爆料：英國計劃放棄116億英鎊的旗艦氣候承諾_風聞

正文翻譯

Revealed: UK plans to drop flagship £11.6bn climate pledge

-Disclosure provokes fury as Rishi Sunak accused of betraying populations vulnerable to global heating

爆料：英國計劃放棄116億英鎊的旗艦氣候承諾

——這一信息披露引發了憤怒，因為蘇納克被指控背叛了易受全球變暖影響的人羣

(The prime minister, Rishi Sunak, at Cop26 in 2021 when he was chancellor. The decision is likely to diminish the UK’s standing on the world stage.)

（蘇納克首相在2021年的Cop26大會上，當時他還是大臣。這一決定可能會削弱英國在世界舞台上的地位。）

新聞：

The government is drawing up plans to drop the UK’s flagship £11.6bn climate and nature funding pledge, the Guardian can reveal, with the prime minister accused of betraying populations most vulnerable to global heating.

《衞報》透露，英國政府正在起草計劃，放棄116億英鎊的氣候和自然基金承諾，首相被指責背叛了最易受全球變暖影響的人羣。

The disclosure provoked fury from former ministers and representatives of vulnerable countries, who accused Rishi Sunak of making false promises.

這一披露激起了前首相和脆弱國家代表的憤怒，他們指責蘇納克搞虛假承諾。

A leaked briefing note to ministers, given to the Foreign Office and seen by the Guardian, lays out reasons for dropping the UK’s contribution to meeting the global $100bn (£78.6bn) a year commitment to developing countries.

《衞報》看到了一份泄露給外交部的大臣簡報，其中列出了英國放棄對發展中國家每年1000億美元（786億英鎊）承諾的原因。

It says: “Our commitment to double our international climate finance to £11.6bn was made in 2019, when we were still at 0.7 [% of GDP spent on international aid] and pre-Covid.” It adds that to meet it by the deadline would be a “huge challenge” because of new pressures, including help for Ukraine being included in the aid budget.

它寫道：“我們將國際氣候金援翻一番，達到116億英鎊的承諾是在2019年做出的，當時我們用於國際援助的支出仍佔GDP的0.7%，而且是在新冠疫情之前。”它補充寫道，由於新的壓力，包括援助預算中包括對烏克蘭的幫助，要在最後期限前實現這一目標將是一個“巨大的挑戰”。

To meet the £11.6bn target by 2026, government officials have calculated that it would have to spend 83% of the Foreign Office’s official development assistance budget on the international climate fund. Civil servants said in the leaked document that this “would squeeze out room for other commitments such as humanitarian and women and girls”.

為了在2026年之前實現116億英鎊的目標，政府官員計算出，英國必須將外交部官方發展援助預算的83%用於國際氣候基金。公務員們在泄露的文件中表示，這“將擠佔其他承諾的空間，比如人道主義、婦女和女童”。

It also claimed that factors such as Ukraine and debt relief could make it even more difficult to meet the target. This is because the government has cut international aid spending to 0.5% of gross national income since the announcement was made, squeezing budgets across the board, and because ministers did not spend most of the money allocated to the climate fund over the past few years, leaving the majority to be spent by 2026.

它還聲稱，烏克蘭和債務減免等因素可能使實現目標變得更加困難。這是因為自宣佈這一承諾以來，政府已將國際援助支出削減至國民總收入的0.5%，從而全面壓縮了預算，而且由於大臣們在過去幾年沒有花掉分配給氣候基金的大部分資金，大部分資金將在2026年之前花掉。

The UK spent £5.8bn over the previous five years up to 2021. This was doubled, to spend £11.6bn between April 2021 and March 2026, £3bn of which was earmarked for protecting and restoring nature for meeting commitments made in Cop15 last December.

在截至2021年的前5年裏，英國在這方面的支出為58億英鎊。在2021年4月至2026年3月期間，這一數字翻了一番，達到116億英鎊，其中30億英鎊專門用於保護和恢復自然，以履行去年12月在Cop15大會上做出的承諾。

原創翻譯：龍騰網 http://www.ltaaa.cn 轉載請註明出處

The projects funded include building renewable energy, helping create low-pollution transport and protecting forests in sensitive areas around the globe.

這些資助的項目包括建設可再生能源，幫助創造低污染的交通工具，以及保護全球敏感地區的森林。

Former Foreign Office minister Zac Goldsmith, who resigned last week citing what he termed Sunak’s “apathy” towards the environment, said this would “shred” the UK’s international reputation.

上週辭職的英國前外交大臣扎克·戈德史密斯表示，這將“摧毀”英國的國際聲譽。戈德史密斯稱，蘇納克對環境“漠不關心”。

He told the Guardian: “The low levels of expenditure so far combined with the decision to define our spending on Afghan and Ukrainian refugees here in the UK as aid (something other countries have not done) means it is going to be virtually impossible to honour the promise. The hockey stick of spending will be so steep that whoever is in government after the next election would have to savagely slash humanitarian, education, health and other funding in order to hit the £11.6bn target. So even while it is technically possible to claim we will honour the pledge, the next government will simply not be able to.

