中國(guó)低碳經(jīng)濟(jì)的發(fā)展【外文翻譯】

1、本科畢業(yè)論文外文翻譯外文題目：Development of a low-carbon economy in China 出 處： The International Journal of Sustainable Development and World Ecology 作 者： Ding DinG, DongBao Dai and Ming Zhao 原 文：Key words: Low-carbon economy, climate change, carbon emissions, development strategies, ChinaSUMMARYUnder the pressur

2、es of climate change, many countries are trying to adapt to a low-carbon economy. In this paper, we review the development pattern of the low-carbon economy of major countries and its impact on the world economy. We then argue that economic development and abatement of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions

3、 in China should be balanced. The challenges that China faces should also be considered carefully. It is necessary for China to find an approach to solve the issues of climate change, which should include new technologies and establishing incentive mechanisms and reform-oriented policies. These guid

4、elines can adjust the structure of the economy and energy use, improve energy efficiency, promote the development of alternative and renewable energy, enhance the potential of carbon sinks, and develop advanced technology to perfect a 'Clean Development Mechanism' and sustainable development

5、 through inter-national cooperation.INTRODUCTION：China's current capacity to tackle climate change is relatively low due to its rapid economic development, huge population and coal-dominated energy system. Thus, China faces great challenges in coping with climate change, namely the increasing pr

6、essure of CO2 emissions resulting from the high demand for energy in the process of rapid urbanization, industrialization, and globalization. The inter-national community now requests each country to put more effort into controlling climate changes and mitigating their consequences in order to cope

7、with increasingly serious global climate changes. China's domestic needs and its global climate responsibilities pull the country in different directions and confront China with severe policy challenges (NDRC 2007).Climate change is fuelling a significant renaissance in national environmental mo

8、vements in Europe. The broad aim of this article is to examine whether it was better to understand the extent to which the 2006 Stem Review on climate change marked a decisive turning point in the UK, or whether it was just another missed opportunity (Jordan 2007). Labelled as the most comprehensive

9、 review of the economics of climate change ever produced, the Stem Review was commissioned as part of the G8 Gleneagles Dialogue on Climate Change. The follow-up in terms of new political and policy pronouncements is examined. It is concluded that finding ways to unite domestic and international act

10、ions on climate change represents an enormously tricky political challenge for all governments.THEORY AND PRACTICE IN THE LOW-CARBON ECONOMYThe idea of a low-carbon economy is related to the basic material cycles on Earth, especially the carbon cycle and carbon balance. Within a given carbon budget,

11、 one may calculate various public and commercial activities with regard to their carbon emissions, and use market mechanisms for trading rights for carbon emissions, either domestically or internationally, through mechanisms in the Kyoto Protocol. A thorough reconsideration of economic and social ac

12、tivities with regard to the control of greenhouse (GHG) emissions may allow a complete transformation of the system in line with low-carbon economic theory, and therefore may provide a sustainable solution for global climate change. In many countries, great progress has been made in scientific resea

13、rch to understand the impact of human activities on carbon emissions in terms of international research on global climate changes (Zhao 2006).International research on the low-carbon economy is currently focused on the following four areas: 1) energy consumption, including trans-forming the energy c

14、onsumption structure related and rebuilding energy systems into low-carbon systems; 2) development of the economy, concentrating on relations between the modes, stages and developmental speeds of different economic activities and carbon emissions; 3) agricultural production, comprising changes in la

15、nd use, regulation of agricultural land and changes in agricultural production levels and structure to reduce emissions; 4) analysis of economic risks and research on various countermeasures for reduction of carbon emissions (Zhang et al. 2002).Besides relevant regional and comparative analyses, mor

16、e and more importance is placed on integrated analyses using comprehensive models and large amounts of data, such as carbon circulation/energy models, dynamic integrated evaluation models and energy consumption models for carbon emission reduction (Wang et al. 2004; Xu et al. 2006). However, no sati

17、sfactory progress has been made in the conversion of energy within the internal elements generating carbon emissions and the interaction of all elements in the carbon emission cycle (ERI 2005).Some developed countries that have complex energy security constraints regard the reduction of greenhouse g

18、ases emissions as an integral part of energy strategy adjustment. These countries are attempting to build a low-carbon emission economy by increasing energy efficiency, optimizing energy structures and strengthening R&D. The strategy pursued by these countries is in accord with the UN General As

19、sembly's determination to initiate international climate convention negotiations, which resulted in the Kyoto Protocol and the Montreal Climate Change Conference's decision to start Post-Kyoto Protocol negotiations in December 2005. The European Union has been very active in this process, an

20、d in particular the United Kingdom and Germany have made major commitments (Li et al. 2006; Xu 2007).While securing the supply of conventional domestic petroleum energy, many countries are actively developing renewable energy and new energy sources. Many are reconsidering nuclear power development,

