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President Bush says the United States will strive to stop the growth of greenhouse gas emissions¹ by 2025. The pledge came as representatives of 17 countries headed to Paris for talks on climate change.

布什总统说，美国将在2025年之前努力遏制温室气体排放的增长。布什总统在17个国家的代表前往巴黎就气候变化问题举行磋商之际做出上述承诺。

President Bush says the United States is already on a path to reduce the growth of greenhouse gases by 2012. He says it is time to set an even more ambitious target.

布什总统说，美国已经走上在2012年前减少温室气体增长的道路。他说，现在是设定一个更加大胆目标的时候了。

"We have shown that we can slow emissions growth," he said. "Today I am announcing a new national goal: to stop the growth of greenhouse gas emissions by 2025."

他说：“我们已经展现出我们能放慢排放量的增长。现在我宣布一个新的全国目标，在2025年之前遏制温室气体排放的增长。”

He says the goal can be met through a mix of incentives² and development of new, cleaner energy technology. He says power plants must lead the way.

他说，通过刺激手段以及发展新型、清洁能源技术能够使这个目标得以实现。他说，发电厂必须要做出表率。

"To reach our 2025 goal, we will need to more rapidly slow the growth of power sector³ greenhouse gas emissions so they peak within 10 to 15 years and decline thereafter," said Mr. Bush.

他说：“为了达到2025年的目标，我们必须要加快减慢发电行业温室气体排放的增长，让发电行业在10到15年内达到排放峰值后开始下降。”

In a speech from the White House, the president did not offer a detailed⁴ formula to cut dangerous emissions, which scientists say trap heat from the sun leading to gradually rising temperatures on Earth. He said a specific plan of action to meet the new targets will need to be worked out in consultation⁵ with the U.S. Congress and private industry.

布什总统在白宫讲这番话时并没有详细阐明减少危险的二氧化碳排放的计划。科学家们说，温室气体挡住太阳释放出的热量，导致地球气温逐渐上升。他说，在跟美国国会和私营企业进行磋商后，将制定出一个实现新目标的具体行动计划。

Negotiations⁶ with U.S. lawmakers are likely to be tough. Congress is leaning toward mandatory⁷ caps on greenhouse gas emissions, an approach the president rejects.

不过，布什政府同美国国会的磋商可能会相当艰巨。国会倾向于强制设定温室气体排放的最高限额。但布什总统对此表示反对。

"Bad legislation would impose tremendous cost on our economy and on American families without accomplishing the important climate change goals we share," he said.

他说：“不好的法律将给我们的经济和美国家庭造成巨大费用，但却实现不了我们分享的重要气候变化的目标。”

White House officials defend the decision to revise the administration's climate change policy with only eight months to go in Mr. Bush's term. They note Congress is about to start work on new legislation dealing⁸ with the environment. And they stress the 17 leading industrialized countries taking part in the Paris negotiations this week hope to have an agreement by the end of next year, meaning the groundwork must be laid now.

白宫官员为布什政府修改气候变化政策的决定进行辩护。布什的任期现在仅剩下8个月的时间。白宫官员说，国会将着手制定应对环境的新法律。他们强调，本星期出席巴黎磋商的17个主要工业化国家希望在明年底之前达成一项协议，这就是说，现在必须要为将来的协议打下基础。

The president's proposals fall far below European goals to reduce emissions.

布什总统的建议远低于欧盟减少排放量的目标。

And environmental activists⁹ say the position taken by the president amounts to too little, too late. Senator Barbara Boxer¹⁰, the Democrat¹¹ who chairs the Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works, calls his approach the height of irresponsibility.

环境活动人士说，布什总统提出的减排目标太小、太晚。参议院环境和公共工程委员会主席芭芭拉.博克瑟认为，布什政策不负责任到了极点。

But Mr. Bush defends it as realistic.

但是布什却认为他的方案非常务实。

"If we fully¹² implement¹³ our strong laws, adhere to the principles I've outlined, and adopt appropriate incentives, we will put America on an ambitious new track for greenhouse gas reductions," he said.

他说：“如果我们全面贯彻我们强大的法律，信守我规划的原则，并采取适当的刺激手段，我们将让美国走上一个大胆的温室气体减少的新轨道。”

The president warns climate change is a global problem, and U.S. action alone is not enough. He says other countries must come up with their own goals for cutting greenhouse gases.

布什总统警告说，气候变化是个全球性的问题，仅靠美国的行动是不够的。他说，其它国家必须拿出他们减少温室气体的目标来。

The Paris talks on Thursday and Friday will address possible steps to protect the planet after the Kyoto Protocol¹⁴ expires in 2012.

星期四和星期五在巴黎举行的磋商将讨论在京都议定书2012年期满之后采取什么可行的措施保护我们的地球。

The United States is the only major industrialized country that did not ratify¹⁵ the protocol, although it emits more greenhouse gases than any other country.

美国是唯一一个没有签署京都议定书的发达国家，尽管美国的温室气体排放量比任何其它国家都多。