巴黎氣候協議雖達成 但仍面臨多重阻力

The obstacles facing this weekend’s global climate change accord were thrown into relief last night when businesses and government officials played down its impact and US Republicans underlined their opposition.

週末達成的全球氣候變化協議所面臨的障礙昨晚表露無遺，企業和政府官員紛紛淡化其影響，而美國共和黨明確反對。

The Paris agreement, which requires all countries to regularly publish plans to deal with global warming, was hailed by international leaders as a turning point after more than 20 years of effort to make this century the last to be powered by fossil fuels.

巴黎協議要求所有國家定期發佈應對全球變暖的計劃。該協議被世界領導人譽爲一個轉折點。此前各方努力了20多年，力求使本世紀成爲依靠化石燃料提供能源的最後一個世紀。

German chancellor Angela Merkel said the deal was “the first time that the entire world community has obligated itself to act in the battle against global climate change”, while Pope Francis cautioned it would need the “concerted effort and generous dedication”. It was adopted by nearly 200 nations.

德國總理安格拉默克爾(Angela Merkel)表示，該協議代表着“整個國際社會首次承擔抗擊全球氣候變化的行動義務”，而教皇方濟各(Pope Francis)告誡稱，它需要“齊心協力和慷慨奉獻”。這份協議已被近200個國家簽署。

But coal and oil industry executives shrugged off any suggestion the new agreement sealed in Paris on Saturday night would have any immediate impact on their businesses. The goals include driving down carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels as soon as possible to limit global warming to “well below” 2°C from pre-industrial times and perhaps as little as 1.5°C, a target requiring much deeper emissions cuts than most countries are planning.

但是，煤炭和石油業高管並不認爲上週六晚在巴黎達成的協議會立即對他們的業務產生任何影響。協議中的目標包括，儘快減少源自化石燃料的二氧化碳排放，以求把相對於工業化時代以前的全球升溫幅度限制在遠低於2攝氏度的水平，或許低至1.5攝氏度，這個目標所要求的減排力度超出多數國家的現有規劃。

Amber Rudd, the UK energy and climate change secretary, described the 1.5°C goal as merely “aspirational” while defending the UK government’s decision last month to scrap 1bn in funding for carbon capture systems that could hold emissions down. “I don’t think it was a mistake,” she said.

英國能源和氣候變化大臣安布爾拉德(Amber Rudd)形容1.5攝氏度的升溫上限目標只是“理想”而已，她還爲英國政府上月決定放棄爲碳捕獲系統提供10億英鎊資金（此類系統有望減少排放）進行辯護。“我不認爲那是一個錯誤，”她說。

Benjamin Sporton, head of the World Coal Association, said he did not see the new agreement spurring a “massive change at the moment” for companies that produce coal because many developing nations plan to keep burning it.

世界煤炭協會(World Coal Association)主席本傑明斯伯頓(Benjamin Sporton)表示，他看不出新協議馬上就會刺激煤炭生產企業作出“巨大變化”，因爲許多發展中國家計劃繼續燃燒煤炭。

He said the pact was likely to force governments to focus more on carbon capture systems because they would be vital for meeting their goals.

他說，該協議有可能迫使各國政府更加專注於碳捕獲系統，因爲它們對於達到減排目標將是至關重要的。

The American Petroleum Institute said it was still reviewing the accord, but Amjad Bseisu, chief executive of EnQuest, a UK oil explorer , said the oil industry had more immediate concerns beyond the Paris Agreement.

美國石油學會(API)表示，它仍在審議該協議，但英國石油勘探企業EnQuest的首席執行官Amjad Bseisu表示，石油業目前有着比巴黎協議更緊迫的關切。

“This is a very slow process. We already look at our carbon costs, but right now the industry has other challenges [with the falling oil price].”

“這是一個非常緩慢的過程。我們已經研究了自己的碳排放成本，但（隨着油價下跌）眼下行業還有其他挑戰。”

In the US, Mitch McConnell, the Republican Senate majority leader, questioned the Paris deal, saying that the US portion relied on measures championed by president Barck Obama that were being challenged in the courts.

在美國，共和黨參議院多數黨領袖米奇麥康奈爾(Mitch McConnell)質疑巴黎協議，稱涉及美國的部分依賴於巴拉克攠巴馬(Barack Obama)支持的措施，而這些措施正在法庭上受到質疑。

But World Bank president Jim Yong Kim said the deal was “a game-changer” that should prompt companies to shift to low carbon business opportunities.

但世界銀行行長金墉(Jim Yong Kim)表示，該協議是“改變遊戲規則的一件事”，應該促使企業轉向低碳商機。

Still, many scientists questioned the prospect of governments being able to reach either the 2°C or 1.5°C goal in the agreement.

話雖如此，對於各國政府能不能達到協議中2攝氏度或1.5攝氏度的升溫上限目標，許多科學家表示懷疑。