约翰 •克里：在气候变化问题上建立恰当的美中伙伴关系（中英对照）

Getting the U.S.-China Climate Partnership Right

在气候变化问题上建立恰当的美中伙伴关系

Secretary of State John Kerry

国务卿约翰 •克里

Jul 19, 2013

2013年7月19日

President Nixon once changed the world with a single handshake on a Beijing tarmac, beginning a new relationship with China.

尼克松总统曾在北京的停机坪上以一次握手打开了与中国的新关系，从此改变了世界。

Today, it’s not just our geopolitics that are changing — it’s the earth itself. And it requires a new partnership with China to meet the challenge.

今天，发生变化的不仅是地缘政治，而且是地球本身。需要有一种同中国的新的伙伴关系来应对这一挑战。

Nothing less than a transformation of the way we use and produce energy will be enough to tackle the urgent threat of climate change.

要抗击气候变化的紧迫威胁，我们唯有共同协作彻底改变我们使用和生产能源的方式。

Of course, the future has a way of humbling those who try to predict it with any certainty. But here’s what the science is telling us: if we fail to connect the dots — if we fail to take action — the impacts of climate change will become unmanageable at catastrophic levels.

当然，未来总是会以自己的方式挫败那些试图以某种确定性预测它的人。但是科学告诉我们：如果我们看不到事物之间的联系——如果我们不采取行动—— 气候变化的影响将达到无法控制的灾难性程度。

That’s why this week, at the Major Economies Forum, Todd Stern, our Special Envoy for Climate Change, carried a message of the need to make potent progress both in terms of concrete action now, and in terms of developing a new global agreement for 2015. Plain and simple, all nations have a responsibility to make near-term emissions reductions. The costs of inaction get more and more expensive the longer we wait — and the longer we wait, the less likely we are to avoid the worst and leave future generations with a sustainable planet.

这就是我们国务院气候变化问题特使托德 •斯特恩本周参加经济大国论坛时要传达的信息。这个信息简单明了：所有国家都有责任减少短期排放。等待的时间越长，代价就越高——我们越是等待，就越不可能避免最坏的情况发生，也越没有可能留给后代一个可持续的地球。

We all know China and the United States have unique national circumstances. But we also have a special role. Together, we account for more than 40 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. While that’s a truly staggering reality, it also means our two nations can make a profound difference. The decisions we make today — right now — will determine the fate of our planet not just for our children and grandchildren but for generations to come.

我们都知道，中美都有各自独特的国情。但我们同时也具有特殊的角色。我们两国加起来占到全球温室气体排放的40%以上。这一现实虽然确实惊人，但也意味着我们两国能够产生巨大影响。我们今天——就在此刻——所做的决策，将不仅为我们的子孙，而且为未来世世代代人决定我们星球的命运。

So here’s the bottom line: For better or worse, the eyes of the world are upon us. Either we create the necessary momentum to galvanize a global response, or else we risk a global catastrophe. Either we set an example for the world, or the world will make an example out of us. After all, Mother Nature knows no boundaries.

说到底，无论怎样，世界是在注视着我们。我们要么大造必要的势头以激起全球的响应，要么冒陷入全球性灾难的风险。我们要么为全球树立榜样，要么全球拿我们当前车之鉴。大自然是毫不留情的。

The simple fact is that we have to act — and we can.

简单的现实是，我们必须行动起来——而且我们能够行动起来。

When I visited Beijing in April on my first trip to Asia as Secretary of State, we agreed to launch the Climate Change Working Group. We’re elevating our climate concerns to a new level in our bilateral relationship, because no nation can take on this global challenge alone — nor should they.

4月份，当我作为国务卿在第一次亚洲之行中访问北京时，我们双方同意组建气候变化工作组。我们将我们对气候问题的关切提到我们双边关系中的一个新高度，因为没有哪个国家能独自应对这个全球范围的挑战——也不应独自应对。

We’re starting to making progress. Our two nations just met again at the Strategic and Economic Dialogue, where our senior officials discuss the most pressing issues in the bilateral relationship. After roughly three months of hard work since our meeting in April, we agreed to accelerate our bilateral climate cooperation by approving five new joint initiatives to curb climate change. This is an important step forward.