紐時賞析／氣候變遷風險增加 富國反削減資金

聯合國在週四發佈的一份報告指出，富有國家已減少他們承諾幫助開發中國家處理氣候變遷影響的金錢數額。情境示意圖，圖片來源／Ingimage。

Rich Nations Cut Aid for Climate Shocks, Even as Risks Grew

氣候變遷風險升高之際 富國反削減援助

Wealthy countries have decreased the amount of money they commit for helping developing countries cope with the effects of climate change, even as the need for that spending has grown, the United Nations said in a report issued Thursday.

聯合國在週四發佈的一份報告指出，富有國家已減少他們承諾幫助開發中國家處理氣候變遷影響的金錢數額，即使這方面支出需求已增加。

Aid for climate adaptation fell to $21 billion in 2021, the latest year for which comprehensive data is available, a drop of 15% from 2020, most likely the result of increased financial pressure on wealthy countries resulting from COVID-19 and other challenges, according to the authors.

報告作者們指出，在可得到全面數據最近年度的2021年，氣候調適援助跌到210億美元，較2020年下降了15%，最可能是因爲新冠病毒與其他挑戰造成富國財政壓力增加。

The United States posted one of the greatest reductions in climate adaptation aid of any country between 2020 and 2021, the authors found. In 2021, the United States committed $129 million in aid for climate adaptation, compared with $245 million in 2020, a drop of 47%.

作者們發現，在2020年至2021年，美國是所有國家裡氣候調適援助削減最多者之一。美國在2021年承諾1.29億美元氣候調適援助，跟2020年的2.45億美元相比，下降了47%。

A White House spokesperson, Angelo Fernández Hernández, said the report “does not represent the full picture of what the U.S. is doing on climate adaptation.” He said the Biden administration secured about $2 billion in climate adaptation funding for the 2022 fiscal year.

白宮發言人赫南德茲表示，這篇報告「不代表美國在氣候調適作爲的全貌」。他說，拜登政府爲2022財政年度確保了約20億美元的氣候調適資金。

Developing nations will need between $215 billion and $387 billion annually this decade to protect against climate shocks, such as worsening storms, crop failures and loss of access to water, the report found. That’s as much as 18 times greater than the total amount that wealthy countries committed for climate adaptation in 2021.

報告發現，開發中國家在這個十年每年需要2150億至3870億美元，以防範氣候衝擊，例如日趨嚴重的風暴、作物歉收與失去用水，這是富國2021年投入氣候調適總金額的18倍。

The new data comes weeks before the start of a major United Nations climate summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where aid to developing countries will be a top agenda item. At a similar summit two years ago in Glasgow, Scotland, countries agreed to double their climate adaptation funding by 2025, compared with 2019 levels. Even if nations make good on that pledge, the report said, it would provide just a small share of the additional money needed.

這個新數據在阿聯杜拜舉行的重要聯合國氣候峰會開幕幾周前出現，援助開發中國家將成爲此次會議的首要議題。2年前於蘇格蘭格拉斯哥舉行的類似峰會上，各國同意，到2025年將把氣候調適資金比2019年的水平翻倍。報告指出，即便各國兌現這個諾言，將只是提供所需額外資金的一小部分。

The demand for adaptation assistance has grown. The report notes that under current climate policies around the world, global average temperatures would rise at least 2.4 degrees Celsius, or 4.3 degrees Fahrenheit, compared with preindustrial levels by the end of this century. That’s far more than the 1.5 degrees Celsius that scientists have set as a target, beyond which the effects of warming threaten to become catastrophic.

對調適援助的需求已增加。報告指出，根據世界各地目前的氣候變遷政策，到了本世紀末，相較於前工業化水平，全球平均氣溫將上升至少攝氏2.4度或華氏4.3度。這遠超過科學家已設定的攝氏1.5度目標，超過這個數字，暖化的影響恐將成爲災難。

“Current climate action is woefully inadequate,” the report said.

報告指出，「目前的氣候行動極度匱乏」。

文／Christopher Flavelle　譯／周辰陽