China and the US have begun an ambitious new phase of talks on curbing their carbon dioxide emissions that observers say is the most promising development in nearly 20 years of global climate change negotiations.

美中两国有关抑制各自二氧化碳排放的谈判已进入一个雄心勃勃的新阶段，观察人士认为，这是近20年全球气候变化谈判里让人感到希望最大的变化。

A lack of co-ordination between the two superpowers, whose combined emissions nearly match the rest of the world’s put together, has helped torpedo previous rounds of international climate talks, including the Copenhagen summit of 2009.

作为二氧化碳排放超级大国，美中两国的排放量加起来几乎相当于全球其他所有国家的排放量之和。这两国之间缺乏协调，是破坏前几轮全球气候变化谈判、包括2009年哥本哈根世界气候大会的因素之一。

But the pair have recently begun detailed discussions about the sensitive issue of their respective carbon-cutting goals as world leaders try to seal a global climate deal in Paris next year that will hinge on a US-Chinese agreement.

但美中两国近来已开始就各自碳减排目标的敏感问题展开详细谈判。全球领导人目前正努力寻求在明年的巴黎谈判上达成一项全球气候协议，而其前景将取决于美中两国之间能否达成协议。

Xie Zhenhua, China’s chief climate negotiator, told the Financial Times that Beijing’s “down to earth” talks with Washington were paving the way for “China and the US to build a new big country relationship”.

中国气候谈判代表团团长解振华告诉英国《金融时报》，中国与美国之间的“务实”谈判为“两国间构建新型大国关系”奠定了基础。

“We should be confident that the Paris meeting will not be another Copenhagen,” he said, explaining the air pollution choking China’s cities now made it “a must” for Beijing to build a greener economy, regardless of outside pressure.

他表示：“我们应当坚信，巴黎谈判将不会重蹈哥本哈根谈判的覆辙。”他解释称，中国许多城市发生令人窒息的空气污染，要求中国政府“必须”建成更绿色的经济，无论外界压力如何都要这么做。

Todd Stern, US climate envoy, confirmed there was a new level of intensity in the talks, launched last year shortly after John Kerry, a veteran climate champion, became US secretary of state.

美国政府的气候变化问题特使托德•斯特恩(Todd Stern)证实，美中谈判的频度已达到新水平。在资深气候问题倡导者约翰•克里(John Kerry)担任美国国务卿之后不久，美中两国便于去年启动了气候谈判。

“The pace of our co-operative efforts is increasing and I think they hold a lot of promise,” Mr Stern said.

“双方的合作步伐正在加快，我认为，这给大家带来了很大希望，”斯特恩说。

China was now clearly committed to taking strong action, he added. “Their air pollution problem is extremely serious, and I think they are seized at the highest levels by the need to take action that deals with both air pollution and climate change at the same time.”

他补充称，中国目前明显致力于采取强力措施。“他们的空气污染问题极端严重，我认为，中国最高层觉得必须采取措施，同时解决空气污染和气候变化问题。”

Harvard University’s Professor Robert Stavins, an expert in global climate negotiations, said the extent to which the US and China were now co-operating marked a substantial shift. “It is the most promising development since the Kyoto protocol,” he said, referring to the 1997 climate treaty that is the only legally binding UN climate pact ever agreed, but is moribund because the US never ratified it and China was not bound by it.

哈佛大学(Harvard)教授、全球气候谈判专家罗伯特•斯塔温斯(Robert Stavins)表示，美中两国目前的合作力度标志着一项重大变化。他说：“这是自《京都议定书》(Kyoto protocol)以来让人感到最有希望的事态变化。”他提到的1997年《京都议定书》是目前已达成的、唯一具有法律约束力的联合国(UN)气候条约，但由于美国一直没有批准且对中国没有约束力，该条约目前已奄奄一息。

British climate economist, Lord Nicholas Stern, said the Obama administration’s commitment to climate action and China’s appetite to tackle its domestic pollution problems meant there was far more agreement between the two countries than many realised.

英国气候经济学家、尼古拉斯•斯特恩爵士(Lord Nicholas Stern)表示，奥巴马(Obama)政府致力于采取应对气候变化的措施，加上中国解决国内污染问题的强烈意愿，意味着这两国之间的共识比许多人意识到的要深得多。

“I have been working in China for 25 years now and in the last five years, there has been a remarkable change in terms of what is being discussed,” he said.

他说：“现在我已在中国工作25年了，过去5年里讨论的条款比以往有了显著变化。”