新西兰英语 55 Emissions Trading Scheme

　　The Emissions¹ Trading Scheme (ETS) could become law later this week or early next week. This scheme is a plan to cut greenhouse² gases by making businesses pay for their carbon dioxide emissions, that is the CO2 which they put into the air. There will be a limit and if they go above the limit, they can buy credits³ from businesses that don’t put out much CO2. That’s why it’s called a trading scheme; businesses trade in greenhouse gases. At the moment, CO2 is the only gas in the scheme but later other greenhouse gases will probably be included.
One example is businesses which are involved in forestry⁴. They will get money for planting trees but if they cut down their trees to use the land for farming, they will have to pay.
The ETS will cost all of us money in the future. Electricity will be part of the ETS in 2010. Any electricity from coal or gas will have to buy credits. Our electricity prices will go up. In 2011, transport will join the ETS; fuel prices will go up for car owners but more importantly, truck drivers will pay more and will add the cost to goods they carry. In 2013, agriculture will join the scheme.
New Zealand is not the first country to bring in an Emissions Trading Scheme. Australia announced their scheme recently, and the UK, the EU and parts of the US have already begun on an ETS.
The New Zealand ETS Bill had its second reading last Thursday and was passed 63 votes to 56. The Green Party and New Zealand First agreed to support the Labour Party to pass this Bill. Quite a few small changes to the Bill are needed and Parliament⁵ should deal with those changes this week. After the Bill has the third reading in Parliament, it will be passed and become law. Parliament is ‘in urgency’ at the moment which means the MPs are working from 9am to midnight. Very soon, maybe next week, Parliament will finish and MPs will begin to get ready for the election⁶. Helen Clark has not yet announced the date of the election but it must be by November 15th. Many people think the date will be November 8th but it could be earlier.

1 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。

2 greenhouse   

n.花房，温室，玻璃暖房

参考例句：

• Behind the green house was a greenhouse.在那所绿房子后面是一个花房。
• The tomatoes were grown in the greenhouse.这些西红柿是在温室栽培的。

3 credits   

n.节目前后字幕；信任，信用，声望，荣誉， [财务]贷方，银行存款；信任( credit的名词复数 )；存款；学分；（借钱偿还的）信誉link-v.相信，信任，把…归给

参考例句：

• He credits me with having better sense than that. 他认为我的见识要比那强得多。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Does this item go among the credits or the debits? 这笔账应记入贷方还是借方？ 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

4 forestry   

n.森林学；林业

参考例句：

• At present, the Chinese forestry is being at a significant transforming period. 当前, 我国的林业正处于一个重大的转折时期。
• Anhua is one of the key forestry counties in Hunan province. 安化县是湖南省重点林区县之一。

5 Parliament   

n.议会，国会

参考例句：

• She won a seat in Parliament at the election.她在选举中赢得了议会中的席位。
• The drug was banned by an act of parliament.议会的法案明令禁止该药品。

6 election   

n.选举，选择权；当选

参考例句：

• There is no doubt but that he will win the election.毫无疑问，他将在竞选中获胜。
• The government will probably fall at the coming election.在即将到来的大选中，该政府很可能要垮台。