The obstacles facing this weekend’s global climate change accord were thrown into relief last night when businesses and government officials played down its impact and US Republicans underlined their opposition².

周末达成的全球气候变化协议所面临的障碍昨晚表露无遗，企业和政府官员纷纷淡化其影响，而美国共和党明确反对。

The Paris agreement, which requires all countries to regularly publish plans to deal with global warming, was hailed by international leaders as a turning point after more than 20 years of effort to make this century the last to be powered by fossil fuels.

巴黎协议要求所有国家定期发布应对全球变暖的计划。该协议被世界领导人誉为一个转折点。此前各方努力了20多年，力求使本世纪成为依靠化石燃料提供能源的最后一个世纪。

German chancellor³ Angela Merkel said the deal was “the first time that the entire world community has obligated itself to act in the battle against global climate change”, while Pope Francis cautioned it would need the “concerted effort and generous dedication⁴”. It was adopted by nearly 200 nations.

德国总理安格拉默克尔(Angela Merkel)表示，该协议代表着“整个国际社会首次承担抗击全球气候变化的行动义务”，而教皇方济各(Pope Francis)告诫称，它需要“齐心协力和慷慨奉献”。这份协议已被近200个国家签署。

But coal and oil industry executives shrugged⁵ off any suggestion the new agreement sealed in Paris on Saturday night would have any immediate⁶ impact on their businesses. The goals include driving down carbon dioxide emissions⁷ from fossil fuels as soon as possible to limit global warming to “well below” 2°C from pre-industrial times and perhaps as little as 1.5°C, a target requiring much deeper emissions cuts than most countries are planning.

但是，煤炭和石油业高管并不认为上周六晚在巴黎达成的协议会立即对他们的业务产生任何影响。协议中的目标包括，尽快减少源自化石燃料的二氧化碳排放，以求把相对于工业化时代以前的全球升温幅度限制在远低于2摄氏度的水平，或许低至1.5摄氏度，这个目标所要求的减排力度超出多数国家的现有规划。

Amber⁸ Rudd, the UK energy and climate change secretary, described the 1.5°C goal as merely “aspirational⁹” while defending the UK government’s decision last month to scrap¹⁰ 1bn in funding for carbon capture systems that could hold emissions down. “I don’t think it was a mistake,” she said.

英国能源和气候变化大臣安布尔拉德(Amber Rudd)形容1.5摄氏度的升温上限目标只是“理想”而已，她还为英国政府上月决定放弃为碳捕获系统提供10亿英镑资金（此类系统有望减少排放）进行辩护。“我不认为那是一个错误，”她说。

Benjamin Sporton, head of the World Coal Association, said he did not see the new agreement spurring a “massive change at the moment” for companies that produce coal because many developing nations plan to keep burning it.

世界煤炭协会(World Coal Association)主席本杰明斯伯顿(Benjamin Sporton)表示，他看不出新协议马上就会刺激煤炭生产企业作出“巨大变化”，因为许多发展中国家计划继续燃烧煤炭。

He said the pact¹ was likely to force governments to focus more on carbon capture systems because they would be vital for meeting their goals.

他说，该协议有可能迫使各国政府更加专注于碳捕获系统，因为它们对于达到减排目标将是至关重要的。

The American Petroleum¹¹ Institute said it was still reviewing the accord, but Amjad Bseisu, chief executive of EnQuest, a UK oil explorer , said the oil industry had more immediate concerns beyond the Paris Agreement.

美国石油学会(API)表示，它仍在审议该协议，但英国石油勘探企业EnQuest的首席执行官Amjad Bseisu表示，石油业目前有着比巴黎协议更紧迫的关切。

“This is a very slow process. We already look at our carbon costs, but right now the industry has other challenges [with the falling oil price].”

“这是一个非常缓慢的过程。我们已经研究了自己的碳排放成本，但（随着油价下跌）眼下行业还有其他挑战。”

In the US, Mitch McConnell, the Republican Senate majority leader, questioned the Paris deal, saying that the US portion relied on measures championed by president Barck Obama that were being challenged in the courts.

在美国，共和党参议院多数党领袖米奇麦康奈尔(Mitch McConnell)质疑巴黎协议，称涉及美国的部分依赖于巴拉克攠巴马(Barack Obama)支持的措施，而这些措施正在法庭上受到质疑。

But World Bank president Jim Yong Kim said the deal was “a game-changer” that should prompt companies to shift to low carbon business opportunities.

但世界银行行长金墉(Jim Yong Kim)表示，该协议是“改变游戏规则的一件事”，应该促使企业转向低碳商机。

Still, many scientists questioned the prospect¹² of governments being able to reach either the 2°C or 1.5°C goal in the agreement.

话虽如此，对于各国政府能不能达到协议中2摄氏度或1.5摄氏度的升温上限目标，许多科学家表示怀疑。