21、and adjusting and optimizing the energy structure to effectively reduce the volume of CO2 emitted per unit of consumption. The EU has announced the development goal of developing new renewable energy sources. The USA and Japan have reinforced the role of nuclear power in their energy strategies, aft

22、er a 20-year history of not building new nuclear power plants. Japan continues to implement plans to reinforce the national power supply with nuclear power and to speed up its development from 29% at present to 30% and up to 40% by 2030.It is essential for all countries to create more material wealt

23、h with less energy consumption. This will provide economic benefits and is also an important means to reduce CO2 emissions (Zhuang 2005). Japan will raise energy efficiency by 30% by 2030, while the EU plans to reduce its total energy consumption by 20% by 2021, compared with that in 2004. The USA e

24、nergy strategy will concentrate on production techniques for advanced batteries and vehicle fuels such as cellulosic ethanol and hydrogen, and how to use sophisticated but clean energy technologies, namely clean coal, nuclear energy, solar energy and wind energy. Japan is emphasising research on sup

25、er-burning, super time and space energy utilization and advanced energy-saving techniques. The EU proposes to develop the world's most advanced energy technologies and accelerate the development of new technologies such as nuclear fusion ITER, new fuel cells, carbon capture and storage, renewabl

26、e energy and gas hydrates.CLIMATE CHANGE CHALLENGES IN CHINAClimate change is an overall global concern, and energy is the material basis and guarantee for the sustainable growth of China's economy. China is also one of the main emission sources for green-house gases. On the one hand, China curr

27、ently has a shortage of energy, while, on the other hand, it consumes too much energy, which increases the emission of CO2. Endeavour to control green-house gas emissions and strengthen its sustainable growth capability is both a fulfillment of the requirements of the United Nations Framework Conven

28、tion on Climate Change and the inevitable result of the full implementation of scientific development concepts in this new situation.Greenhouse gases emitted from energy consumption account for more than 70% of total emissions in China. According to the 'Initial National Communication on Climate

29、 Change of the People's Republic of China', China's total GHG emissions in 1994 were 4,060 million tons of CO2 (equivalent to 3,650 million tons net emission), of which 3,070 million tons of CO2, 730 million tons of CO2 equivalents (tCO2e) of methane (CH4) and 260 million tCO2e of nitrou

30、s oxides (N2O). A recent preliminary estimate indicated that the emission volume of N2O, CH4 and N2O in China was approximately 6.9 billion tons of equivalent weight of CO2, among which, 5.65 billion tons was CO2, 900 million tons was CH4 and 360 million tons was N2O. The total proportion of the emi

31、ssion volume of CO2 rose from 75.6% in 1994 to 81.9% in 2005. CO2 emissions from fossil fuels in China account for about 18% of the world total. CO2 emissions from burning fossil fuels in China were 4.73 billion tons in 2004, 81.6% of that in the USA and 4.3-times as much as in India, accounting for

32、 17.8% of the total 26.6 billion tons worldwide. CO2 emissions from burning fossil fuels in China rose from 10.9% in 1990 to 17.8% in 2004. It is estimated that China might overtake the USA to be the largest CO2 emitter in the world in 2007. CO2 emission per unit of primary energy in China is rising

33、, and is 24% higher than the world average. As carbon content and combustion efficiency varies greatly in different energy sources, different energy structures can be distinguished in CO2 emissions. CO2 emitted per unit of primary energy in China was 2.94 tons per ton petroleum, 24% above the world

34、average of 2.37 tons CO2/ton petroleum, 18% higher than in the USA (2.49 tons CO2/ton petroleum) and 1.52-times that of India (1.93 tons CO2/ton petroleum). From 1990 to 2004, the intensity of CO2 emissions from primary energy consumption grew by 12.9% in China, while it declined by 0.7% in the USA.

35、The development history and tendency of all countries indicates that per capita CO2 emissions and per capita energy consumption are closely related to economic growth. At the current technical level and in the consumption mode, reaching the development level of industrialized countries requires that

36、 the per capita energy consumption and per capita CO2 emission reach very high levels. There is no world precedent for low per capita energy consumption and CO2 emissions combined with high per capita GDP. The international community's negotiations on reduction and restriction of GHG emissions c

37、an never be simple, as each country is striving for development space and options for development pathways. With its large population base, China still faces a long-term development task to accomplish its industrialization and urbanization . As the economy grows, energy consumption and emissions of

38、CO2 will continue to grow, so reduction and mitigation of GHG emissions is driving China to explore new types of production and consumption (Zhao 2006).China is one of the few remaining countries using coal as its major energy source. Coal accounted for 67.7% of primary energy consumption in China i

39、n 2004, but only 27.2% globally in the same year. A unit of coal emits 1.36-times as much CO2 as that emitted by petroleum, and 1.61-times as much as that emitted by natural gas. Adjustment of the energy structure is restrained to some extent by the composition of available energy resources, and imp

