Script 閱讀文本
As the situation of climate change becomes increasingly severe, the international community has taken a series of actions in response. For example, in 2019, the UK and the EU declared a climate emergency. The global economic recession caused by the pandemic led to a decrease in global carbon emissions in 2020, but there was a rapid rebound in 2021. Each year, human emissions of greenhouse gases still exceed the Earth’s capacity to absorb them, leading to a continual increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. Countries are actively addressing the trend of carbon reduction, with China, Japan, and South Korea announcing carbon neutrality goals. The United States also re-entered the Paris Agreement in 2021 and set a goal to reduce carbon emissions by 50% by 2030. The Glasgow Climate Agreement, passed at COP26, outlines the basic framework for carbon trading.
The concept of carbon neutrality began in the 1990s to describe the use of carbon reduction and offsetting to achieve a balance between emissions and reductions. Over 140 countries have announced carbon neutrality or net zero emission targets, covering most of the GDP and emissions. Carbon pricing is a low-cost way to address emission behavior by removing externalities and improving market efficiency through economic means. Carbon pricing mechanisms include emissions trading systems (ETS) and carbon taxes. According to a World Bank report, there are 73 carbon pricing initiatives globally, with most countries opting for ETS or carbon taxes, with ETS being the mainstream choice. Internal carbon pricing is a carbon management mechanism implemented by companies themselves to proactively respond to market trends.
Carbon trading is the core of carbon pricing mechanisms, making carbon emissions or related quotas tradable commodities. Mandatory markets and voluntary markets are clearly distinguished, each with different trading commodities and market structures. In voluntary markets, attention must be paid to the quality of carbon quotas to avoid purchasing inefficient ones. In recent years, the Voluntary Carbon Trading Market Integrity Association has proposed ten core carbon principles to enhance the transparency and quality of carbon trading markets.
In the carbon trading market, the sources of carbon credits and offsets include emissions avoidance and carbon removal. Companies need to develop plans and obtain carbon quotas through certification, ensuring that the cost of implementing the plans is lower than the market price. Companies in various countries are eager to develop voluntary carbon reduction plans, but attention must be paid to the quality and cost-effectiveness of quotas.
Carbon pricing mechanisms are key measures to address climate change, promoting emission reduction and low-carbon development. The establishment of a carbon trading market provides companies with a clear economic signal, encouraging them to take more proactive carbon reduction measures. Through carbon pricing, the cost of emissions is internalized, thereby incentivizing companies to invest in clean technologies and innovation, further promoting low-carbon transformation.
However, carbon pricing also faces challenges and controversies. Firstly, setting carbon prices requires careful consideration; too low a carbon price may not effectively incentivize carbon reduction behavior, while too high a carbon price may burden businesses and consumers, even leading to social protests. Secondly, the implementation of carbon pricing requires the establishment of sound regulatory mechanisms to prevent market manipulation and improper behavior. In addition, the fairness of carbon pricing is also an important consideration, ensuring that the cost of emission reductions is reasonably shared and avoiding unfair impacts on vulnerable groups and developing countries.
Therefore, to effectively address the challenges of climate change, carbon pricing mechanisms need to be continuously improved in policy design, market operation, and regulatory mechanisms. Governments should actively promote carbon pricing legislation, and establish comprehensive, transparent, and sustainable carbon markets while strengthening international cooperation to collectively address the global challenges of climate change. Companies should also actively participate in carbon markets, making carbon reduction a strategic goal for corporate development, promoting green and low-carbon transformation, and achieving sustainable development goals.
Translation 中文翻譯
隨著氣候變遷情勢日漸嚴峻，國際社會採取一系列因應行動，如英國、歐盟於 2019 年宣布氣候變遷進入緊急狀態。疫情引發的全球經濟衰退使得 2020 年全球碳排放量下降，但 2021 年卻反彈迅速。每年人類排放的溫室氣體仍比地球系統能夠吸收回地表的多，大氣中二氧化碳濃度不斷增加。各國積極面對減碳趨勢，例如中國大陸、日本、韓國宣布達到碳中和目標。美國也在2021年宣布重返《巴黎協定》並設定2030年削減50%的碳排放目標。COP26 通過的《格拉斯哥氣候協定》明確了碳交易的基本框架。
碳中和概念早在1990年代開始，用以描述運用減碳與抵換達到排放正負抵銷的作用。全球超過140個國家宣布了碳中和或淨零排放目標，涵蓋了大部分GDP與排放量。碳定價是解決排放行為低成本的方式，以經濟手段去除外部性，提升市場效率。碳定價機制包括碳排放交易系統（ETS）和碳稅。ETS提供排放權，並建立交易機制，碳稅則徵收排放者庇古稅。根據世界銀行報告，全球有73項碳定價計畫，多數國家選擇ETS或碳稅，其中以ETS為主流。內部碳定價是企業自行實施的碳管理機制，以超前部署應對市場趨勢。
碳交易是碳定價機制的核心，讓碳排放或相關額度成為可交易的商品。強制性市場與自願性市場區分清晰，各有不同的交易商品與市場結構。自願性市場需要注意碳額度的品質，避免購買低效果的額度。近年來，自願碳交易市場誠信協會提出了十項核心碳原則，以提升碳交易市場的透明度與品質。
在碳交易市場中，碳信用與碳抵換額度的來源包括避免排放和碳移除。企業需要制定計畫並通過認證取得碳額度，並確保執行計畫的成本低於市場價格。各國企業熱衷於發展自願減碳計畫，但需要注意額度的品質與成本效益。
碳定價機制是應對氣候變遷的關鍵措施之一，促進了排放減量與低碳發展。碳交易市場的建立為企業提供了一個清晰的經濟信號，鼓勵他們採取更積極的減碳措施。透過碳定價，排放成本被內化，從而激勵企業投資於清潔技術與創新，進一步推動低碳轉型。
然而，碳定價也面臨著一些挑戰與爭議。首先，碳價格的設定需要謹慎考慮，過低的碳價格可能無法有效激勵減碳行為，而過高的碳價格可能對企業和消費者造成負擔，甚至引發社會抗議。其次，碳定價的實施需要建立健全的監管機制，防止市場操縱和不當行為。此外，碳定價的公平性也是一個重要考量因素，需要確保減排成本合理分擔，避免對弱勢群體和發展中國家造成不公平的影響。
因此，為了有效應對氣候變遷挑戰，碳定價機制需要在政策設計、市場運作和監管機制等方面不斷完善。政府應該積極推動碳定價立法，建立全面、透明和具有可持續性的碳市場，同時加強國際合作，共同應對全球氣候變遷挑戰。企業也應該積極參與碳市場，將減碳作為企業發展的戰略目標，推動綠色、低碳轉型，實現可持續發展的目標。
CHECK THIS OUT 學習知識點
‘the international community has taken a series of actions in response’
Here in this sentence you can see the present perfect. This is because the sentence is describing the result of an action in the unfinished time. You should always use present perfect when you are describing a result in the present, unfinished time like this.
「國際社會採取一系列因應行動」
這句話使用了現在完成式 (present perfect) 來描述某個行動的結果或影響，而這個影響或結果與當下仍有關聯。現在完成時通常用於強調過去行動對現在的影響或結果，尤其是當這個影響或結果對目前情況具有重要意義時。
這句話使用了現在完成式 (present perfect) 來描述某個行動的結果或影響，而這個影響或結果與當下仍有關聯。現在完成時通常用於強調過去行動對現在的影響或結果，尤其是當這個影響或結果對目前情況具有重要意義時。
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