昨日，国际社会进一步向美国施加压力，要求美国在本周八国集团(G8)峰会上设定长期温室气体减排目标。此前，英国首相托尼o布莱尔(Tony Blair)对德国要求美国设立这一目标的呼声表示支持。

International pressure on the US to set a long-term reduction target for greenhouse gas emissions¹ at this week's G8 summit escalated² yesterday after Tony Blair, the British prime minister, backed Germany's calls for such a goal.

预计将于周三召开的八国集团峰会将是一次气氛紧张的会议，气候变化问题将成为这次会议的主要议题，因为作为会议主席国的德国将和美国就如何解决全球变暖问题展开争论。 Climate change will dominate what is expected to be a tense summit of the Group of Eight leading industrial nations, beginning on Wednesday, as Germany, which holds the G8 presidency³, and the US argue over how to tackle global warming.

布莱尔昨日在柏林发表讲话时表示，此次峰会应设定碳减排目标，承诺建立全球碳市场，信守联合国主导的《京都议定书》(Kyoto Protocol⁴)。

Speaking in Berlin yesterday, Mr Blair said the summit should set goals for reducing carbon emissions, pledge to establish a global carbon market, and commit to the UN-led Kyoto Protocol.

德国总理默克尔(Merkel)希望八国集团成员国一致认同，全球变暖应限制在较工业化前高2摄氏度的水平，温室气体排放应在2050年前减少至1990年水平的一半，目前应开始采取行动，设立全球碳排放交易机制。

Ms Merkel wants G8 members to agree that global warming should be restricted to 2oC above pre-industrial levels, emissions should be reduced to 50 per cent of their 1990 levels by 2050, and work should be started on a global emissions trading scheme.

美国在峰会前的谈判中拒绝了所有这3项提议。美国总统布什(Bush)上周表示，世界主要污染国应在年底前设定自己的排放目标。德国将这一提议解读为，美国试图在峰会召开前夕分裂八国集团。

The US has rejected all three proposals in negotiations⁵ leading to the summit. Mr Bush's suggestion last week that the world's main polluters should set their own emissions targets by the end of the year was interpreted in Berlin as an attempt to split the G8 days before the summit.

默克尔周末接受采访时表示，她不会接受在峰会气候公报中对2摄氏度的目标有任何削弱，她也拒绝支持任何将与联合国主导的进程存在竞争的举措。

In a weekend interview, Ms Merkel said she would not accept any watering down of the 2oC target in the summit's climate communiqué and refused to back any climate initiative that would compete with the UN-led process.

不过，她表示，围绕最佳的未来举措进行谈判是可能的。德国官员表示，默克尔在周三峰会开始前几个小时将与布什会晤，以期尽最后努力改变布什的想法。

However, she said negotiations were possible on the best way forward. The chancellor⁶ will meet Mr Bush on Wednesday, just hours before the start of the summit, in a last effort to sway him, German officials said.