英字新聞

The Yomiuri Shimbun (Dec. 20, 2009)
COP15 avoids collapse by delaying decision
ＣＯＰ１５　懸案先送りで決裂を回避した（12月20日付・読売社説）

The latest U.N. Climate Change Conference was successful only in that it avoided complete collapse.
　決裂を回避できたことが、国連気候変動枠組み条約の第１５回締約国会議（ＣＯＰ１５）が残した唯一の成果といえよう。

Participants at the 15th Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change approved the Copenhagen Accord drawn up by major developed and developing countries on Saturday.
　ＣＯＰ１５は主要国がまとめた政治合意文書である「コペンハーゲン合意」を承認した。

The political agreement, however, made no mention of matters in which the interests of developed nations conflict with those of emerging and developing countries. The fact that the document lacks substance reflects the deep disagreement at the talks. The most important issue at hand--what to do with a new framework to succeed the Kyoto Protocol beyond 2012--was left unsettled and postponed for further discussion.
　文書は、先進国と新興国・途上国の間で利害が相反する部分をそぎ落としており、乏しい内容が根深い対立を反映している。京都議定書に次ぐ２０１３年以降の枠組みをどうするか、という最重要懸案は先送りとなった。

The 10-day conference proceeded at the pace of emerging and developing countries. In particular, China and India strongly supported extending the 1997 Kyoto Protocol beyond 2012, frustrating the developed countries.
　１０日間余の会議は、新興国と途上国のペースで進んだ。特に中国やインドなどが京都議定書を１３年以降も延長する案を強硬に主張し、先進国は振り回された。

The Kyoto Protocol obliges only developed countries to cut greenhouse gas emissions and as such is a very convenient framework for emerging and developing countries.
　京都議定書で、温室効果ガスの排出削減を義務付けられているのは先進国だけだ。新興国・途上国にとって、京都議定書は、非常に好都合な枠組みである。

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Accord includes all nations

Japan and the European Union have been insisting a new framework involving emerging and developing countries be established, a natural course of action given that China has become the world's largest greenhouse gas emitter.
　日本や欧州連合（ＥＵ）は、新興国・途上国をも含めた新たな枠組みが必要だと主張してきた。中国が世界一の排出国になったことなどを考えれば、当然だ。

The Kyoto Protocol, even if it is extended, would have no impact on the United States, which had withdrawn from it. Japan should be relieved at the fact that such a flawed framework was not extended.
　米国は京都議定書から離脱しており、仮に延長されても影響は及ばない。こうした欠陥だらけの枠組みである京都議定書が今回は延長されなかったことが、日本にとっての救いである。

The Japanese government must maintain its stance of opposing the extension of the protocol.
　日本政府は、今後も延長に反対する姿勢を崩してはならない。

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama took part in the conference touting, Japan's midterm goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent from 1990 levels by 2020. The intention of presenting such an extremely aggressive goal was to encourage other countries to raise their own reduction targets.
　鳩山首相は、「２０年までに１９９０年比で２５％削減」という日本としての中期目標を掲げてＣＯＰ１５に臨んだ。極めて高い目標の提示で、他国に削減目標の引き上げを促す戦略だった。

However, the latest climate talks were tough as Hatoyama admitted that other nations had not necessarily presented bold goals. Hatoyama's lack of foresight was exposed.
　しかし、首相が、「他の国々が必ずしも大胆な目標を提示してくれない状況だ」と語るほど、交渉は厳しく、首相の見通しの甘さが露呈した。

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Financial help led to deal

The tangled negotiations eventually made progress after Japan and the United States announced financial assistance to emerging and developing countries to help them mitigate climate change. This clearly shows the reality that emerging and developing countries do move if they see practical benefit--assistance from developed countries.
　交渉が進展したのは、日本や米国が新興国・途上国向けの資金支援策を表明してからだ。新興国・途上国は、先進国からの支援という実利によって動くという現実が如実に示された。

The Copenhagen Accord states that developed countries will stipulate their emission reduction targets for 2020 in an appendix to the accord by Jan. 31. It is highly likely that each country will be obliged to achieve these targets under the post-Kyoto Protocol framework.
　合意には、「先進国は２０年の削減目標を来年１月３１日までに合意の別表に記載する」という内容が盛り込まれた。この数値が次期枠組みで各国が負う削減義務となる可能性が高い。

Considering the lessons learned from the Kyoto Protocol, under which Japan had to shoulder disadvantageous obligations, the next framework to be established should be fair. The Japanese government will be pressed to make a difficult decision on whether to pledge in the appendix the target of a 25 percent reduction from 1990 levels, which is a substantially tougher figure than those likely to be named by the United States and other countries.
　日本が不利な削減義務を負った京都議定書を教訓に、次期枠組みは、公平なものにしなくてはならない。米国などより大幅に厳しい「９０年比２５％減」を記載するのか。日本政府が難しい判断を迫られるのは、これからである。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Dec. 20, 2009)
（2009年12月20日01時02分 読売新聞）