奥巴马呼吁把气候问题放在国际议程首位

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奥巴马呼吁把气候问题放在国际议程首位

天之聪教育 2013-06-26 天之聪教育 259次

奥巴马呼吁把气候问题放在国际议程首位

Obama to order curbs on carbon emissions in climate policy

President Barack Obama has issued his most impassioned call in years to put global warming at the top of the international agenda, pledging to push for co-ordinated action by the world’s biggest emitters to tackle the problem of climate change.

美国总统巴拉克•奥巴马(Barack Obama)发出了多年来最为充满激情的的呼吁，目的是把全球变暖放在国际议程的首位，他承诺将推动全球各大碳排放国采取协调行动，应对气候变化问题。

In a widely touted speech, the US president on Tuesday laid out a three-part plan to deal with climate change using the power of his office, defying congressional inaction on the issue.

在一次受到广泛宣传的演说中，奥巴马周二提出了一份包括3部分内容的计划，他将利用其总统职权来应对气候变化，不理会美国国会在这个问题上的不作为。

He outlined a strategy to cut the US’s carbon pollution by reducing emissions from coal-fired power plants; to prepare the US for the impact of climate change, such as the superstorm that ravaged the New Jersey coastline last year; and to lead the world by example in combating changing climate.

他概述了一整套战略，内容包括：减少燃煤电厂的碳排放，以降低美国碳污染；让美国针对气候变化的影响（例如去年肆虐新泽西海岸的超级风暴）做好准备；在应对气候变化方面在全球做出表率。

“While no single step can reverse the effects of climate change, the president believes we have a moral obligation to our kids to leave them a planet that’s not polluted and damaged,” a White House official said.

一位白宫官员表示：“尽管没有一项单独的措施足以逆转气候变化的影响，但总统认为，我们对孩子们负有道德义务，要给他们留下一个没有受到污染和破坏的星球。”

The coal industry said the proposals could prove devastating – shares in US coal mining companies have been falling sharply – but Mr Obama’s speech was being watched closely around the world.

煤炭行业表示，这些提议可能产生毁灭性的后果。美国煤矿企业的股价最近在大幅下跌。但奥巴马的演讲受到全球的密切关注。

In Europe, where the eurozone crisis has pushed the climate change agenda firmly into the political background, environmental campaigners said they hoped Mr Obama’s speech would puncture arguments tackling global warming as bad for the economy.

在欧洲，这些年来欧元区危机一直主宰政治日程，气候变化问题则退居幕后。如今，欧洲的环境活动人士则表示，他们希望奥巴马的演讲将会驳斥那种认为应对全球变暖不利于经济的论调。

“If you’ve got the US and China moving, then the argument that the EU is going it alone clearly doesn’t stand up to scrutiny any more,” said Tom Brookes of the European Climate Foundation.

欧洲气候基金会(European Climate Foundation)的汤姆•布鲁克斯(Tom Brookes)表示：“如果美国和中国都行动起来，那么欧盟单独行动的论点显然不再站得住脚。”

On Tuesday Mr Obama, who attended international climate talks at the start of his first term but has been giving them a wide berth in recent years, owed to take global leadership role.

周二，奥巴马承诺将发挥全球领袖的作用，他曾在第一任期之初参与国际气候谈判，但最近几年一直对气候变化议程敬而远之。

The president said he would seek to expand new and existing international initiatives, including bilateral initiatives with China, India and other big emissions countries.

奥巴马表示，他将寻求扩大新的以及现有的国际举措，包括与中国、印度以及其他排放大国的双边举措。