Fact Sheet on Environmental Damage by the US
美國損害環境事實清單
As the most advanced developed country in the world today, the United States has a poor track record in the environmental field. It has not only backpedaled on its domestic environmental protection policies but also seriously undermined the fairness, efficiency and effectiveness of global environmental governance. It is widely viewed as a consensus-breaker and a troublemaker. With regard to what it has done to the environment, the US has yet to justify itself to its own people and to other people in the world.
作為當今世界最先進的發達國家,美國在環境領域劣跡斑斑,不僅在國內環境保護政策上大開“倒車”,還嚴重損害全球環境治理的公平、效率和成效,是公認的“共識破壞者”和“麻煩制造者”。美國在環境問題上的所作所為,既無法向美國內民眾交代,也欠世界人民一個說法。
1. On Greenhouse Gas Emissions. Historically, the US has been the world's largest emitter with the most greenhouse gas emissions in cumulative terms. Between 1751 and 2010, emissions from US energy and industrial sectors accounted for 27.9% of the global total. Cumulative emissions from the US are about three times that of China. Today, the US is the second largest emitter in the world with about 15% of global carbon emissions. In per capita terms, the US has long been among the biggest carbon emitter, registering 14.6 tons of per capita CO2 emissions from fossil fuel in 2017, 3.3 times the global average and more than twice that of China. The US also has the largest cumulative aviation emissions in the world.
一、溫室氣體排放 美國是全球歷史第一排放大國、全球累積溫室氣體排放最多的國家,其1751年至2010年間能源和工業部門排放占全球的27.9%,累積排放量約是中國的3倍。美國還是當前第二排放大國,排放全球占比約為15%。美國人均碳排放居高不下,2017年人均化石燃料排放二氧化碳14.6噸,是全球平均水平的3.3倍,中國的2倍多。美國還是全球累積航空碳排放最多的國家。
2. On Climate Change.
二、氣候變化
Major retrogression on climate change. The Trump administration has repeatedly called global warming a hoax, challenging the international consensus on climate change. The Trump administration scrapped the Obama administration's Clean Power Plan, kept relaxing environmental restrictions on the development of the fossil fuel industry, and rescinded climate-related policy measures of the executive branch. According to The New York Times, since the Trump administration took office, nearly 70 major environmental policies have been reversed, revoked or otherwise rolled back and more than 30 additional rollbacks are still in progress. This is expected to greatly increase greenhouse gas emissions and the death toll resulted from air pollution. US environmental protection agencies such as the US Natural Resources Defense Council have filed a number of lawsuits against the Trump administration over lowering environmental standards and causing related environmental issues. Due to the negative stance of the US, the leaders' declarations of the G20 summits failed to reach consensus on climate change for three consecutive years starting from 2017, and each time the "19+1" approach was adopted as a compromise.
氣候變化立場重大倒退。特朗普政府多次稱全球變暖是騙局,挑戰國際社會應對氣候變化的共識。特朗普政府取消了奧巴馬政府的清潔能源計劃,持續放松化石能源行業發展相關環境約束,廢止美行政部門相關氣候變化政策舉措。據《紐約時報》統計,特朗普政府執政以來,直接或以其他方式撤銷了近70項重大環境政策,還有30多項處于撤銷進行中,預計將極大增加美國溫室氣體排放和空氣污染致死人數。美國自然資源保護協會等環保機構針對特朗普政府降低環保標準及相關環保問題提起了多項訴訟。由于美消極立場,2017年以來,二十國集團峰會連續三年領導人宣言無法就氣候變化內容達成共識,最后均采取“19+1”模式作為妥協。
Withdrawal from the Paris Agreement. On 1 June 2017, the Trump administration announced that the US would withdraw from the Paris Agreement and cease implementing its Nationally Determined Contributions. On 4 November 2019, the US officially launched the withdrawal procedure. Pursuant to the withdrawal clause, the US will formally withdraw from the Agreement on 4 November 2020, making it the only party to withdraw thus far. The US failure to ratify the Kyoto Protocol and its withdrawal from the Paris Agreement have seriously undermined global climate governance and cooperation.
退出氣候變化《巴黎協定》。2017年6月1日,特朗普政府宣布將退出《巴黎協定》,停止實施“國家自主貢獻”。2019年11月4日,美正式啟動退約程序。按照有關退約條款規定,美將于2020年11月4日正式退出《巴黎協定》,成為迄今為止唯一一個退出《巴黎協定》的締約方。美國既不批準《京都議定書》,又悍然退出《巴黎協定》,嚴重破壞全球氣候治理與合作。
Insufficient implementation of climate action commitments. After the ratification of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in October 1992, US emissions continued to grow rapidly on an upward trajectory that lasted for 15 years. In 2010, the US pledged to cut its economy-wide carbon emissions by 17% from 2005 levels by 2020. Nevertheless, as of the end of 2018, the US only managed to bring its greenhouse gas emissions 10.2% lower than its 2005 figure, barely meeting its 60% emission reduction target. In 2017, the Trump administration reneged on the US commitment by announcing its refusal to meet its climate action goal of 26-28% emissions reduction below 2005 levels by 2025. For three consecutive years since 2018, the US has refused to fulfill its obligations of submitting Biennial Reports and National Communication.
氣候行動承諾落實不彰。自1992年10月批準《聯合國氣候變化框架公約》以來,美排放量仍持續快速增長,且增長趨勢保持了15年之久。2010年,美承諾到2020年將在2005年溫室氣體排放基礎上全經濟范圍減排17%。但截至2018年底,美溫室氣體排放量比2005年僅下降10.2%,勉強完成其減排目標的60%。2017年,特朗普政府擅自撕毀承諾,宣布拒不履行“到2025年在2005年溫室氣體排放基礎上排放下降26%-28%”的氣候行動目標。自2018年起,美連續三年拒絕履行提交“雙a年報告”和“國家信息通報”等義務。
Failure to honor funding commitments. In the history of the Global Environment Fund (GEF), the US holds the largest share of contributions arrears, which stand at US$111 million, or 95.7% of the total arrears. Since taking office, the Trump administration has announced a suspension of US funding to the Green Climate Fund (GCF), and refused to provide the outstanding US$2 billion committed by the Obama administration. The US has repeatedly blocked projects for developing countries citing unfounded reasons such as human trafficking and human rights violations, thus seriously undermining the developing countries' right to use the funding. Since 2018, the US has stacked up over