BBC News:奥巴马将宣布新的排污指标

As we recorded this podcast, President Obama and the environmental protection agency in the US were due to announce fresh targets to cut pollution from power plants by 30% by 2020. Environmentalists claim it as a victory. But opponents say it could have damaging economic effects, especially for coal producing areas.

截至发稿时，美国总统奥巴马和美国环保机构准备宣布新的指标——2020年之前，发电厂的排污量减少30%。环保人士将此举称为胜利之举。然而，反对者却认为此举会损害经济效益，尤其是产煤领域的经济效益。

America produces more greenhouse gases than any other country in the world, but in fact, produces more than double per person than China does. And around 40% of those greenhouse emissions comes from energy production. This power plant alone in West Virginia burns an incredible 16,000 tons of coal each day when it's working at full capacity providing electricity to around 2 million homes. But President Obama is about to announce rules which are the most significant in American history in terms of trying to limit climate changes. He is going to talk about trying to cap the amounts of carbon dioxide that's produced by power plants like this one. That is something that has greatly pleased environmentalists but of course upset many in the coal industry.

美 国是世界上制造温室气体最多的国家，而事实上，其人均温室气体生产量比中国高出两倍还多。其中40%的温室气体排放来自能源生产。西弗吉尼亚的这家发电厂 每天全力运转需要燃烧16000吨煤，以供应200万家庭的用电。奥巴马要宣布的制度是控制气候变化方面美国历史上最重要的，内容主要是削减这样的发电厂 的二氧化碳排放量。此举使环保人士大为满意，但同时不免使煤炭行业大为忧心。

And in West Virginia, it's not just about power production, this beautiful state sits on huge coal reserves and the worry here is that if the amount of coal it's burned in America is decreased because that is the only real way to bring down carbon dioxide emissions, then thousands upon thousands of miners and others associated with the coal industry will lose their jobs. But it's very clear that President Obama wants it as part of its legacy, that it is something about climate change and his point is this will create more opportunities in other sectors like renewable energies. But having spoken to people here in West Virginia over the last couple of days, it seems they are not going to give up on what's becoming an increasingly bitter fight.

西弗吉尼亚不光有发电的问题，这个美丽的州拥有大量的煤炭储量。需要担心的问题是如果决定采用减少二氧化碳排放 量这个唯一有效的途径，减少煤炭燃烧量，那么成千上万的矿工和煤炭行业从业者将会面临失业。但很显然，奥巴马总统想让煤炭成为该州遗产的一部分，控制环境 变化会在其他领域，如再生能源等领域产生更多的就业机会。然而，通过前几天和西弗吉尼亚当地人谈话，我了解到他们不会放弃这场愈演愈烈的斗争。

The existing plant are a major contributor to greenhouse gases in the USA and globally. Something around 35% of US emissions come from power. So this will really be a significant move and will be welcomed internationally as a step toward the sort of things needed if we are going to get the global deal on climate change that is supposed theoretically to happen next year.

现有的发电厂是美国和全球温室气体的主要生产源。美国35%的排放量来自发电。所以，该举措十分重要。如果我们要在明年达成气候变化国际协定，该举措将会受到欢迎。

Not welcome by the republicans in the US though, and because of the difficulties that the president has had getting climate change legislation through, this will be left up to each individual state to implement.

美国共和党不大认可这项举措，美国总统在气候变化立法方面困难重重。因此该举措是否成功要取决于各州俄实施状况。