批准巴黎气候协议的竞跑在联合国开始

The first significant step to putting the Paris Climate Agreement into practice will take place on Friday.

周五, 落实巴黎气候协议将迈出第一个重大步伐.

Around 155 countries are expected to formally sign the deal at the UN, setting in motion events that could see the treaty operational within a year.

约155个国家预期在联合国正式签署协议, 启动或可于年内将协议付诸实施的一系列事件.

The UN says the expected record turnout for the signing shows overwhelming global support for tackling rising temperatures.

联合国表示, 预计创纪录的出席签字人数显示, 解决气候升温获得了全球压倒性支持.

But some environmentalists have dismissed the event as a "distraction".

但一些环保主义者将此次活动斥为 “注意力分散”.

Despite the absence of President Obama, around 60 world leaders are expected here at UN headquarters, including French President Francois Hollande and Prime Minister Trudeau from Canada.

尽管奥巴马总统缺席, 但大约60位世界各国领导人预计会来联合国总部, 包括法国总统奥朗德和加拿大总理特鲁多.

But their signatures alone will not be enough to make the Paris agreement operational. The legal requirements mean that each country will have to go through a process of ratification. For some this will require nothing more than the assent of the political leader as in the example of the United States.

但光有他们的签字还不足以将巴黎协议付诸实施. 法律要求意味着每个国家都必须走批准程序. 对一些国家而言, 这只须政治领导人的同意即可, 譬如美国.

Others though, such as India and Japan, will have to take the document to their parliaments; some may need new laws. The European Union is expected to lag behind on this issue as it has not yet agreed with the 28 member states on how emissions cuts will be shared out. Each member state will also have to ratify the deal individually.

然而对印度和日本等另一些国家来说, 必须把协议提交国会; 有些国家可能需要新的法律. 欧盟估计会在这个问题上滞后, 因为它尚未与其28个成员国就如何分摊减排量达成协议. 每个成员国还得单独批准协议.

Some countries, including the Marshall Islands, Palau, Fiji and Switzerland, have already completed this step and will be able to formally join the agreement on April 22.

其他国家,包括马绍尔群岛, 帕劳群岛, 斐济和瑞士, 已经走完这一步, 将能够在4月22日正式加入该协议.

To become operational, the treaty needs at least 55 countries representing at least 55% of global emissions to complete all the steps. While this is a tough threshold to reach an unusual coalition of interests is making it possible.

落实协议, 需要至少代表全球排放量55%的55个国家完成所有步骤. 虽然这是个艰难的坎儿, 但达成不同寻常的利益联盟使跨过这个坎儿成为可能.

Firstly President Obama is keen to ensure the deal is operational before his successor takes office next January. If the next President wants to take the US out of an established treaty they will have to wait for four years - by which time they may no longer be in charge.

首先, 奥巴马总统热切希望于明年一月继任者就职前确保协议生效. 如果下一任总统想使美国退出已确立的协议, 他们得等上4年, 而到那时, 他们或许已不再管事了.

Many of the least developed countries are pushing forward as well because a clerical error in the drafting of the new agreement means it becomes operational as soon as it hits the 55/55 mark, and not in 2020 as many people had supposed.

许多最不发达国家也在向前推进, 因为起草新协议时的一个书写错误意味着, 一旦协议达到55(个国家)/55(%的减排量)的目标, 就会立刻生效, 而不是像很多人认为的要等到2020年.