The Democratic leadership in the US Senate has suspended efforts to pass a climate change bill. It abandoned not only its planned comprehensive cap-and-trade measure, similar to one already passed by the House of Representatives, but also a more modest bill aimed at electric utilities. The Senate will most likely pass an energy bill of some sort, but this will barely even pretend to make progress on curbing greenhouse gas emissions.
美国参议院的民主党领导层已不再推动通过气候变化法案。他们放弃的不仅是计划中的全面的“限量及交易”(cap-and-trade)议案——类似于众议院已经通过的议案,而且还放弃了一项针对电力公用事业企业的更温和的议案。参议院极有可能通过某种形式的能源法案,但这份法案将几乎不会假装在抑制温室气候排放上取得进展。这种放弃结束了自1997年《京都议定书》(Kyoto protocol)开始的故事,其高潮出现在去年12月的哥本哈根气候变化峰会上。在那场期待很久的峰会上,manbetx app苹果 各国政府希望用一套更为有效的新制度来取代《京都议定书》,后者在解决气候变化问题上未曾取得任何可以察觉的进展。结果他们空手而归。