紐時賞析／應對極端氣候 窮國資金嚴重不足… 川普當選將使談判雪上加霜

The World Isn’t Spending Nearly Enough to Adapt to Climate Shocks, U.N. Says

聯合國：各國支出不夠因應氣候變遷衝擊

After Donald Trump’s election threatened to upend global efforts to fight climate change, a United Nations group  warned in a new report that developing nations need hundreds of billions of dollars per year in aid to adapt to a warming planet.

川普當選威脅將顛覆全球對抗氣候變遷的努力後，一個聯合國組織在一份新報告中警告，開發中國家每年需要數千億美元援助，適應暖化的地球。

With temperatures on the rise, many more countries are trying to protect themselves from heat waves, floods and other climate shocks, according to the report, from the U.N. Environment Program. At least 171 countries now have at least one national climate adaptation plan in place.

這份出自聯合國環境署的報告顯示，隨著氣溫上升，更多國家試圖保護他們自己免受熱浪、洪水和其他氣候衝擊影響。如今至少171國制定了至少一項國家氣候適應計畫。

But those efforts remain badly underfunded, particularly in poor countries. While wealthy nations provided $28 billion in aid for climate adaptation in 2022, the report estimates that developing nations need between $187 billion and $359 billion annually in additional funding to cope with climate change disasters.

但這些努力仍嚴重缺乏資金，特別是在貧窮國家。儘管富有國家2022年提供280億美元援助用於氣候適應，但這份報告估計，開發中國家每年需要1870億至3590億美元的額外資金，應對氣候變遷災害。

World leaders are meeting in Azerbaijan at the U.N. climate summit, called COP29, to discuss how to increase financial assistance to developing nations. Reaching an agreement could be more difficult now that Trump, who has dismissed climate change as a hoax, is the United States’ president-elect.

世界領袖齊聚亞塞拜然，參加「聯合國氣候變化綱要公約第29屆締約方大會」，討論如何增加對開發中國家的財務援助。由於川普將氣候變遷視為騙局，而他又當選美國總統，現在達成協議可能更困難。

“Trump’s victory is a profound blow to global climate justice,” said Harjeet Singh, global engagement director at an activist group called the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative. His “refusal to provide climate finance will deepen the crisis,” Singh added, “endangering lives and livelihoods — especially in regions least responsible for, yet most impacted by, climate change.”

倡導組織「化石燃料不擴散條約倡議」全球參與主任辛格表示：「川普的勝利是對全球氣候正義的沉重打擊。」辛格補充說，川普「拒絕提供氣候資金，將深化危機，危及生命和生計，特別是在對氣候變遷要負的責任最小，但受影響卻最大的地區」。

The question of what rich countries owe to poor countries has been a sticking point in international climate talks for years. Wealthy areas like the United States and Europe have historically pumped more heat-trapping greenhouse gases into the air than others by burning coal, oil and gas, while poorer countries, such as those in Africa, are more vulnerable to climate disasters.

富國欠窮國多少的問題，多年來一直是國際氣候談判的癥結。美國和歐洲等富裕地區，歷來透過燃燒煤、石油和天然氣，排放比其他地區更多的吸熱溫室氣體至空氣中，而較貧窮的國家，例如那些位於非洲的國家，更容易受氣候災害影響。

Under the 2015 Paris climate agreement, wealthy nations agreed to provide significantly more financial aid to developing nations. The vast majority of that aid, however, goes toward helping countries reduce their greenhouse gases, such as by building solar or wind farms.

根據2015年巴黎氣候協定，富有國家同意提供開發中國家更多財務援助。然而，絕大多數援助花在協助各國減少他們的溫室氣體排放，例如建造太陽能和風力發電廠。

But as global emissions keep rising and as the planet gets hotter, the necessity of adapting to heat waves, floods, sea level rise and other effects of climate change is getting more attention. Adaptation aid from wealthy nations and development banks jumped to $28 billion in 2022 from $21 billion in 2021.

但隨著全球排放量持續上升，且地球變得更熱，適應熱浪、洪水、海平面上升和其他氣候變遷影響的必要性，正受到愈來愈多關注。來自富裕國家和開發銀行的適應援助從2021年的210億美元，增加到2022年的280億美元。

文／Brad Plumer　譯／羅方妤

說文解字看新聞

【張佑生】

We live in a changing world and people must learn to adapt.包括氣候變遷(climate change)在內，整個世界都在不停變動，人類必須學習適應，adapt指逐漸改變行為和態度以因應新局，介係詞常用to：She has adapted to college life quite easily.意思為改編時，介係詞用for且常以被動式出現。有些意義相近但不盡相同的字，讀者可查閱：https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adapt。

氣候峰會正在亞塞拜然舉行，再度當選美國總統的川普曾稱氣候變遷對人類生存的威脅是騙局(hoax)，倘若態度不變，很難指望美國繼續掏錢補助開發中國家減碳。這個字也有「謊報」的意思：hoax calls to the police.

Sticking point是造成僵局的癥結：Trade tariffs were a sticking point in US-China trade talks.雙方可能有很多歧見談不攏，但這個字通常以單數形式出現。