美国国家公共电台 NPR--World leaders have reached a new agreement on climate change

World leaders have reached a new agreement on climate change

Transcript¹

Climate change negotiations² have concluded at the U.N. summit in Egypt. World leaders took a historic step to help developing countries pay for damages from climate impacts. But did they do enough?

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

World leaders have reached a new agreement on climate change after negotiations ran into overtime³ at the climate summit in Egypt over the weekend. The deal includes a historic step to help developing countries pay for the rising toll⁴ of climate disasters, but will it do enough to stop climate change? Lauren Sommer's here from NPR's climate desk to help answer that question. All right. Lauren, so this was a make-or-break moment for developing countries who say richer countries are not doing enough on climate change. Did they get what they want out of these talks?

LAUREN SOMMER, BYLINE⁵: This was a pretty big step forward for them. You know, developing countries arrived at these negotiations with a very clear demand. They want compensation for the costs of the disasters they're experiencing, things like rising sea levels and extreme storms and floods. Sherry Rehman, Pakistan's climate minister, arrived at the talks after flooding in her country displaced millions of people and caused more than $30 billion in damage.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

SHERRY REHMAN: Because if the planet is burning up, we are burning up in the front line. We are the ground zero of that climate change. So we are seeing that burn while we are not contributing to that burn.

SOMMER: You know, unlike richer countries, developing countries have done little to cause climate change. Their pollution is low. So that's why they fought for compensation for this loss and damage, as it's called.

MART?NEZ: OK, so will richer countries, such as the U.S., actually start to pay out for that soon?

SOMMER: Not exactly soon. Over the next year, countries will meet to figure out what a new fund for climate damages might look like. And there are already tensions over who will pay for it because the U.S. and Europe, they're the biggest emitters, historically. China is the world's largest emitter now, and China pushed back against this idea of being on the hook for these payments because, under the U.N. framework, they're still considered a developing country. The U.S. will also have a challenge getting money for this with a divided Congress because Republicans are not likely to support paying for this kind of climate aid.

MART?NEZ: But a Republican delegation⁶ did go to these climate talks to argue that there's a place for fossil fuels. So what did the global agreement have to say about oil and gas?

SOMMER: There was a big push at these talks to get countries to commit to phasing down all fossil fuels. The U.S. supported it. So did many developing countries, about 80 in all. In the end, though, it was not part of the agreement, and that caused a lot of frustration⁷, like from Frans Timmermans, who leads the climate delegation for the European Union.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

FRANS TIMMERMANS: We should have done much more. Our citizens expect us to lead. That means far more rapidly reduce emissions⁸. That's how you limit climate change.

SOMMER: The pushback came from Saudi Arabia and other oil-producing countries that didn't want fossil fuels singled out.

MART?NEZ: And I guess the big question is then whether global leaders did enough at these talks. So are emissions going to fall fast enough to make an actual difference on climate change?

SOMMER: Yeah, the short answer is no. The world was not on track when the talks began, and they're not on track leaving this summit. In a best-case scenario⁹, if the world follows through on their promises, emissions will be about 10% lower in 2030 than they would be without any reductions. But the science says emissions need to fall by 45% by then, and that's to avoid impacts that get much more dangerous with more warming, you know, things like rising oceans and powerful storms. So, you know, this just ups the stakes for next year because the longer countries wait, the steeper the emissions cuts will need to be if countries want to avoid more catastrophic damage from rising temperatures.

MART?NEZ: That's Lauren Sommer from NPR's climate desk. Lauren, thanks.

SOMMER: Thanks.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

3 overtime   

adj.超时的，加班的；adv.加班地

参考例句：

• They are working overtime to finish the work.为了完成任务他们正在加班加点地工作。
• He was paid for the overtime he worked.他领到了加班费。

4 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

7 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

8 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

9 scenario   

n.剧本，脚本；概要

参考例句：

• But the birth scenario is not completely accurate.然而分娩脚本并非完全准确的。
• This is a totally different scenario.这是完全不同的剧本。