令約1000座已規劃燃煤發電站中的“絕大多數”無資格獲得出口信貸機構的資金支持。
In a sign of the difficulties of securing approval, Australia and South Korea, both home to large coal companies, have produced alternative proposals that would not go as far as the US-Japan plan.
澳大利亞和韓國則已擬定了不如美日方案激進的替代方案，顯示美日方案要獲得通過還有很多困難。目前，澳大利亞和韓國都是多家大型煤炭企業的所在地。
Jake Schmidt of the Natural Resources Defense Council, a US environmental group, described the Canberra/Seoul proposal as “a terrible sign” from countries that claim they want to deal with climate change.
美國環境組織自然資源保護協會(Natural Resources Defense Council)的傑克施密特(Jake Schmidt)稱，澳大利亞和韓國的提案，是自稱想應對氣候變化的國家發出的“可怕信號”。
“They are trying to stop the simplest way to deal with this problem, which is to minimise the public finance going to coal power plants,” Mr Schmidt said.
施密特表示：“它們試圖阻止應對這個問題的最簡單方法，即將流向燃煤發電站的公共資金縮減至最少。”
EU countries are still working on their response to the competing proposals, according to people close to the discussions. The OECD secretariat has been hosting closed-door meetings for the past year in an effort to finalise common rules on restricting export agency coal financing. Next week’s meeting is seen as the last chance of reaching a deal.
據瞭解相關磋商的人士表示，歐盟(EU)國家仍在研究該對這些競爭性提案作何應對。過去一年裏，經合組織祕書處一直在主持閉門會議，努力最終確定有關限制出口機構煤炭融資的通用規則。下週的會議被視爲達成協議的最後機會。
The US and some EU countries have been pushing for a deal to be sealed before delegates from nearly 200 na meet in December in Paris to finalise a new UN climate change agreement.
美國及部分歐盟國家一直在推動在12月的巴黎氣候變化會議前達成協議。屆時，來自近200個國家的代表將齊聚巴黎，最終敲定一份新的聯合國(UN)氣候變化協議。
Export credit agencies help companies do more business abroad in industries ranging from aerospace to Energy, providing government-backed loans and other financial support for individual projects.
出口信貸機構幫助從航空到能源等諸多行業的企業在境外開展更多業務，爲私人項目提供政府出資貸款及其他金融支持。
It is estimated that agencies from OECD countries channelled $34bn to coal power plants between 2007 and 2014, making these bodies a prominent target as climate change activists press for fossil fuel use to be phased out.
據估計，2007年到2014年間，經合組織國家的機構向燃煤發電站輸送了340億美元的資金。在氣候變化人士施壓要求逐步淘汰化石燃料之際，這些機構成爲突出的靶子。
A number of large investors have already agreed to cut their holdings in coal companies over the past year.
過去一年裏，許多大型投資者已同意減少對煤炭企業的持股。
But if OECD countries were to curb their export financing support for coal power plants it would add to the woes of an industry suffering from a glut in supply that has driven coal prices sharply down over the past four years.
若經合組織國家限制對燃煤發電站的出口融資支持，會令該產業雪上加霜。在過去四年裏，煤炭產業已受創於令煤炭價格暴跌的供應過剩。
The US and the UK have already agreed to rules limiting public financing abroad for coal-fired power plants.
美國和英國已就相關規定達成協議，限制對燃煤發電站提供境外公共融資。
Efforts to extend such rules in the OECD negotiations were initially hampered by opposition from Japan, the world’s top public financer of overseas coal projects, according to a June report by environmental advocacy groups.
而把這類規定推廣至經合組織磋商的努力，最初曾遭到日本的反對。根據多家環保倡議組織今年6月發佈的一份報告，日本是全球對境外煤炭項目提供公共融資最多的國家。
The compromise deal reached last month between the US and Japan would still allow export financing for the most efficient types of coal power plants, but restrict support for many dirtier, less efficient units.
上個月美國和日本之間達成的妥協協議，仍將允許對效率最高的燃煤發電站提供出口融資，卻會限制對許多污染更大、效率更低的發電站的支持。
These rules would be reviewed from 2019, with the aim of phasing down support further.
這些規定將在2019年重新審議，以進一步降低相關資金支持。
The plans from Australia and South Korea would continue to allow export financing for some of the projects the US-Japan plan would rule out. In the papers, Seoul says it shares the view that coal power plants need to be re to counter climate change, but there should be more consideration for the energy welfare of developing nations.
對部分美日計劃會排除的項目，澳大利亞和韓國的計劃會繼續允許出口融資。在相關文件中，韓國政府表示自己也同樣認爲，要對抗氣候變化就必須減少燃煤發電站，不過也應該對發展中國家的能源福祉予以更多考慮。
South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy declined to comment. Greg Hunt, Australia’s environment minister, declined to discuss Australia’s specific position on the issue but said Canberra was not trying to obstruct a deal at the OECD talks.
韓國貿易、工業及能源部(Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy)拒絕評論此事。澳大利亞環境部長格雷格亨特(Greg Hunt)拒絕討論澳大利亞對該問題的具體立場。不過他表示，澳大利亞不會試圖阻止經合組織的磋商達成協議。