他告訴《衞報》：“到目前為止，低水平的支出，加上我們決定將在英國的阿富汗和烏克蘭難民的支出定義為援助（其他國家沒有這樣做），意味着兑現這一承諾實際上是不可能的。支出的‘曲棍球棒’將如此之大，以至於無論誰在下次選舉後執政，都將不得不大幅削減人道主義、教育、衞生和其他方面的資金，以實現這個116億英鎊的目標。因此，儘管從技術上講，我們有可能宣稱我們將兑現這一承諾，但下一屆政府將根本無法做到這一點。

“Small island states in particular, whose votes in the UN are no less valuable than ours and which are routinely needed by us, will be left feeling utterly betrayed. Given around 25 Commonwealth countries are small island states as well as our interests in the Pacific and Caribbean, the geopolitical repercussions will be far reaching and our reputation as a reliable partner will simply be shredded.”

“特別是小島嶼國家，它們在聯合國的投票權不比我們少，而且我們經常需要它們，它們將感到完全被背叛了。考慮到大約25個英聯邦國家是小島嶼國家，以及我們在太平洋和加勒比地區的利益，地緣政治影響將是深遠的，我們作為‘可靠夥伴’的聲譽將被徹底粉碎。”

Last week the government’s statutory climate advisers published a report finding that the government was missing the majority of its climate targets and had lost its position as a world leader on climate.

上週，政府的法定氣候顧問發佈了一份報告，發現政府未能實現其大部分氣候目標，並失去了其作為全球氣候領導者的地位。

Countries due to receive the funding have expressed dismay at the prospect of a funding cut. Lee White, Gabon’s environment minister, said: “The climate crisis is such that every country has to contribute to the solution. Gabon is 88% covered by tropical rainforest. We have maintained deforestation below 0.1% over 5 decades and net absorb over 100m tonnes of CO2 annually. Few countries are doing more for the planet. Developed nations, particularly the UK, which was at the origin of the Industrial Revolution, have to do the heavy lifting – but all too often they make false promises and fail to provide true leadership or even honour their modest financial commitments.”

原定獲得資金的國家對資金削減的前景表示失望。加蓬環境部長李·懷特表示：“氣候危機如此嚴重，每個國家都必須為解決方案做出貢獻。加蓬的88%被熱帶雨林覆蓋。50年來，我們將森林砍伐率保持在0.1%以下，每年淨吸收超過1億噸二氧化碳。很少有國家為地球做得更多。發達國家，尤其是作為工業革命發源地的英國，必須承擔重任——但他們往往做出虛假的承諾，無法發揮真正的領導作用，甚至無法兑現他們適度的金援承諾。”

The decision is likely to diminish the UK’s standing on the world stage, as international groups accuse it of squandering its reputation.

這一決定可能會削弱英國在世界舞台上的地位，因為國際組織指責英國糟蹋自己的聲譽。

Clare Shakya, the strategic director of the International Institute for Environment and Development, said: “A decision by this government to drop the pledge of £11.6bn in climate finance is somewhat unsurprising given cuts they had already made to programmes that would have used that funding. But it’s no less disappointing. Not only could that funding have helped some of the most vulnerable people already facing the droughts, flooding and wildfires brought on by climate change, its provision was also a demonstration of the UK’s leadership in the face of the climate crisis.

國際環境與發展研究所戰略總監克萊爾·沙克雅表示：“鑑於政府已經削減了可能使用這筆資金的項目，本屆政府決定放棄116億英鎊的氣候融資承諾，這在一定程度上並不令人意外。但它也同樣令人失望。這筆資金本來不僅能幫助那些已經面臨氣候變化帶來的乾旱、洪水和野火的最脆弱人羣，而且還展示了英國在應對氣候危機方面的領導力。

“The UK government seems content to squander what standing it had on the world stage to bring countries together to face this global emergency.”

“英國政府似乎樂於糟蹋自己在世界舞台上把各國團結起來面對這一全球緊急情況的地位。”

原創翻譯：龍騰網 http://www.ltaaa.cn 轉載請註明出處

The briefing note suggests a departure from the UK’s previous plans to be at the “forefront of addressing the challenges associated with climate change and biodiversity loss”. When the funding was announced, the government departments involved called climate finance “the top priority for government over the next decade” and described the fund as a “vital tool in the government’s commitment to tackle climate change internationally”.

這份簡報表明，英國偏離了之前的計劃，即站在“應對氣候變化和生物多樣性喪失相關挑戰的最前沿”。當資金宣佈時，相關政府部門稱氣候金援是“政府未來十年的首要任務”，並將該基金描述為“政府承諾在國際上應對氣候變化的重要工具”。

The Foreign Office declined to comment on the leak, but pointed to Rishi Sunak’s comments made at Cop27 regarding climate finance. A spokesperson said: “We spent over £1.4 billion on international climate finance over the course of the 2021/22 financial year, supporting developing countries to reduce poverty and respond to the causes and impacts of climate change. We will publish the latest annual figures in due course.”

英國外交部拒絕就泄密事件發表評論，但指出了蘇納克在Cop27大會上就氣候金援問題發表的評論。一位發言人説：“在2021/22財政年度，我們在國際氣候金援上花費了14億英鎊，支持發展中國家減少貧困，應對氣候變化的原因和影響。我們將適時公佈最新的年度數據。”

It later added: “Claims that the international climate finance pledge is being dropped are false. As the prime minister set out at Cop27, the government remains committed to spending £11.6bn on international climate finance and we are delivering on that pledge.”

後來又補充説：“有關國際氣候金援承諾正在被放棄的説法是錯誤的。正如首相在Cop27大會上提出的那樣，政府仍然致力於為國際氣候金援投入116億英鎊，我們正在兑現這一承諾。”