40、rovement of energy efficiency confronts a scarcity of technical and financial resources. Thus, the, coal-focused energy resource structure and consumption structure in China cannot change fundamentally in a short time, forcing China to face more difficulties than more developed countries in adjustme

41、nt of the energy structure and reduction of per unit energy emissions.Old energy production methods and technologies in China are the main barriers leading to inefficiency of energy consumption and higher emissions of GHG. Furthermore, China lags behind developed countries by about 10-15 years in en

42、ergy exploration, supply and conversion, energy transmission and distribution techniques, industrial production techniques and terminal use techniques for other energy sources. Conventional technologies are the mainstay in China's key industries. For example, production of a ton of steel consume

43、s between 700-800 kg of standard coal. Lack of sophisticated technology and use of many out-dated techniques reduce China's energy efficiency by 10% compared with developed countries. In other words, China's unit energy consumption is about 40% higher than that of other developed countries.

44、Dealing with the challenges of climate change will eventually depend on development of new technologies. China is currently constructing large-scale infrastructure for energy transformation and energy-efficient buildings. Failure to acquire advanced technologies beneficial for reduction of GHG will

45、lead China to be a still higher GHG emitter for several decades, which, in turn, will create more serious challenges in handling climate change.After China became a net petroleum importer in 1993, its imported petroleum has grown year-by-year. In 2006, China's net annual import of petroleum exce

46、eded 160 million tons, or a dependency on foreign imports of nearly 50%. In addition, import of natural gas has also risen dramatically, but this promotes adjustment of China's energy structure and reduces emissions of several pollutants and GHG. Considering China's huge environmental pressu

47、re in energy production and consumption and the rapid growth in energy demand, adjustment of energy structure and increase of high-quality energy imports are two further important pathways. The rapid growth of petroleum and coal imported by China will impose great challenges to China's energy se

48、curity and also increase pressure on international energy markets.CHINA'S DEVELOPMENT PRINCIPLES AND CONCEPTS FOR A LOW-CARBON ECONOMYBy reviewing the environmental protection history of major countries and analysing their energy strategies, it can be seen that environmental problems have occurr

49、ed during development in all countries. Developed countries have used new laws, regulations and economic instruments to resolve problems of domestic environmental pollution, ecological destruction and global climate change. With industrialization , urbanisation and modernization , China's consum

50、ption of energy will continue to grow rapidly. The development and use of energy will have an increasing impact on the ecological environment, compelling China to face dual challenges of both traditional environmental problems and climate change. China will achieve its sustainable energy development

51、 goal only if environmental protection is central to its strategies, and if it builds clean, highly efficient, environmentally friendly and beneficial energy systems appropriate to its economic development stages.Policy tools not only help to implement a low-carbon economy but also to diversify and

52、coordinate policies. China has stipulated and implemented regulations and rules to promote energy saving at various levels. However, we should promote participation and cooperation of 'intermediate powers', including industrial associations, consultant organizations, investment companies, sc

53、ientific research institutes and the media to better coordinate relations between state-owned and other enterprises. China should endeavour to send a clear message to such groups through the coordination of policy tools in order to help decision-makers to understand the challenges and opportunities

54、that the low-carbon economy will bring. Policies to promote the development of a low-carbon economy are gradually being brought into China's national planning and policy and should be implemented in stages, to avoid large impacts on the economy. Active and conscious consideration of low-carbon f

55、actors in pollutant control and regulation will enable us to resolve problems of pollutant emissions and achieve low-carbon economic growth.The general concept of China's low-carbon economic development model is to accomplish industrialization by 2021 and modem economic development around 2050.

56、The prerequisite of this concept is to guarantee the construction of a better-off society throughout China. To achieve this, we must take active measures, such as revision of economic and social consumption models, development and popularization of advanced energy-saving technologies, expansion of r

57、enewable energy and advanced nuclear energy technologies, optimization of energy structure by applying high-efficiency, clean and low-carbon emission coal technologies and hydrogen technology, combined with ecological environmental protection. These measures will achieve the low-carbon economy and g

58、radually build the system and mechanism for reduction of emissions of CO2 and other GHG (Jiang and Yao 2003).APPROACHES TO REALIZE LOW-CARBON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOR CHINATo achieve low-carbon economic development in China, we should consider our national situation and develop our potentials in ter

59、ms in the areas described above and through international technological and economic cooperation. As a coal-focused energy consumer, China suffers from the resulting complex environmental problems, which are constantly worsening China's ecological environment. To construct an energy-saving and environment-friendly society and revolutionise the traditional extensive growth, China should optimize industrial structures and actively develop high value-added and environmentally friendly high-tech industries and service sectors during its industrialization. It should be em