The energy Africa needs to develop -- and fight climate change | Rose M. Mutiso

Transcriber: TED Translators Admin Reviewer: Mirjana Čutura

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Amanda Zhu

Think about this.

想一想，

Californians use more electricity playing video games

加州人用在電玩遊戲上的電力

than the entire country of Senegal uses overall.

比塞內加爾全國所用的電力還多。

Also, before gyms were shut down due to COVID,

此外，在健身房因為 新型冠狀病毒而關閉之前，

New Yorkers could work out in a 10-degree-Celsius gym

紐約人可以在攝氏 十度的健身房裡運動，

because the cold apparently burns more calories.

因為很顯然在低溫環境下 可以燃燒更多熱量。

And yet only three percent of Nigerians have air conditioners.

但只有 3% 的奈及利亞人有冷氣。

As you can see, there's a mind-blowing gap

不難看出，能源富有和能源匱乏的人

between the energy haves and the energy have-nots.

之間的差距有多驚人。

And across the globe, we have incredible energy inequality.

全球的能源不平等相當嚴重。

Billions of people simply lack enough energy to build a better life:

數十億人就是沒有足夠 能源來過更好的生活；

affordable, abundant and reliable energy

沒有便宜、充足、可靠的能源

to run their businesses without daily blackouts,

來經營他們的事業而不會每天停電、

to preserve their crops from rotting,

保存他們的作物不會腐爛、

to power lifesaving medical equipment,

供電給救命用的醫療器材、

to work from home and do Zoom calls with their colleagues,

在家工作用視訊會議和同事溝通，

to run trains and factories,

讓火車和工廠能運轉；

basically, to grow and to prosper

基本上就是沒有 足夠能源成長、繁榮，

and to access both dignity and opportunity.

無法過得有尊嚴，也沒有發展的機會。

Rich countries have that kind of energy,

富裕國家有足夠的能源來做那些事，

whereas most countries in Africa, and many elsewhere simply don't.

而大部分的非洲國家 以及許多其他的國家就是沒有。

And those billions of people

那數十億人

are falling further and further behind the rest of the world.

落後全世界其他人的情況越來越嚴重。

In addition to taking their energy abundance for granted,

除了綽綽有餘的能源，

有錢人還把另一件事視為理所當然：

the wealthy take something else for granted:

that everyone should fight climate change exactly the same way.

人人都應該用同樣的方式 來對抗氣候變遷。

Tackling climate change

要對抗氣候變遷，

will require an accelerated transition to low-carbon energy sources.

我們必須加速轉換到低碳能源。

And yet, emissions continue to climb year after year,

然而，排放量連年攀升，

threatening to blow our tight carbon budget.

幾乎要超過我們原本 就很緊繃的碳預算。

That's what I want to talk about today.

那就是我今天想談的主題。

The carbon budget is an estimation of the total emissions

碳預算是地球大氣

能夠吸收總排放量的保守估計值。

that our planet's atmosphere can safely absorb.

Faced with an imperative to not explode this carbon budget,

面臨排放量就要超過碳預算之際，

the world is looking at Africa in a completely contradictory way.

全世界卻用極矛盾的方式看待非洲。

On one side, it wants us to grow,

一方面，世界希望我們成長、

to emerge from abject poverty,

脫離赤貧、

to build a middle class,

建立中產階級，

to own cars and air conditioners and other modern amenities

讓我們能擁有自己的汽車、 冷氣機及其他便利設施，

because after all, Africa is the next global market.

因為非洲畢竟是下一個全球市場。

On the other side,

另一方面，

because they are anxious to demonstrate action on climate change,

因為西方的富裕國家

急著要展現氣候變遷的相關作為，

rich countries in the West

are increasingly restricting their funding to only renewable energy sources,

他們越來越將資金的運用 限於發展再生能源，

effectively telling Africa and other poor nations

等於就是在告訴非洲及其他貧窮國家，

to either develop with no carbon

他們要不就用無碳的方式發展，

or to limit their development ambitions altogether.

要不就不要有發展的野心。

Africa obviously needs to develop.

非洲顯然需要發展，

That's non-negotiable.

那是毫無疑問的。

And I want to make the case today that Africa must be prioritized

今天我想要說明

為什麼剩下的碳預算 必須優先分配給非洲。

when it comes to what's left in the carbon budget.

In other words,

換言之，

Africa must be allowed to, yes, produce more carbon in the short term

短期內必須容許非洲排放更多碳，

so we can grow,

這樣我們才能成長，

while the rich world needs to drastically cut their emissions.

而富裕國家則需要 大幅減少他們的排放。

Africans have a right to aspire

非洲人有權利追求

to the same prosperity that everyone else enjoys.

所有其他人享受的繁榮。

And we deserve the same chance at a job,

我們都應該得到同樣的工作機會、

at an education,

教育、

at dignity and opportunity.

尊嚴和機會。

We also understand very well

我們也非常清楚

that the entire world needs to get to a zero-carbon future.

世界需要做到零碳排放的未來。

This might sound contradictory, but consider these three points.

這可能聽起來很矛盾， 但想想以下三點。

First, Africa isn't the culprit of climate change.

第一、非洲並不是氣候變遷的肇因。

It's a victim.

他是受害者。

Africa and its more than one billion people

非洲及其十多億人民

are among the most vulnerable to climate change on the planet,

是地球上最容易 受到氣候變遷影響的一群人，

facing the worst impacts of extreme weather, drought and heat.

