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China’s climate-change plan, which had been set for release on 24 April, has now been put off until next month. But urgent action seems essential. A national assessment released in January paints a grim picture for the country’s future. It notes that over the past few years there has been a 12% drop in water supply to northern China. Without significant measures to combat global warming, the report predicts that the productivity of China’s three staple crops — rice, wheat and maize (corn) — will fall 5–10% by 2030, and will be close to 40% by the second half of the century.

报告可以推迟到下个月,但保护环境 关注全球变暖的行动不能迟缓! 今年1月份, 科技部、中国气象局、中国科学院等六部门联合发布了《气候变化国家评估报告》，这是我国编制的第一部有关全球气候变化及其影响的国家评估报告。评估报告指出，随着中国未来经济的持续发展，使ＧＤＰ的碳排放强度较大幅度地持续下降，到本世纪中叶，将争取实现碳排放量的零增长乃至负增长。对环保关注的人可以去看看这份报告. 报告描绘了一个十分严峻的未来图景(paint a grim picture for the country’s future).

Such specific predictions are spurring the government to act after many years of inaction, says Yang Ailun, a Beijing-based environmental expert with Greenpeace. “Before, China always relied on the same arguments about the historical responsibility of developed countries,” she says. “That makes sense. But now China is greatly concerned about its vulnerability and social stability."

这位专家说以前中国政府动不动就说这是发达国家的责任和义务 这固然没错 但是光抱怨别人是不行的 自己也要努力啊 中国政府显然开始意识到环境对于国家的健康发展以及社会稳定的重要性.[就算我们喊破喉咙说这是发达国家的责任和义务 人家老美也不一定理会啊 所以有闲扯的工夫 还不如自己动手做起来 俗话说得好 action speaks louder than words]

China is already committed to reining in increases in energy use, and such efforts are closely linked to the country’s ability to limit emissions. It plans to close down 50 gigawatts’ worth of its least-efficient power plants by 2010. That would mean shutting down roughly 1,000 small plants. “If the small, old plants are there, there is no way to decrease energy consumption,” says Yang Fuqiang, a Beijing-based energy expert with the Energy Foundation.

中国已经决意要控制(rein in)能源的大量消耗. 在气体排放这块 首先就要关闭那些效率最低(least-efficient)的发电厂 那些设备老化的小型电厂一旦关闭 能源消耗( energy consumption)这块就会锐减

These efficiency initiatives are part of the country’s Five Year Plan for National Economic Development for 2006–2010, which calls for a reduction in the amount of energy spent to  produce a unit of gross domestic product by 20% within five years. “The targets are tough, but they are possible,” says the Energy Foundation’s Yang. Energy-efficiency targets have, however, become a sore point. The first year of this plan fell far short, achieving only a 1.23% drop according to government figures. And so far, signs for 2007 are not good, says James Brock, an independent energy adviser in Beijing.

这些也是中国十一五计划的内容之一 政府希望在五年内把产生一个单位的国内生产总值(GDP)所消耗的能源数量减少20%. 但扫除低效企业成为了这个计划实施的软肋 痛处(sore point). 十一五计划实施的第一年即2006年没达到目标(fall short) 只有区区1.23%.

Brock has advised both the UK and US chambers of commerce on Chinese energy issues. He says he has witnessed the tension in meetings at which officials from the National Development and Reform Commission, which recommended the 20% target, suggested to the powerful State Council that the target can’t be met and should be recalculated. “They got read the riot act,” says Brock.

Brock说国家发改委 (National Development and Reform Commission)向国务院汇报 认为20%的目标不可能完成 需要重新计算. 他们必须要read the riot act. (Riot Act原来是取缔闹事法 是1715年颁布的一项英国法令，规定12个或更多个非法集合扰乱治安者，经宣读此法令后应立即解散，否则按重罪处罚.后来习语read the riot act的意思就是To warn or reprimand energetically or forcefully)