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What Did UN Climate Negotiators Agree to in Egypt?

时间:2022-11-28 00:36:45

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What Did UN Climate Negotiators Agree to in Egypt?

Countries closed the United Nations' COP27 climate meeting on Sunday with a deal to establish a fund to help poor countries suffering weather disasters.

The agreement said that poor countries, with limited money, are most affected1 by extreme weather events like floods, heat waves and storms. It established a committee to set up a fund to help deal with bad weather events.

The Associated Press described the deal as marking a diplomatic victory for small islands and other nations affected by extreme weather. They won over attendees, including the United States and the European Union, which had resisted the idea of "loss and damage." They feared that such a fund could open them to legal responsibility for historic release of carbon gasses from industry and agriculture. Carbon gasses are blamed for warming the Earth's atmosphere.

Government leaders, environmentalists and activists2 celebrated3 plans for a fund. But there are remaining questions including how it will work and who will have long-term responsibility. Here is a look at the development of the idea of paying for "loss and damage" from weather events and what is known about the fund.

History

The Alliance of Small Island States is a group of coastal4 and small island countries. In the early 1990s, the group began calling for the establishment of a loss and damage fund. The call came as the United Nations was creating a structure to limit carbon gasses at an international level.

Since then, the idea has been a part of yearly U.N. climate meetings. Developing nations and climate activists have pushed for the fund. But wealthy nations did not support the idea.

At this year's climate meeting, the idea of "loss and damage" was included in the program and became part of discussions.

The climate representative for the Marshall Islands said she was "worn out" but happy with the fund's approval. "So many people all this week told us we wouldn't get it," Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner said. "So glad they were wrong."

Who will pay into the fund?

The fund will first seek donations from developed countries and other sources, such as international financial organizations. Other nations could also join with their own offerings.

The agreement calls for "identifying and expanding sources of funding. That is something the U.S., the E.U. and other nations had pushed for during negotiations5. The term suggested that other nations that are both producing a lot of carbon gasses and considered developing should also pay into the fund.

During the talks, Chinese officials said money for the new fund should come from developed countries, not China. But in 2014, China voluntarily paid $3.1 billion to the Green Climate Fund after a promise of $3 billion from the U.S. China is the world's biggest producer of carbon gasses.

In a statement, U.S. climate representative John Kerry said he would continue to press countries like China to "significantly enhance their ambition" in keeping the 1.5 Celsius6 goal alive. The U.N. has set a goal of limiting the increase of the average temperature of the Earth's atmosphere to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Details about which countries will pay into the fund will be decided7 by a committee established in the agreement. The committee is to have 24 members. These are to include three from Africa, two from small island developing states, and two from the least developed countries in the world.

Countries to receive money

The deal says the fund will assist "developing countries that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse8 effects of climate change." But middle-income countries that are severely9 affected by weather disasters are also under consideration.

Countries that could receive funding include Pakistan, which suffered widespread flooding, and Cuba, which was recently hit by Hurricane Ian.

David Waskow is the World Resources Institute's international climate director. He said "agencies that are out there doing humanitarian10 work, helping11 people rebuild, dealing12 with migration13 and refugee crises, dealing with food security, water security" will need to see how their work fits in with the fund.

Those details will also be negotiated out by the committee in the coming year.

Rebuilding trust

Attendees said agreeing to discuss the fund is a big step forward. But observers say how quickly the fund is set up will decide how happy countries will be with it.

In 2009, rich nations agreed to provide $100 billion a year to help developing countries move to energy systems that produce smaller amounts of carbon gasses. However, that plan has never been fully14 supported financially.

In the closing meeting Sunday, Antigua's Lia Nicholson said the committee should be set up immediately and given clear orders.

"This loss and damage fund must become the lifeboat that we need it to be," she said.

One of the main reasons that rich nations long opposed such a loss and damage fund was the fear that it would open them up to legal responsibility, called liability.

Negotiators made sure the term "liability" was not included and that money paid to the fund was voluntary.

Words in This Story

fund –n. an amount of money that is used for a special purpose

enhance –v. to increase or improve

ambition –n. desire to reach a goal

particularly –adv. especially

adverse –adj. not good, bad


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 affected TzUzg0     
adj.不自然的,假装的
参考例句:
  • She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
  • His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。
2 activists 90fd83cc3f53a40df93866d9c91bcca4     
n.(政治活动的)积极分子,活动家( activist的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
  • Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》
3 celebrated iwLzpz     
adj.有名的,声誉卓著的
参考例句:
  • He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
  • The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。
4 coastal WWiyh     
adj.海岸的,沿海的,沿岸的
参考例句:
  • The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
  • This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。
5 negotiations af4b5f3e98e178dd3c4bac64b625ecd0     
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。
6 Celsius AXRzl     
adj.摄氏温度计的,摄氏的
参考例句:
  • The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
  • The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。
7 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
8 adverse 5xBzs     
adj.不利的;有害的;敌对的,不友好的
参考例句:
  • He is adverse to going abroad.他反对出国。
  • The improper use of medicine could lead to severe adverse reactions.用药不当会产生严重的不良反应。
9 severely SiCzmk     
adv.严格地;严厉地;非常恶劣地
参考例句:
  • He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
  • He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。
10 humanitarian kcoxQ     
n.人道主义者,博爱者,基督凡人论者
参考例句:
  • She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业,并作了很大的贡献。
  • The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。
11 helping 2rGzDc     
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
参考例句:
  • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
  • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
12 dealing NvjzWP     
n.经商方法,待人态度
参考例句:
  • This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
  • His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。
13 migration mDpxj     
n.迁移,移居,(鸟类等的)迁徙
参考例句:
  • Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
  • He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。
14 fully Gfuzd     
adv.完全地,全部地,彻底地;充分地
参考例句:
  • The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气,然后全部呼出。
  • They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

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