他們面臨最慘烈的衝擊， 包括極端天氣、乾旱、高溫。

And yet, if you look at the carbon footprint

但，如果以整個 非洲大陸的碳足跡來看，

of the entire African continent,

48 African countries combined

四十八個非洲國家

are responsible for less than one percent of accumulative carbon dioxide

所排放二氧化碳的歷年加總，

佔不到大氣中總量的 1%。

in the atmosphere.

Even if every one of the one billion people in sub-Saharan Africa

就算全撒哈拉以南十億非洲人的用電量

tripled their electricity consumption overnight,

突然全都變成三倍，

and if all of that new power came from natural gas-fired plants,

且所有電力都來自天然氣發電廠，

we estimate that the additional CO2 that Africa would add

我們估計，非洲因此增加的二氧化碳

would equal to just one percent of total global emissions.

只相當於全球總排放量的 1%。

Second, Africa needs more energy to fight climate change, not less.

第二、

非洲需要更多能源， 不是更少，才能對抗氣候變遷。

Because of its climate vulnerability,

因為非洲容易受氣候影響，

Africa's climate fight is about adaptation and resilience,

非洲對抗氣候之戰的重點 是適應和韌性，

and climate adaptation is energy-intensive.

而要適應氣候是很耗費能源的。

To respond to extreme weather,

為了因應極端天氣，

Africans will need more resilient infrastructure.

非洲人會需要更有韌性的基礎設施。

We're talking seawalls, highways, safe buildings and more.

我們在談的是防波堤、 高速公路、安全建築等等。

To cope with drought,

若要對付乾旱，

Africans will need pumped irrigation for their agriculture,

非洲人在農業上會需要用幫浦做灌溉，

and many will need desalination for fresh water.

且許多人會需要 海水淡化設備來取得淡水。

And to survive soaring temperatures,

要在不斷上升的溫度下生存，

Africans will need cold storage and ACs

非洲人需要有冷藏設備和冷氣的場所

in hundreds of millions of homes,

包括了億萬個家庭、辦公室、 倉庫、工廠、資料中心等等。

offices, warehouses, factories, data centers and the like.

These are all energy-intensive activities.

這些都是很耗能源的活動。

If we fail at mitigation,

如果無法緩和氣候的衝擊，

the rich countries' plan B for climate change is to simply adapt.

富裕國家的後備計畫就是適應。

Africans need and deserve that same capacity for adaptation.

非洲需要，也應該要有 同樣的適應能力。

Third,

第三、

imposing mitigation on the world's poor is widening economic inequality.

將緩和氣候衝擊的責任 強加在貧窮國家身上

會讓經濟更加不平等，

We're creating energy apartheid.

等於是用能源畫出種族隔離的分野。

Working in global energy and development,

投入全球能源與開發工作時，

I often hear people say,

我常聽見有人說：

"Because of climate, we just can't afford for everyone to live our lifestyles."

「因為氣候的關係，

我們實在負擔不起讓人人 都用我們的生活方式過活。

That viewpoint is worse than patronizing.

沒有比那種高高在上的觀點 更可鄙的了，

It's a form of racism,

那是另一種型態的種族歧視， 且會將全球能源系統分為兩個階層，

and it's creating a two-tier, global energy system

with energy abundance for the rich

富人有充足的能源，

and tiny solar lamps for Africans.

非洲人只有超小型太陽能燈。

The global market for natural gas is a great example of this.

全球天然氣市場就是一個很好的例子。

Large Western companies are actively developing gas fields

西方的大型公司積極地 在非洲國家開發天然氣田，

in African countries

to run industry and generate electricity in Asia or in Europe.

提供給亞洲或歐洲的工業營運及發電。

And yet, when these same African countries want to build power plants at home

然而，當這些非洲國家 想要在家園建造電廠，

to use gas for their own people,

把天然氣給自己的人民使用，

the Western development and finance communities say,

西方的開發商和金融界就會說：

"No, we won't fund that."

「不，我們不提供資助。」

And here's the irony.

諷刺的是，

Many poor countries are already far ahead of the West

在轉型為低碳能源系統方面，

許多貧窮國家已經超越了西方。

when it comes to transitioning to a low-carbon energy system.

In Kenya, where I'm from, we generate most of our electricity carbon-free.

在我的祖國肯亞，

大部分的電力都用無碳的方式生產。

Renewable sources such as geothermal, hydro and wind

我們的電力有近 80%

來自再生能源來源， 如地熱、水力、風力。

provide nearly 80 percent of our electricity.

In the US, that figure is only 17 percent.

在美國，再生能源只佔 17%。

So let me repeat my points.

讓我重述我的重點。

Everyone must get to a zero-carbon future.

人人都必須在未來達成零碳排放。

In the transition,

在轉型中，

Africa and other poor nations deserve to get the balance

世界剩下的碳預算

應該要分配給非洲和其他貧窮國家。

of what's remaining in the world's carbon budget.

For economic competitiveness,

為了經濟競爭力，

for climate adaptation,

為了氣候適應，

for global stability

為了全球穩定，

and for economic justice,

為了經濟正義，

rich and high-emitting countries

富裕且高排放的國家

must uphold their responsibility to lead on decarbonization,

必須要擔起責任，帶頭減碳，

starting in their own economies.

並從他們自己的經濟開始做起。

We all have a collective responsibility to turn the tide on climate change.

我們必須集體承擔 扭轉氣候變遷的責任。

If we fail,

如果氣候之戰失敗，絕對不是因為

it won't be because Senegal or Kenya or Benin or Mali decided to build

塞內加爾、肯亞、貝南，或馬利

a handful of natural gas power plants

決定要建造幾座天然氣電廠，

to provide economic opportunity for their people.

來提供經濟發展的機會給他們的人民。

Thank you.

謝謝。